In File Explorer, sorting a folder of files by “Date modified” is a convenient way to cut though clutter, putting the files you’re working with right at the top so you don’t have to dig.
But there’s an issue: When you click that “Date modified” column at the top of a list of files, File Explorer will shove all the folders in that folder at the bottom of the list.
That can be inconvenient. What if you want the folders at the top, followed by a list of conveniently sorted “recently modified” files?
Windows Intelligence reader Mark H. shared an awesome tip for this — a hidden little trick that even I haven’t seen before. [Or maybe I just forgot it.]
💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
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➜ In File Explorer, open a folder with a “Detailed” list of files. Your Documents folder is sorted this way by default. You can also right-click in any folder and select View > Details to sort it by details.
You’ll see a list of files with multiple columns like Name and Date modified.
Click the “Date modified” header to sort the list of files by Date modified.
Then, hold down the Shift key and click the “Name” column. File Explorer will sort by Date modified — but with your folders at the top of the list. Convenient!
Bonus: Beyond File Explorer, this works in many file open and close dialogs, too!
If you want to apply this change to all your folders instead of just a single one, click “View” on the File Explorer toolbar and click “Options.” Then, click the “View” tab in the Folder Options window and click “Apply to Folders.”
One of the new changes I noticed with my Windows 8.1’s Windows Explorer is that when I sort folders [directories] by modified date the files appears before the folders. This wasn’t the behavior it was back in Windows 7, the folders always appear on top of the files, at least it wasn’t what I was remembering. I poked around to see if there are new options in Windows 8.1 that might lead to this subtle change. Here is a solution I found to get around with this problem.
Use Date Instead of Date Modified Attribute For Directory Column Type
Notice when you view a directory in Windows 8.1 in a detailed view, you will get the option to sort the folder by “Date modified”. When you do use this attribute to sort the folders, all the files appear before the folders. If you’d like to keep the folders show before the files, don’t use “Date modified” attribute, but instead use “Date” attribute. Here is how.
Go to View tab > Sort by > Choose columns …
Scroll down to the list, find the “Date” type, select and click OK.
Now go to “Group by > Choose columns …”
Uncheck “Date modified”, check “Date”
Now go back to the Windows Explorer, click sort “Date” column. Notice, you now see all the folders appear before the files in a directory.
The catch is, if you do it this way as above, the change only appear to be applied to the directory you are in. There are other directories and folders out there still have the previous unchanged view properties. But hey, at least this is a workaround, let us know if you have a better way to resolve this issue.
/Update on May 31, 2017/
Thanks to the reader Shelku who shared an even better solution. You can click the Date Modified tab first then shift-click the Name tab to get the current list ordered in Date but still with the folders listed at the top.
1 Navigation pane From the Navigation pane, you can view your computer’s file and folder structure and access files and folders.
In the Navigation pane is the Quick access area; from the Quick access area, you can quickly and easily navigate to folders you use regularly. To add [“pin”] a folder to the Quick access area, right-click on the folder name and then select Pin to Quick access from the drop-down menu.
2 Forward and Back buttons Enables you to go to folders you’ve already opened. If you go to a different folder, you can choose the Back button to . 3 Ribbon Enables you to perform layout, formatting, and sharing tasks, as well as how File Explorer displays your files and folders.
Tasks available to you might differ depending on what folder you select [e.g., Documents vs Pictures].
To display the Ribbon, click on one of the menu items at the top of File Explorer, or click on the Expand the Ribbon button [down-pointing arrow] located at the top right-hand side of File Explorer.
4 Address bar Enables you to go to a different folder in the same Explorer window. [For more information, see .] 5 Column headings Titles of each of the columns displayed in the file and folder list. You can choose which columns you want to display by or , as well as . Click on a column heading to sort your files and folders by that column [e.g., date modified]. 6 Search box Allows you to search for subfolders, documents, images, programs, Web pages, and bookmarks in the current folder. 7 File and folder listing Shows you the files and folders in the current folder [the folder you selected in the Navigation pane]. 8 Preview/Details pane Enables you to quickly preview an item, such as a photo, without having to open that item. To open the Preview pane [it isn’t open by default], click on the View menu at the top of File Explorer, then click on the Preview pane button located at the left-hand side of the Ribbon in the Navigation pane area. 9 Status bar Displays information about a selected folder and its contents, such as the total number of items in the folder, the number of items selected and total file size. Contains buttons that enable you to quickly switch between thumbnail and detail views for the items displayed in the current folder.
