If you find that your Windows 11/10 forgets Folder View settings or does not remember it, you can try this registry modification. The usual way to reset a Folder Type View Settings is as follows: Open Explorer > Folder Options (Called File Explorer Options in Windows 10) > View tab > Reset Folders OK > Apply/OK.
If you want Windows to remember Folder View settings, you have to select the Remember each folder’s view settings checkbox under the Advanced settings menu on the View tab of Folder Options in Control Panel. But even if you have selected the Remember each folder’s view settings checkbox, but your Windows does not remember your folder settings, then this article may interest you.
Specifically, you may be facing the following issues in Windows 11/10/8/7, Windows Vista or Windows XP:
- Microsoft Windows does not remember the View settings for a folder when you reopen the folder. That is, even the Thumbnails, Tiles, Icons, List, Details, etc., settings are not remembered.
- Windows does not remember the size or the position of a folder window when you reopen the folder.
- An incorrect thumbnail image is displayed for a folder.
- The thumbnail image does not appear in a folder.
Windows 11/10 forgets Folder View settings
Windows may keep forgetting the folder type view settings. This occurs because, by default, Windows Vista and later is set to remember folder view settings for only 5000 folders. In Windows XP it was 400 but has been increased in Windows Vista, it is 5000. The way out is to increase this value to, say, 10000 folders.
You can do so as follows:
Open regedit and navigate to the following Registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
In the right-side pane, right-click > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value > Name it BagMRU Size.
Next right click BagMRU Size > Click Modify.
Select Decimal and type 10000 (or in the Hexadecimal base type 2710). Click OK. Reboot.
TIP: WinSetView will help you tweak File Explorer,
Windows does not remember folder view settings
While you can always edit the registry manually above, the details of which can be found in KB813711 to correct this issue, you might instead want to run the Windows File and Folder Troubleshooter and let it fix the problem for you. This package scans your computer and detects if the computer is running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7.
For example, this MATS package verifies that one of the following conditions is true:
The NoSaveSettings registry value in the following registry subkey does not equal to 1:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Additionally, the BagMRU Size registry value in the following registry subkey does not exist or is less than 5000:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU
The highest subkey number in the following registry subkey is greater than 20% of the BagMRU Size registry value:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags
Incidentally, this MATS package will also fix other explorer.exe errors like:
- Can’t empty the Recycle Bin in Windows XP or Windows Vista
- The file or folder does not exist error in Windows Vista
- Network or file permission or folder does not exist error
- Can’t select multiple items after upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista
- Icons change incorrectly in Windows.
You can also use FixWin to Reset the Folder View to Default. This post will help you set a default Folder View for all folders in Windows if you want to and this one shows how to Reset Folder View in Windows 11/10.
