Did you know that you can change the column order in File Explorer by rearranging them? Here’s how to do it.
The File Explorer’s Details view displays files and folders in four columns, arranged in a specific order: name, date modified, type, and size. When needed, you can add more columns such as tags, date accessed, duration, owner, status, etc. Any column you add is by default added at the end of the first four columns. If you want, you can change the column order to meet your specific requirements. For example, instead of the ‘date modified’ column, maybe you want the ‘size’ column to be next to the ‘name’ column.
In this quick and simple tutorial, let me show how to rearrange columns in File Explorer in Windows 11 and Windows 10. Let’s get started.
Good to know: How to fix columns disappearing in File Explorer
Rearrange File Explorer Columns Using Drag and Drop
The easiest way to change the column order in File Explorer is by dragging and dropping. Here’s how.
- Press “Windows key + I” to open File Explorer.
- Go to the folder where you want to rearrange the columns.
- Click and hold the column header, drag it to the position where you want to set it, and release the mouse button.
- The selected column is rearranged in File Explorer.
- You can do the same with other columns.
Rearrange File Explorer Columns Using ‘Choose Details’ Dialog
You can also rearrange the column order using the ‘Choose Details’ dialog. The biggest advantage of this method is that you can add additional columns like tags, owner, etc. if you want. Here’s how.
- Open File Explorer.
- Go to the folder in which you want to rearrange the columns.
- Right-click on any column header name.
- Select “More“.
- Select the “Column” you want to rearrange.
- Click the “More Up” or “Move Down“.
- Once done, click “OK“.
- With that, you’ve changed the column order in File Explorer.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, open the File Explorer app by pressing the “Windows key + E” shortcut.
Once it opens, go to the folder in which you want to change the column order. Next, right-click on any column header name and select “More“.
The above action opens the “Choose Details” dialog. In it, select the column you want to reorder and click the “Move Up” or “Move Down” buttons. For example, since I wanted to place the size column next to the ‘name’ column, I selected the ‘size’ column and then pressed the “Move Up” button twice.
As I said before, this method lets you add additional columns. If you want to do that, select the checkbox next to the column you want to add in the “Choose Details” dialog.
Finally, click the “OK” button to save the changes.
With that, you’ve changed the column order in File Explorer.
Wrapping Up — Changing Column Order in File Explorer
As you can see, you have two methods to quickly and easily rearrange the columns in File Explorer on Windows 11 and Windows 10. One thing you should keep in mind is that the changes you made are only applicable to that specific folder. Those changes will not reflected in its sub-folders or other folders. If you want the column order to be modified in all its sub-folders, you need to manually apply the settings. Follow this guide to learn: how to apply the column and other folder settings to all sub-folders in a folder in File Explorer.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