Opening File Explorer
To open File Explorer, click on the File Explorer icon located in the taskbar.
Alternatively, you can open File Explorer by clicking on the Start button and then clicking on File Explorer.
Displaying Subfolders
If you’ve used previous versions of Windows, you know that a folder name would have a plus sign next to it if that folder contains documents or subfolders.
With Windows 10, if a folder contains subfolders, that folder name will instead have a small right-pointing triangle next to it.
- No triangle next to a folder name [ ] means the folder has no subfolders.
- Right-pointing triangle next to a folder name [ ] means that the folder has subfolders.
- Down-pointing triangle next to a folder name [ ] means that subfolders are currently displayed for that folder.
To view a folder’s subfolders, click on the right-pointing triangle next to the folder. The right-pointing triangle will turn into a down-pointing triangle, and the subfolders will be displayed, as shown below.
To hide a folder’s subfolders, click on the down-pointing triangle of that folder so that the subfolders will no longer be displayed. [For more information, see .]
Accessing Your Files and Folders
There are number of ways you can naviagate to your files and folders in File Explorer:
- Using the [located at the top of File Explorer]. The Address bar shows the full path of your current location.
- Forward and Backward buttons
- From the Folders pane
- Using the [searches file names and file and folder contents in the current folder to find items containing your search term]
Using the Address Bar
The Address bar, which is located at the top of File Explorer as shown below, displays the path of the currently selected folder.
File Explorer drop-down menus are available for each subfolder in the Address bar. So you can easily go backward or forward in the folder path by clicking on the right-pointing arrow next to a folder and selecting a subfolder from the drop-down menu.
Viewing Folders at the Same Level as Your Current Folder
To view the folders at the same level as the current folder, click on the right-pointing arrow to the left of that folder listing in the Address bar. [The screen example below shows that clicking on the arrow next to Documents displays all the folders at the same level as My Stuff.]
Note: The current folder [in this example, the My Stuff folder] is shown in boldface type.
Viewing Previously Visited Folders in the Address Bar
To view folders you’ve been to previously, you can do any of the following:
Click on the Forward or Back buttons. [These buttons work just like the Forward and Back buttons on a Web browser.]
Click on a folder name in the Address bar.
Viewing the Contents of a Folder in the Address Bar
Click on the right-pointing arrow next to the folder whose subfolders you want to view. The arrow changes to a downward-pointing arrow, and a drop-down list of the subfolders will be displayed.
Changing How Your Files and Folders are Displayed
You can change how your folder and file icons look, as well as display different information about them. Note: Changes you make will apply to the contents of the current folder only.
- Navigate to the folder whose display you want to change.
- Click on the View tab to display the Ribbon.
In View, you’ll see the following available display options:[Note: If some of your files or folders are hidden when the Ribbon is displayed, you can pin the Ribbon to File Explorer [keep it displayed, or expanded, in File Explorer even if you’re doing another task] by clicking on the up-pointing arrow on the top right-hand side of your File Explorer window; once you pin the Ribbon, you’ll be able to see those previously hiddent files or folders.]
- Move your mouse over each option to see a quick preview of that option in the area where your files and folders are displayed. To choose an option, just click on it. The following table lists and briefly describes each display option. [Note: To show more information about files and folders from display views that show little or no information [e.g., Large icons], you can open the Details Pane by clicking on the View menu, and then clicking on Details Pane. Click on an item to view the details of that item in the Details Pane.]
File/Folder View What is looks like Description Tiles
Adding a Column Heading
You can add a column headings to display additional information about your files and folders. [Note: You can only do this in Details view.]
- Navigate to the folder for which you want to add a column heading.
