Where does win7 store folder columns settings?

Question

Windows file explorer columns show/hide (size, date, type, etc..). Where does Windows 7 store these settings? Are they stored for each individual folder?

thanks

Answer 1

Most settings are kept in the registry. The complete list of these keys is:

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Defaults
• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU
• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags
• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags
• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU
• HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU
• HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags

You might find useful this article and its .bat file:
How to Backup and Restore Folder View Settings in Windows 10.

Answer 2

This is Win 10. I skipped 7 but think paths are similar. The default views for the various FolderTypes are found in the subkeys of:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes

There are GUID-named FolderTypes (Generic, Documemts, Music, etc.) defined here, each has a subkey named TopViews with one or more GUID-named subkeys that specify default view settings. In these keys, the column information is in a relatively human-readable form. The value is named ColumnList:

gp 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{5c4f28b5-f869-4e84-8e60-f11db97c5cc7}\TopViews\{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}'


ColumnList      : prop:0(34)System.ItemNameDisplay;0System.DateModified;0System.ItemTypeText;0System.
                  Size;1System.DateCreated;1System.Author;1System.Keywords;1System.Title
LogicalViewMode : 1
Name            : NoName
Order           : 0
PSPath          : Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\C
                  urrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{5c4f28b5-f869-4e84-8e60-f11db97c5cc7}\TopViews\
                  {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}
PSParentPath    : Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\C
                  urrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{5c4f28b5-f869-4e84-8e60-f11db97c5cc7}\TopViews
PSChildName     : {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}
PSDrive         : HKLM
PSProvider      : Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\Registry

The "0" prefix means the column displays by default. The "1" prefix places the column in the top section of the context menu displayed when you right-click on column headers. Width is optional and is seen above as the "(34)" in 0(34)System.ItemNameDisplay. 34 -> 340 pixels.

Folders that have been viewed in Explorer or via a common dialog save their individual views under the Bags subkeys.

Here, the column information is in binary format in the ColInfo value. I just recently finally took the time to parse/decode this value and explain it in detail here.

HKCU...\Explorer\Streams\Defaults stores the custom templates created by Apply to Folders. These are binary structures containing the same settings found under Bags.