Member Avatar for bhf108

I tried opening my files today on AOL and through Mozilla Firefox, and everything is jumbled up. Usually my files are in alphabetical order, but instead, they have been reassigned in Size order. It makes finding files a lot more annoying. PLEASE help me find a way to change it back to abc order. Thank you for any help.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Leo G

Dani AI

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This looks like a Windows folder-view memory issue rather than an AOL/Firefox bug. As clarified the effect appears in many programs and, while correctly noted the list headers control the sort, the underlying cause is the shell storing a "Size" sort for folders and then reusing that saved view across open/save dialogs and Explorer.

Steps that commonly fix it:

  • Verify the symptom in a plain Explorer window (My Documents). In Folder Options (Tools -> Folder Options -> View) make sure "Remember each folder's view settings" is enabled so Windows will keep the desired settings going forward.

  • If the problem persists, reset the shell's saved folder views (this clears any corrupted or reused settings). Back up the registry or create a restore point first, then:

    • Run regedit.

    • Export (backup) these subkeys if present:

      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU

    • Delete the Bags and BagMRU subkeys under Shell and ShellNoRoam.

    • Log off and back on (or restart Explorer) so Windows rebuilds fresh folder-view data.

Optional: if many folders are used and Windows keeps "recycling" views, add a DWORD named "BagMRU Size" under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell and set a larger decimal value (common guides use 5000) before recreating the wanted folder views. Always back up before changing the registry.

If only a single application still shows Size order after this, that app may use its own dialog or remember its own sort; check that app's file-dialog settings or reset/reinstall it.

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Member Avatar for rwaforums

Do you mean your favourites are in size order?

Member Avatar for bhf108

No, all my files are in Size order, whenever I open any software application to reach them (be it AOL, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.) This hasn't affected my Favorites list.

Member Avatar for Leo G

Click in the NAME label at the top of the list, it should re-order them by name (a-z), click the name label again and it should reverse the order (z-a).

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