Feature: Add option for new folders to inherit layout preferences from parent folder

[MITSIKU]

What feature or improvement do you think would benefit Files?

so as title suggest this toggle will make it so if any folder will use its parent folder's layout

Requirements

• make a toggle in the settings menu
• make setting layouts more convenient
• will help ppl who don't have a single preferred way to view layouts for different folders

Files Version

4.0.18.0

Windows Version

Edition Windows 11 Pro Version 24H2 Installed on ‎30/‎07/‎2025 OS build 26120.6982 Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.266.0

Comments

having a global layout can work but gets annoying when changing constantly to make things more seamless i suggest this feature. in my use case like in the add "apply layout to all sub-folders" feature request i have a network drive filled with pictures where the folders are structured like this

album/sub-album/picture.png

now lets say u implemented the "apply layout to all sub-folders" a new issue appears where new folders made will still use the default layout witch i have it be "details" the feature will work like this

i will have album be set to "grid" and have it "apply layout to all sub-folders" now when i make a new sub-album folder the folder will take the layout of the parent folder its in, in this case album. sins album is in "grid" the sub-folder will now also use the "grid" layout and whatever other settings i have it applied.

now for a different situation we have a folder structure like this

now if i set the parent folder in "grid" layout and have it applied to all sub-folders and for some reason decide i want one of the sub-folders to use "cards" layout and i create a new folder under that "cards" sub-folder that folder will now have the same layout as its parent folder ie. "cards" layout

album (grid) > subalbum (grid) > new folder (grid) > image
L subalbum (grid) > new folder (grid) > image
L subalbum (card) > new folder (card) > image

[mdtauk]

How is the Parent folder defined?

Does it go all the way to the Drive?
Having this be in the settings dialog/tab, you have no context what parent folder is being refered to. In the previous discussion I made my thoughts clear regarding how this should be implemented.

#17877 (comment)

In summary, this should be an action applied to subfolders within the current folder, and if you go into one of the subfolders and change the view, this should be preserved, unless there is a global override for all folders, which would be outside of other context, and done from the Settings.

[MITSIKU]

How is the Parent folder defined?

Does it go all the way to the Drive? Having this be in the settings dialog/tab, you have no context what parent folder is being refered to. In the previous discussion I made my thoughts clear regarding how this should be implemented.

#17877 (comment)

In summary, this should be an action applied to subfolders within the current folder, and if you go into one of the subfolders and change the view, this should be preserved, unless there is a global override for all folders, which would be outside of other context, and done from the Settings.

So weather this should be a button or a toggle what it should be named or described can be for you to decide whatever make more sens. Am just trying to give out the idea.

The general idea of this feature is that It just takes the layout of the folder its in thats all.

I make a folder, give it a layout and that new folder will use the layout given in the previous one

Doesn't matter how many folders deep it is if u assign a folder to be a layout the next folder will just use that layout and so the next unti u manualy change the folder to a diff layout and any new folders will use that instead. So here is another example

U make folder one with layout grid

/grid

U make a new folder, now sins its inside of a folder using grid it will also use grid

/grid/grid

Now lets make a folder inside of that. It will be grid first but we'll change it to card layout

/grid/grid/grid

To

/grid/grid/card

The next new folder will be card sins its inside a folder using the card layout

/grid/grid/card/card

Hope this clears things up. Any of these layout suggestions should only work when u dont use global one layout or auto layout. This is for when u want to manualy set each layout to your liking. In my mind it makes sens sins if u make a folder and set the layout to grid and u make a folder inside of that. The next one should be grid too

The "apply to all folders" feature i suggest in the other forum i agree it should be an button instead of a toggle now that u commented it.

[mdtauk]

I think I misunderstood both issues were different rather than a re-statement of the same proposal re-worded.

Some of the same things apply though. A global setting in the Settings view, or an option in the view flyout. Once turned on, I am not sure it is something that will need to be toggled all that often to be in the flyout - so Settings is the better place for it IMO.

As an action you take when currently in a folder, applying to existing folders, that is probably better within the flyout, or in the context menu, as it is inherently contextual in nature.

[yaira2]

Got it 👍

I'm going to delete the previous messages to reduce confusion.

[yaira2]

To summarize, this proposal is intended to solve the following situation:

• The setting to sync folder preferences is turned off
• Default layout is set to a layout such as Details
• User is in a folder with a different layout such as Grid

If the user creates a new folder, the new folder will use the default layout. This is fine for some users, but other users would prefer a way to automatically use the same layout as the parent folder.

A potential solution is to add a setting that makes new folders automatically inherit the preferences of the parent folder. Alternatively, we can add an option to the New Folder dialog that allows users to select which folders inherit the preferences and which ones don't.