Folder Template - Set Default for All Folders in Windows 8

How to Set a Default Folder Template for All Folders in Windows 8 and 8.1


information   Information
This tutorial will show you how to set all folders to use the same default folder template that you select in only your user account in Windows 8.

This will also allow you to enable or disable Automatic Folder Type Discovery.

Note   Note
Automatic Folder Type Discovery is when Windows will automatically change the folder template of a folder to match the file type of the last file added or saved in the folder. For example, if your folder contains music files and you add a picture file, then Windows may change the folder template and view to the "Picture" template to match the new picture file.

By setting a specific template (steps 2 to 6) to be the default for all folders, you will disable Automatic Folder Type Discovery.

By restoring the default templates (step 1) of all folders, you will enable Automatic Folder Type Discovery.

warning   Warning
This (steps 2 to 6) will not change the folder template of library folders.


EXAMPLE: "General Items", "Documents", "Pictures", "Music", and "Videos" Folder Templates
NOTE:
These screenshots are using the default view for each folder template. What you see will also depend on what you have Group by, Sort by, Arrange by views and icon size or view set as.
General_Items.jpg
Documents.jpg
Music.jpg
Pictures.jpg
Videos.jpg




Here's How:
1. To Restore Default Folder Templates for All Folders
NOTE: This will also reset all folder views back to default as well.​
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.​
Restore_Default_Folder_Templates.bat
download


2. To Set General Items Folder Template as Default for All Folders
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.​
All_Folders_Use_General_Items_Folder_Template.bat
download


3. To Set Documents Folder Template as Default for All Folders
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.​
All_Folders_Use_Documents_Folder_Template.bat
download


4. To Set Pictures Folder Template as Default for All Folders
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.​
All_Folders_Use_Pictures_Folder_Template.bat
download


5. To Set Music Folder Template as Default for All Folders
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.​
All_Folders_Use_Music_Folder_Template.bat
download


6. To Set Videos Folder Template as Default for All Folders
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 7 below.​
All_Folders_Use_Videos_Folder_Template.bat
download


7. Save the .bat file to your desktop, and run it.
8. If prompted, click/tap on Run.
NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by unblocking the downloaded .bat file.
9. You will now notice your screen flicker as explorer is restarted to apply the registry changes.​
10. You can delete the downloaded .bat file if you like.​


That's it,
Shawn


 

Attachments

  • Restore_Default_Folder_Templates.bat
    983 bytes · Views: 4,813
  • All_Folders_Use_General_Items_Folder_Template.bat
    411 bytes · Views: 7,942
  • All_Folders_Use_Documents_Folder_Template.bat
    408 bytes · Views: 3,789
  • All_Folders_Use_Music_Folder_Template.bat
    404 bytes · Views: 2,222
  • All_Folders_Use_Pictures_Folder_Template.bat
    407 bytes · Views: 2,611
  • All_Folders_Use_Videos_Folder_Template.bat
    405 bytes · Views: 2,271
  • Optimize_folder_template.png
    Optimize_folder_template.png
    1.1 KB · Views: 299
Last edited by a moderator:
Lovely and simple fix. I do wonder why some of these Win 8 'ideas' were made up by making it more awkward and involving more button pressing. I'm still saving up for a '7' Disk.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
How do I get this to apply to ALL folders, including library, and removal media folders?

Or: how to delete or disable all templates except general
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    i5 4200U 1.6Ghz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 720M
Hello Solar, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Folders and Libraries are two separate items.

All folders added to a library will share the same folder template in that library no matter what folder you set the folder view in.

To have separate folder views per folder, you will need to open the folder from it's actual location instead of from the library.

For example: "C:\Users\UserName\Documents" VS Document library.

Hope this helps, :)
Shawn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Those are all preset as you have noted, but I would like to customize the order for all folders and set different columns widths for different types/groups of folders. Is customizing the columns order possible and is setting column widths for selected folders possible. I have over 300 thousand photos all had a specific folder setting that was created daily as I collected. I immediately hated Windows 8.1 when I found that it was reformatting them to "Photo View". I have seen your how to tutorial to turn of the auto formatter. I plan to use it but I would like to recreate my custom columns arrangements. I am assuming that I would turn off the auto and then do the customizing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
No worries mate. Nothing to be embarrassed about. See my signature about asking questions. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
You're most welcome. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
As a warning to anyone who tries this. When I clicked on the download button, apparently the batch file ran on it's own. I was left with a blank screen and no desktop, with only a couple programs still running minimized where the taskbar used to be. Once I removed the battery and re-started the computer things were back to normal with no apparent damage to the system.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
Hello JDW, and welcome to Eight Forums.

It sounds like you clicked on "Run" instead of "Save" when downloading the .bat file.

What happened to you is that something interrupted the restarting of explorer. You can open Task Manager (CTRL+SHIFT+ESC), click on File (menu bar), click on Run new task, type explorer, and click on OK. This will restart explorer for you to be back to normal. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure how I managed to run the program. It had downloaded to the desktop. Could have been something I inadvertently did with the touchpad.

I did some experimenting and here's what I found out. When I access and run the .bat file through file explorer everything works fine. After a short pause the start screen and the desktop return and are accessible. However, if I access the .bat file through the download button on my browser (firefox), and run it from there, the desktop does not return. When that happens, I was able to restart explorer see the desktop and start screen with the task manager method you described. Thanks for that tip.

So, at least on my computer, having the browser open seems to prevent the restart of explorer after the batch file runs. Other than that, it worked fine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
Good news. Yeah, it's always best to save to say desktop first, then run it. I suppose if your touchpad has tap to click enabled, you may have tapped the touchpad when the pointer was over the .bat file and ran it that way.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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