In Windows File Explorer, there is a search box where you can type “size:” and it will provide you with seven predetermined size ranges, including empty, tiny, small, medium, large, huge, and gigantic.
In the past, the “gigantic” range was set to anything greater than 128 megabytes, which was helpful for finding movie files in a folder tree. However, with a recent update from Microsoft in 2018 or 2019, the definitions of these size ranges were modernized.
Now, “large” is defined as 128 megabytes to 1 gigabyte, “huge” is 1 gigabyte to 4 gigabytes, and “gigantic” is anything over 4 gigabytes.
While this is a more modern definition, it has made the size: search function less useful for some users who now have their movie files separated into three different search results.
Therefore, the question is whether anyone knows a registry key that can be used to adjust the thresholds of the size: search filter in file explorer.
2 Answers
Introduction
Windows 10 has been around for a while now, but it still comes with a few surprises. One of these surprises is the change Microsoft made to the size search filter in File Explorer. While the change is meant to make things more modern, it has made the size filter less useful for some users. This post will explore how to tweak the Windows 10 File Explorer’s file size search filter.
What is the Size Search Filter?
The size search filter is a tool in Windows 10’s File Explorer that allows you to search for files based on their size. You can type “size:” into the search box, followed by one of seven predefined size ranges. These ranges include empty, tiny, small, medium, large, huge, and gigantic. Before the update, the gigantic range was set to files larger than 128MB.
What Changed?
In a recent update, Microsoft changed the definitions of the seven predefined size ranges. They made the ranges more “modern,” but less useful for some users. The new ranges are as follows:
- Large (128MB – 1GB)
- Huge (1GB – 4GB)
- Gigantic (> 4GB)
Now, instead of finding all movie files in a folder tree with the “gigantic” range, users have to search through three different results with the new ranges.
Manipulating the Size Search Filter with Registry Keys
The good news is that users can manipulate the size search filter by editing the registry keys. However, before you start editing the registry, it’s essential to back up your system. Here are the steps to follow:
- Open the Registry Editor by typing “regedit” into the search bar and selecting the Registry Editor from the results.
- Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerFolderTypes{ef87b4cb-f2ce-4785-8658-4ca6c63e38c6}TopViews{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}
- Right-click on the “GroupBy” key and select “Modify.”
- In the “Value Data” field, enter the following: System.Size
- Click “OK.”
- Right-click on the “SortOrderIndex” key and select “Modify.”
- In the “Value Data” field, enter the following: 4
- Click “OK.”
- Close the Registry Editor.
After editing the registry keys, the size search filter will group files into the following size ranges:
- Empty (0 bytes)
- Tiny (0 – 10 KB)
- Small (10 – 100 KB)
- Medium (100 KB – 1 MB)
- Large (1 – 16 MB)
- Huge (16 – 128 MB)
- Gigantic (> 128 MB)
You can adjust the size ranges to your liking by editing the registry keys.
Other Ways to Customize File Explorer
Customizing the size search filter isn’t the only way to make File Explorer work better for you. Here are some other ways to customize File Explorer:
- Change the default folder view: You can change the default folder view to optimize it for your needs. For example, you can set the default view to “Details” to see more information about your files.
- Add or remove columns: You can add or remove columns in File Explorer to see more or less information about your files. To do this, right-click on the column header and select “More.”
- Customize the Quick Access Toolbar: The Quick Access Toolbar is a customizable toolbar that appears at the top of File Explorer. You can add or remove buttons to make it easier to access the functions you use most frequently.
- Change the folder options: You can change the folder options in File Explorer to customize how it behaves. For example, you can choose to show hidden files and folders or hide file extensions.
Conclusion
The Windows 10 File Explorer’s file size search filter is a useful tool, but it’s not perfect. Fortunately, users can tweak the size search filter by editing the registry keys. This post has outlined the steps to follow to edit the registry keys and customize the size ranges. Additionally, we’ve discussed other ways to customize File Explorer to make it work better for you. With a little customization, you can make File Explorer work for you instead of the other way around.
Although there have been other posts regarding this question, I have not come across any methods to alter the predetermined size ranges. However, there is another option where you can use expressions in the search function in addition to the pre-defined ranges.
If you enter “size:>128MB” in the search box, you can obtain a single search result that includes all files exceeding 128 megabytes in size.