Tired of endlessly clicking to expand folders in Windows Explorer’s list view? Learn the keyboard shortcut, the permanent Folder Options fix, and the ‘nuclear’ registry reset to expand all groups instantly and regain your sanity.

That One Annoying Windows Feature: How to Tame the Collapsed Folder Beast

I remember it like it was yesterday. 2 AM, a critical production deployment on `prod-db-01` had gone sideways, and I was frantically digging through months of archived log files on `\\file-server-01\logs\archive`. The logs were grouped by date, which is great, except every single group—hundreds of them—was collapsed. Click. Wait. Scroll. Click. Wait. Scroll. In that moment of high-pressure troubleshooting, the rage I felt toward a simple UI quirk was… let’s just say, disproportionate. We’ve all been there, fighting the interface when we should be fighting the fire. That’s why this seemingly small issue is a huge deal for productivity.

The “Why”: Windows Is Trying to Be Too Helpful

Before we dive into the fixes, let’s understand the root of the problem. Windows Explorer is designed to remember the view state for individual folders. It stores this information—window size, icon layout, and yes, whether groups are expanded or collapsed—in a complex section of the Windows Registry (under keys called Bags and BagMRU). The intent is good: when you go back to a folder, it should look exactly as you left it. The problem is, it doesn’t have a global “I always want everything expanded” setting, leading to the click-fest of doom when you’re navigating new or unfamiliar directories.

Solution 1: The Quick Fix (The Hotkey You Never Knew)

For an immediate, in-the-moment fix, there’s a magic hotkey. This is my go-to when I’m parachuting into a server and just need to see everything right now without permanently changing any settings.

Simply click on any item in the list view to give the window focus, and then press the asterisk (*) key on your numeric keypad.

• Key: Numpad *
• Action: Instantly expands all groups in the current folder.

Darian’s Pro Tip: This ONLY works with the asterisk on the number pad, not the one above the ‘8’ key on the main keyboard. Make sure Num Lock is on! To collapse all groups, you can use Numpad - (minus).

Solution 2: The Permanent Fix (The “Teach a Man to Fish” Method)

If you’re tired of using the hotkey every single time, you can set a default view for folder *types*. This is the most robust solution for your own workstation.

1. Navigate to a folder and set it up exactly how you want it. Switch to List view, group by whatever you prefer (e.g., “Date modified”), and manually expand all the groups.
2. Go to the View tab in the File Explorer ribbon.
3. Click on Options on the far right.
4. In the “Folder Options” window that pops up, click the View tab.
5. Click the “Apply to Folders” button.

Windows will ask if you want to make all folders of this type match the current folder’s view settings. Say yes. This essentially creates a template. From now on, when Windows encounters a new folder it identifies as “General items” (or whatever type you set), it will apply your glorious, all-expanded view.

Warning: The key phrase here is “folders of this type”. This won’t retroactively fix every single folder on your system that already has a remembered view, and it won’t apply to folders Windows considers a different type (e.g., Pictures, Music). But for new folders and general file shares, it’s a lifesaver.

Solution 3: The “Nuclear” Option (Scorched Earth Registry Reset)

Sometimes, things are just too messed up. You’ve applied views, you’ve tried everything, but some stubborn folders just won’t cooperate. Or maybe you’re setting up a new base image and want to ensure a clean slate. This is when we bring out the heavy artillery: a script to wipe all saved folder views from the registry.

This is for advanced users. It will reset ALL your folder view customizations. Proceed with caution.

You can create a simple batch file (e.g., reset_views.bat) with the following commands. It deletes the relevant registry keys and then gracefully restarts the Windows Explorer process to apply the changes.

@echo off
echo Resetting all folder views. This will restart Windows Explorer.
echo Press any key to continue or close this window to cancel.
pause

reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags" /f

echo Folder view settings have been deleted.
echo Restarting Windows Explorer...
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
echo Done.

Run this script, and your folder views will be returned to the Windows default state. From here, you can use Solution 2 on a clean slate to set up your preferred view once and for all.

Which One Should You Use? A Quick Guide

At the end of the day, a good engineer removes friction. This tiny, infuriating UI behavior is a point of friction. Now you have three ways to smooth it over. Go forth and expand all.

Darian Vance

Lead Cloud Architect & DevOps Strategist

With over 12 years in system architecture and automation, Darian specializes in simplifying complex cloud infrastructures. An advocate for open-source solutions, he founded TechResolve to provide engineers with actionable, battle-tested troubleshooting guides and robust software alternatives.

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