How to disable auto arrange in Windows 10’s folders?

Today, we are going to be talking about File Explorer and how to disable auto arrange in folders in Windows 10. There are several ways to open the File Explorer window. You can simply click on the File Explorer icon on the taskbar. If it is not present there, then you need to click on the Start or Home button and input File Explorer in the search box, then select the most obvious result. You can аlso right-click File Explorer from the search results and select Pin to taskbar to make it accessible from the taskbar.  Another way to open the File Explorer windows is by using the keyboard shortcut Windows logo key + E.

Now that you have opened File Explorer, you are going to learn about its different parts. At the top of the window is the title bar. At the right of the title bar are the Close, Maximize, and Minimize buttons. To the left is the Quick access bar, which contains the Properties and New folder buttons, and if you want to have more icons, you can click on the down arrow to view more options. Below the title bar is the Ribbon, which contains different groups of items called Panels. It helps you to carry out tasks such as layout, formatting, and sharing. You will find different options, depending on the type of file you select.

Below the Ribbon is the Address bar, which helps you to navigate to different folders within the same File Explorer window. To the left of the address bar are the Back and Forward buttons, which help you to go to the folders that you have already opened. To the right of the address bar is the Search box, which is used to search for items within the File Explorer window.

Below the Address bar is the Home pane, which shows you all the files and folders in your current location. To the left of the Home pane is the Navigation pane. Here, you can view how the files and folders in your computer are structured. This gives you easy access to the main folders in your system. It also serves as a quick way to navigate to different locations. To the right of the Home pane is the Preview pane, which gives you a preview of the item you have selected. It could be a picture or document. This pane is not enabled by default. So, to view it, you need to go to the View menu and click on the Preview pane button located at the left of the Ribbon.

Now, at the bottom of the window is the status bar, which gives you information about the selected folder and its contents. You will find information such as the total number of items and the number of items you have selected.

Now that you know your way around the File Explorer window, let us show you different ways to disable the auto arrange feature. Many users have asked, “Do I need the auto arrange file feature?” The answer to this question is personal. If you can keep up with the way File Explorer arranges the files, then there is no reason to disable it. But if you require your files to be in a specific order, then there is a great need to disable this feature. If the feature is not disabled, no matter how you rearrange the files, once you close and reopen the folder, your files will return to the default state set by Windows.

In Windows 7, you could arrange your files the way you wanted, without the fear of them being rearranged by File Explorer. However, this feature was later removed and was omitted in all succeeding versions of the Windows operating system.

Method 1. Rearrange the files in the Navigation pane.

This method can only work with the Quick access menu. Quick Access gives you access to your most used folders and files. If you do not like the layout of the Quick Access folders in the Home pane, you can rearrange them in a specific order. To do that, you need to go to the Navigation pane and drag the folder whose position you want to change to your desired position. Now, you will see the desired effect in the Home pane.

Method 2. Disable the auto arrange feature, using Windows Registry

Before making any changes to the Windows Registry, you need to back it up. This is to make sure that you can recover the Registry if you make a mistake while editing. Sometimes, errors in the Windows Registry can lead to irreversible damage to your system. To back up your Registry, use the following steps:

• Press the Windows logo key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. Input regedit in the search area and press Enter.
• Right-click on Computer and select Export. In the next window, you will be prompted to save the file. Choose a safe location and a file name and save the file. It is saved as a .reg file.
• Now that you have backed up the registry, you can continue with editing.
• Go to the following location in the left pane: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesLocal SettingsSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsShell
• Now, delete the Bags folder by right-clicking on it and selecting Delete.
• Navigate to this location: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsShell and delete the Bags folder here again.
• Again, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsShellNoRoam and delete the Bags folder here as well.
• Once you are done, close the registry.
• Now, press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key on your keyboard to open the Task Manager. Navigate to the Processes tab and select the Windows Explorer process, then click Restart.
• Go to Google and search for disable-auto-arrange.zip and download it. Now, extract the files from the zip folder.
• Double-click on the disableautarrange.reg file to add it to your registry.

Now, the auto arrange feature should be disabled, and you can arrange your files and folders in the Home pane the way you want. Note that this solution will only work for large icons, medium icons, small icons, and extra-large icons.

Method 3. Turn of auto arrange in File Explorer

Click on the File Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it.

Right-click on any empty space in the Home pane of the folder. Select View and uncheck Auto Arrange. When this option is disabled, you can easily arrange the files the way you want.

Now, open Windows registry and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsShellNoRoam and delete the Bags folder, then close the Registry Editor.

Open the Task Manager and restart the Windows Explorer process under the Processes tab.

Method 4. Use the Sort by option.

The Sort by option allows you to arrange your files in a specific pattern which includes: Name, Date modified, Type, Size, Date created, Authors, Categories, Tags, and Title. With these options, you will be able to find the files or folders you are looking for easily.

Pro tip: if you are experiencing lags in your PC, it is mainly due to accumulated junk files in your system. Also, unnecessary background apps drain your system resources, making it slow and unresponsive. To solve this problem, we recommend that you download and install Auslogics BoostSpeed. This tool will delete all the junk files, which will also free some storage space on your PC. It will also disable all the unwanted background apps which use up your system’s resources.

We hope that this article has shown you how to disable auto arrange in File Explorer. Share it with others who need such information.

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