Windows 11 - how do I set default view for details (other thread solutions don't work or Windows 11)

Yes, supposed to work ... usually does, but my issue was that a column I removed from the folders' view settings appears even though it shouldn't. Maybe MS will figure this out and fix in a future release (it previously worked perfectly ... somebody at MS messed up).

Open any folder. In the menu, select View, then Details. Adjust the columns you want (right click at top of any column to choose which columns you want). Then click on the hamburger menu (3 dots) and select Options. Selectthe View tab. Click on Apply to Folders at top and now all folders will (should) have exactly the same settings you just applied to the existing folder.

Hey everyone! Not sure if this thread is still buzzing, but here’s what’s going on:

Windows automatically assigns a “template” whenever you create a new folder. Unfortunately, subfolders don’t always inherit that template, so you end up with a patchwork of different views. That’s why the usual Options → Apply to Folders button doesn’t seem to stick—it only affects folders that already share the same template.

Here’s an easy fix:

1. Open the top-level folder you want as the standard.
2. Right-click → Properties → Customize.
3. From the drop-down, pick the "template" you prefer. (General Items, Documents, Pictures, etc)
4. Check “Also apply this template to all subfolders,” then hit Apply.
5. Tweak this folder’s view however you like—Details, no Status Bar, columns, the works.
6. Go to Options → View and click Apply to Folders.

All subfolders should now mirror your layout.

The only catch: this template applies to every folder of that type across your system, no matter where it lives.

Hope that tidies things up!

there's two possible reasons

1. Microsoft doesn't want you to change the setting
2. Microsoft assumes people are idiots (I'm not referring to anyone here), and in doing so, makes W11 less useable for people who "know what they are doing" (less useable = microsoft creates a whole new settings page to enable or disable features you don't use, and in creating that settings page, makes the entire existing settings page less useable)

Hi Jeffrey, glad to help!