- Right-click on any column heading.
- From the drop-down menu, click on the heading you want to add so that a check mark appears. [In the example below, the heading “Date created” is being selected.]
- The heading you added will be displayed.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you’ve added all the desired column headings.
Removing a Column Heading
- Navigate to the folder for whom you want to remove column headings.
- Right-click on any column heading to display a drop-down menu of column headings; the headings that are currently displayed have check marks next them, as shown below.
- Click on the column heading you want to remove so that the check mark no longer appears for that heading. The column heading will no longer be displayed for the current folder’s contents.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you’ve removed all the desired column headings.
Creating a New Folder
- Navigate to the location where you want to add your folder.
- In File Explorer, click on the Home menu item.
- From the Home riibbon, click on the New folder button.
- Enter the name of your new folder.
- After you enter the folder name, click anywhere outside the text area to complete creation of the folder name.
Displaying Subfolders
In File Explorer, you will see a right-pointing bracket [ > ] next to any folder that contains subfolders. Just move your mouse over a folder name to see if it contains the bracket.
In the example above, “This PC” contains subfolders. To display the subfolders, just click on the folder name.
There are a number of ways to display a folder in File Explorer:
- Click on a folder if it’s listed in the Navigation pane
- Click on a folder in the Address bar to display its subfolders
- Double-click on a folder in the file and folder listing to display any subfolders
You can also add any folder to the Quick access area that you go to frequently by right-clicking on the folder and selecting Pin to Quick access from the drop-down menu.
You’ll now be able to open the folder at any time from the Quick access area:
Searching for Files
Windows 10 comes with a powerful search capability. Windows 10 will search all file types—documents, images, music, Web pages—as well as bookmarks and program shortcuts on your Desktop. Windows 10 will search file content, as well as file and folder names.
- Navigate to the folder where you want to search for items. You will see the Search box in the upper right-hand corner of the Windows Explorer window. [You should see a small magnifying glass icon on the right-hand side of the text area.]
[Note: Windows 10 searches in your current folder. So, for example, if you’re looking for a file that you know exists somewhere in your Documents folder, you may want to conduct your search from the top level of the Documents folder [not from a subfolder in Documents] to have the best chance of finding that file.] When you click inside the Search text box, Windows displays a Search Tools ribbon [shown below], which provides numerous options you can select for your search.
- Type the desired search text in the Search box. Choose the desired search criteria from the Search Tools ribbon. [Some of the search criteria you select might be added to the Search text area; Windows updates the search results automatically as you enter search criteria.]As you type your search text, Windows automatically displays in the file and folder list area any iitems that match your search criteria. The Address bar will also display Search results in [current folder name]; in the example below, Search results in Documents is displayed in the Address bar. If not already displayed, expand the File Explorer window to also display file or folder location, text snippet for text documents, or dimensions for image files.
- If you’ve set up search criteria you want to retain for a future search, you can save that search by clicking Save search.
Creating a Shortcut to a Folder
You can add a folder in the Quick access area of the Navigation Pane as a shortcut, much like you might add a bookmark in a Web browser. Creating a shortcut enables you to quickly and easily get to any folder you use frequently.
How do you make a file always appear at the top of a folder?
Right-click the file, folder, or link that you want to highlight, and then select Pin to top.
How do I get folders on top of File Explorer?
By default, File Explorer opens to Quick Access. You can set a folder to show up in Quick access so it'll be easy to find. Just right-click [or long-press] it and select Pin to Quick access. Unpin it when you don't need it there anymore by right-clicking [or long-pressing] it and selecting Unpin from Quick access.
How do I sort by date but keep folders on top?
Click the “Date modified” header to sort the list of files by Date modified. Then, hold down the Shift key and click the “Name” column. File Explorer will sort by Date modified — but with your folders at the top of the list.
How to set default sorting in File Explorer?
1 Answer.
Open file explorer..
Open any folder, then select View from the top menu..
Click on Date modified to sort by most recent..
Select Options from the far right top menu then choose Change folder and search options..
Select View tab, Apply to all folders..