Tutor Tips from ... the Computer Tutor

5 May 2008

Change Your View in Folders

Windows provides several ways for you to arrange and identify your files when viewing them in folders, such as My Documents. In this Tutor Tip, I will teach you how to change the View and the sort order of the files and folders in any folder you may encounter. Later, I will teach you how to do the same when you go to open or save files within programs.

When a folder is open, you can access each of the following view options on the View menu:

Show in Groups
Show in Groups allows you to group your files by any detail of the file, such as name, size, type, or date modified. For example, if you group by file type, image files appear in one group, Microsoft Word files appear in another group, and Excel files in another. Show in Groups is available in the Thumbnails, Tiles, Icons, and Details views.

To show your files in groups:

  1. Click the View menu
  2. Point to Arrange Icons by
  3. Click Show in Groups

Thumbnails
Thumbnails view displays the images a folder contains on a folder icon so you can quickly identify the contents of the folder. For example, if you store pictures in several different folders, in Thumbnails view, you can tell at a glance which folder contains the pictures you want.

Windows displays up to four images on a folder background, by default. Or, you can choose one picture to identify a folder in Thumbnails view. The complete folder name is displayed under the thumbnail.

When in Thumbnails view, a small image of the contents of the file will be displayed. This is not limited to photo files. Most other program files - Word, Excel, Acrobat - will display a thumbnail view of the first page of the file.

To show your files as thumbnails:

  1. Click the View menu
  2. Click Thumbnails

Tiles
Tiles view displays your files and folders as icons. The icons are larger than those in Icon view and the sort information you select is displayed under the file or folder name. For example, if you sort your files by type, "Microsoft Word document" appears under the file name for a Microsoft Word document.

To show your files as tiles:

  1. Click the View menu
  2. Click Tiles

Filmstrip
Filmstrip view is available in picture folders. Your pictures appear in a single row of thumbnail images. You can scroll through your pictures using the left and right arrow buttons. If you click a picture, it is displayed as a larger image above the other pictures. To edit, print, or save the image to another folder, double-click the picture.

To show your files as a filmstrip:

  1. Click the View menu
  2. Click Filmstrip

Icons
Icons view displays your files and folders as icons. The file name is displayed under the icon; however, sort information is not displayed. In this view you can display your files and folders in groups.

To show your files as icons:

  1. Click the View menu
  2. Click Icons

List
List view displays the contents of a folder as a list of file or folder names preceded by small icons. This view is useful if your folder contains many files and you want to scan the list for a file name. You can sort your files and folders in this view; however, you cannot display your files in groups.

To show your files as a list:

  1. Click the View menu
  2. Click List

Details
In Details view, Windows lists the contents of the open folder and provides detailed information about your files, including name, type, size, and date modified. In Details view you can also show your files in groups.

To show your files as details:

  1. Click the View menu
  2. Click Details

To choose the details you want to display:

  1. Click the View menu
  2. Click Choose Details
  3. You can select any of the following Details by ticking the box next to the detail and, later, arrange the files and folders by these details
    1. Name – the filename
    2. Size – how big the file is
    3. Date Modified – the last time the file was changed
    4. Date Created – the first time the file was saved
    5. Type – what type of file it is: Word Document, Adobe Acrobat Document, JPEG image, etc.
    6. Date Picture taken – most digital cameras will include the date and time when the image was taken. Note: it is a good idea to check the date and time settings in the camera before taking pictures, especially if you have changed time zones.
    7. There are more than a dozen other details you can choose depending upon the types of files in the folder
  4. Click OK

Sorting Files and Folders
In all views, you can sort the files and folders by any of the details you have chosen.

    1. Click View
    2. Click Arrange icons by
    3. Select the column title, such as Name, Size, Date modified, etc. Note: You will be able to choose only those columns you selected in “Choose Details.”

When you add files or folders to a folder, the new items may or may not automatically fall into the sort order you have chosen. If you wish to have the files and folders rearrange themselves automatically in Thumbnails, Tiles, Filmstrip, and Icons view:

    1. Click View
    2. Click Arrange icons by
    3. Click Auto Arrange

You cannot select Auto Arrange in List and Details view. However, in Details view you can rearrange columns by their heading - Name, Size, Date modified, etc. – by clicking the column heading. For example, to sort by Name, click the column heading “Name.” The first time you click a column heading, you will arrange the column in ascending order (a to z, smallest to largest, oldest to newest, etc.). Click the heading again and it will reverse the order.

Change View in Open and Save Dialog Boxes
Changing the view of files and folders is not limited to folders in Windows Explorer. When you want to open a file or save a file in a program, you can change the View. This can be helpful, for instance, if you are opening a picture file and would like to see a thumbnail of the files.

When you open or save a file, you are presented with a special version of a folder that allows you to navigate to the place you wish to save the file or open it. Near the top of this specialized folder you will see a blue and white icon that looks like an open folder (between the “New folder” icon – a folder with a star on it – and “Tools.)” Click the down arrow to the right of the blue and white icon to get a dropdown list of Views. These include (depending upon the program):

    • Large Icons
    • Small Icons
    • List
    • Details
    • Properties
    • Preview
    • Thumbnails

Changing you view within folders gives you flexibility when looking for files, copying them, or moving them. Using the View changer within a program can make your access to files go a lot smoother and assure you get the right file opened and don’t overwrite the wrong one.