Usually, Windows File Explorer automatically sets the folder template based on the files in the folders. However, you can choose to customize the view of your folders and libraries to suit your needs and preferences. Read on to explore how.
The Five Default Folder Templates in Windows
When opening folders on Windows, you may have noticed that all the folders don’t appear the same and have different formats. Windows has five folder templates defining different categories: General Items, Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos. Take a look at the templates in the gallery below. There are four shown since Documents and General Items have the same format.
Windows automatically assigns one of the default five templates to a folder by detecting the content and files inside it. For example, if Windows discovers that the files in a folder are music files, like MP3, FLAC, and WAV files, with song, singer, and album names, it will automatically apply the Music template to the folder. The Music template shows the contents under Name, Number, Title, Contributing Artists, and Album.
Similarly, if a folder has images, Windows will assign the Pictures template to it. The Pictures template shows thumbnails of images and folders with thumbnail previews.
A folder with many videos will be classified as a Videos folder and shows the thumbnails of the video files.
And the folders with Word documents, PDF files, and other documents will have the Documents template. The Documents folders will have the contents displayed under Name, Date modified, Type, and Size.
There is a General Items folder template too, which is for folders that contain a mix of different file types—music, videos, documents, and pictures. Though if such a folder has the majority of files of only one type, Windows may assign it the template of those files. For example, a folder may have files of various types, but if the maximum number of files are jpegs or image files, it will appear under the Pictures template in File Explorer.
How to Assign Folder and Library Templates to Suit Your Needs
Though Windows uses Automatic Folder Type Discovery to do the folder customization automatically, you can choose to customize each folder and library template yourself to meet your needs.
Supposing you have a folder with music files, but you’d rather customize them under the Videos template. This could be because the music files might have thumbnail pictures that you would want to view. Or maybe you like the Videos template more.
Similarly, there might be a folder of family or holiday pictures that you have edited. You may want to view the date when each picture was modified—which is possible in the Documents template. So you can assign the Documents template to them. Moreover, you can always preview the pictures in the File Explorer preview pane if you have the file preview set up.
Another scenario could be that you prefer viewing pictures or videos as a list rather than thumbnails, so you can customize those folders accordingly. In the screenshot below, a Videos Library has been customized with the Documents template.
In this way, you can customize your folders and libraries for various purposes. So let’s explore the steps on how you can do that.
How to Change Folder Templates in Windows 10 and 11
You can set customized templates for folders in a few clicks.
Open File Explorer by pressing Win + E together. Right-click the folder for which you want to customize the template. Select Properties from the context menu. Click on the Customize tab in Properties. You will see the Optimize this folder for: text with the current category selected in the drop-down list below. Click on the down arrow in the drop-down list to open the options of various templates. Then select a template you want to set for the folder: General Items, Documents, Pictures, Music, or Videos. If there are subfolders within this folder, you can also set the same template for all of them from here. Just check the Also apply this template to all subfolders box below the drop-down list. Finally, click Apply at the bottom and then OK.
Now, open the folder again. You will see that the folder contents have been arranged and formatted as per the template you had chosen.
Another way to do this is within an open folder. Right-click on a blank space in an open folder. Then choose Properties from the context menu and continue customizing the folder template as described above, from step 4 onwards.
On an open folder, you’ll be able to view the template change instantly.
You can customize folder templates this way to make computing easier and best suited to your needs. Moreover, to work efficiently and save time, you can also create multiple folders at once on Windows. And you can configure various files and folder settings further through Folder Options on Windows.
How to Change the Library Template in Windows 10 and 11
You probably know that libraries are virtual containers for your content. A library can contain files and folders stored on your PC or in a remote storage location like an external hard drive that’s connected to your network.
Opening and using a library is just like accessing and using a folder on your PC. By default, the following six libraries are available on Windows: Camera Roll, Documents, Music, Pictures, Saved Pictures, and Videos. You can easily set customized templates for these libraries too. Here’s how:
On Windows 10, open File Explorer and click on the Libraries icon on the left Navigation pane. If you can’t see Libraries, click on View on the File Explorer ribbon. Then click the down arrow in Navigation pane and tick on the Show libraries box. On Windows 11 too, libraries are hidden. To view them, open File Explorer and then click on the three dots on the taskbar menu. Select Options from the context menu. This will open the Folder Options window. Now, click on the View tab and scroll down to the Navigation pane section under Advanced settings. Then simply select Show libraries and click Apply and then OK. The Libraries icon will appear on the Navigation pane and the six default libraries will show up in File Explorer. Right-click the library for which you want to customize the template. Select Properties from the context menu. Click on the Customize tab in Properties. Click on the down arrow in the Optimize this library for: drop-down list to open the options of various templates. Then select a template you want to set for the folder: General Items, Documents, Pictures, Music, or Videos.
On Windows 10, you can change the template of an open library from the File Explorer ribbon. Under Manage, click on Library Tools. Then click on the Optimize library for down-arrow and select one of the five templates: General Items, Documents, Pictures, Music, or Videos.
Work and Play on Windows Your Way
There are many ways to make Windows your own by personalizing its various elements. And customizing folders and libraries to your needs and preferences is a great way to begin. You’ll enjoy the ease and convenience it offers to manage and organize your work and personal files.
