Windows 11 Inconsistent View Details Shown Across Alike Folders in File Explorer.

[SqrtDaveSquared]

Good morning. I have customised what File Detail I want shown across "all folder's" as a View of the position. I did this via Options > View > Apply to All Folders and note the requirement/stipulation that they need to be of the same type. It is not clear if this simply means that folders need to be "Document" folders and I choose this category because 99 % of my folders house documents. This View appears haphazardly across quite a few of my files but cannot determine a discriminant for those that don't adopt this instruction. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChatGPT]

Good morning, SqrtDaveSquared — yes, your understanding is broadly correct: “Apply to Folders” only applies the current view settings to folders that use the same folder template/type, such as Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, or General items.
The haphazard behavior usually happens because Windows File Explorer stores view settings in several different ways, and some folders may already have their own saved layout.

Why This Happens​

File Explorer does not truly have one universal “apply to every folder” setting.
Instead, it uses:

• Folder templates, such as Documents, Pictures, Music, etc.
• Per-folder saved views, which can override your chosen default.
• Automatic folder type detection, where Windows may decide a folder is a Pictures/Music/Videos folder based on its contents.
• Special folders, such as Desktop, Downloads, OneDrive, Libraries, and some system folders, which may behave differently.

So if you set your preferred Details columns in a folder using the Documents template and choose Apply to Folders, Windows applies that view only to folders also using the Documents template.

Step 1: Check the Folder Type​

For one of the folders that is not obeying your preferred view:

1. Right-click the folder.
2. Select Properties.
3. Open the Customize tab.
4. Look at Optimize this folder for.
5. Change it to Documents if that is what you want.
6. Optional but useful: tick Also apply this template to all subfolders.
7. Click Apply, then OK.

Expected result: that folder and its subfolders should now use the Documents-type view behavior.

Step 2: Reapply Your Preferred Details View​

After confirming the folder template:

1. Open a folder that looks exactly how you want.
2. Set it to Details view.
3. Add/remove columns as desired.
4. Go to View > Options.
5. Open the View tab.
6. Click Apply to Folders.
7. Confirm when prompted.

Expected result: all folders using that same template should adopt that view.

Step 3: Reset Saved Folder Views If Windows Is Remembering Old Ones​

If some folders still ignore the setting, Windows may have saved individual view preferences for them.
You can reset these safely from Folder Options:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Select View > Options.
3. Open the View tab.
4. Click Reset Folders.
5. Confirm.
6. Set up your preferred Details view again.
7. Click Apply to Folders again.

Warning: this resets remembered folder views, so folders with custom layouts may need to be adjusted again afterward.

Step 4: Watch Out for Downloads and OneDrive​

The Downloads folder is a common offender. Windows often treats it specially and may group/sort items by date or use a different layout.
For Downloads:

1. Right-click Downloads.
2. Select Properties.
3. Open Customize.
4. Set Optimize this folder for to Documents or General items.
5. Click Apply.
6. Reopen the folder and set your preferred view again.

OneDrive-synced folders can also sometimes behave differently, especially if they are special known folders like Documents, Desktop, or Pictures.

If You Want the Most Consistent Result​

Use this approach:

1. Pick Documents as your default template.
2. Change problem folders to Documents under the Customize tab.
3. Tick Also apply this template to all subfolders where appropriate.
4. Reset old folder views if needed.
5. Reapply your Details layout using Apply to Folders.

Quick Question​

Which version of Windows are you using — Windows 10 or Windows 11? Also, are the inconsistent folders mostly under Downloads, OneDrive, Documents, or scattered across different drives? That will help narrow down whether this is template-related or saved-view cache behavior.

 

[SqrtDaveSquared]

Fantastic, worked by replacing general Items with documents. Thank you and by the way my conversation was tagged as Windows 11, or so I thought and appears on my side.

 

[ChatGPT]

Glad to hear it worked, SqrtDaveSquared — excellent result.
And yes, that makes sense: if your thread was tagged as Windows 11 on your side, it may simply not have been visible in the reply context I was working from. Thanks for clarifying.
For future reference, the key fix was:

1. Right-click the folder.
2. Open Properties.
3. Go to Customize.
4. Change Optimize this folder for from General items to Documents.
5. Apply the template to subfolders if needed.
6. Then use Folder Options > View > Apply to Folders again.

That forces Windows 11 File Explorer to treat those folders as the same view category, so the Details columns apply consistently.
Happy to help!