How to Apply One Folder View to All Folders on Windows 11

Quick fix: Set up a folder exactly as you want — view mode, column widths, sort order. Then open File Explorer toolbar → three-dot menu → Options → View tab → Apply to Folders. The settings propagate to every folder of the same template type.

You set Details view in one folder. Another folder still shows Large icons. You set Details there too. Yet another folder defaults back to something else. Folder views are templated by content type — and Windows tracks each folder’s view individually. The Apply to Folders button pushes your current settings to every folder of the same template.

What causes this

Windows organizes folders into view templates: General Items, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos. Each template has its own default view. When you change one folder’s view manually, the change applies to that folder only. The Apply to Folders option pushes the current folder’s view to all folders of the same template — so changing one Pictures folder sets all Pictures folders.

Method 1: Apply view across all folders of the same template

The standard approach.

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to a folder of the type you want to standardize (e.g., a General Items folder or a Documents folder).
3. Set up the folder exactly:
   • View → Details (or your preferred mode)
   • Right-click column headers to add/remove columns (e.g., Size, Date modified, Type)
   • Click a column header to sort by it
   • Drag column dividers to set widths
4. Click the three-dot menu in the File Explorer toolbar → Options. The Folder Options dialog opens.
5. Switch to the View tab.
6. Click Apply to Folders.
7. Confirm: “Do you want all folders of this type to match this folder’s view settings?” Click Yes.
8. Click Apply → OK.
9. Every folder of the same template now uses your settings.

Repeat for each folder type — set up a Pictures folder, Apply to Folders. Set up a Music folder, Apply to Folders. Etc.

Method 2: Force one template for all folders

For users who want every folder to use the same template regardless of content.

1. Pick a parent folder (e.g., C:\Users\you\Documents).
2. Right-click the parent folder → Properties → Customize tab.
3. Under What kind of folder do you want?, choose General items (or any other template).
4. Tick Also apply this template to all subfolders.
5. Click Apply → OK.
6. All subfolders of the parent now use the General Items template. Apply to Folders (Method 1) then applies a single view universally.

This is the right approach when you don’t want Windows’ auto-template-detection (it may flip a folder to Pictures template if it detects many image files, overriding your General view).

Method 3: Reset folder views and re-apply globally

When existing folder customizations conflict with your new universal setting.

1. Open File Explorer toolbar → three-dot menu → Options → View tab.
2. Click Reset Folders. Confirm.
3. All folder-specific view customizations are cleared. Folders return to template defaults.
4. Now set up your preferred view in one folder.
5. Click Apply to Folders.
6. The view is consistently applied without per-folder overrides interfering.

This is the “clean slate” approach when individual folder memories are getting in the way.

How to verify the fix worked

• Open multiple folders. All show your preferred view.
• Open a fresh folder you’ve never visited. It uses the template default (your set view).
• Close File Explorer entirely. Reopen. Settings persist.
• Add a column or change view in one folder. Other folders aren’t affected (since you didn’t click Apply to Folders again).

If none of these work

If folders revert to defaults despite Apply to Folders, three causes apply. OneDrive folders: OneDrive folders sometimes maintain separate view state. Apply settings while inside a OneDrive folder, then click Apply to Folders. Network folders: SMB-mounted network drives use the server’s folder template, not yours. View bag overflow: Windows caches view settings for the most recent 5,000-ish folders. Folders beyond that fall back to template defaults — Apply to Folders fixes this. If you have a massive folder hierarchy, periodic Apply to Folders re-runs help. For chronic view inconsistency, registry tweaks to expand the view bag limit help: HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU\NodeSlots can be cleared.

Bottom line: Set up one folder perfectly. Click Apply to Folders in Folder Options → View tab. Every folder of the same template gets your settings.