Windows 10: Why doesn't the Downloads folder show new files first when sorting by 'Date Modified'?

When I download a file, it doesn't automatically display at the top of my Downloads folder. The folder seems to be sorting files based on when they were originally created or last modified by any user in any location, which isn't relevant to me. I can't work out how to sort by the date they were last saved/modified locally. For example, a PDF file I downloaded today went straight to the bottom of my folder, because its metadata says that it was created, last modified and last saved back in 2023...

:)

 

Sort files AND folders by "Date Modified" in File Explorer

Hello,

Is there a way to sort folders and individual files by "Date Modified" together? Right now, when I sort by "Date Modified," folders are automatically put at the bottom below files, even if they have been modified more recently than a file. When I'm quickly
scanning a list, this is very distracting. How can I fix this?

 

Sort by 'Date Modified' but keep folders at the top?

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



I understand that after recent update when you sort the files by Date Modified, the folders are listed at the bottom. We would like to know which update was installed on the computer, to check go to
Start >> Settings >> Update & Security >> Windows Update >> View update history.



However, you can go ahead and try the following steps and see if that helps in listing the folders at top:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the location where your files are stored.
   
2. Sort files by Date Modified (Recent files first).
   
3. Hold Shift key and click on the
   Name column. This will bring folders at the top with files sorted with Date Modified.
   

Let us know the results.



Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

folder sorting by date modified

might seem stupid but i just got a new laptop and ran into this problem when trying to set up.

one of the things i need is to sort files in the 'downloads' folder by date modified, so i can find the ones most recently downloaded at the top. However, i found this was not the case when i pressed the 'date modified'column. It is sort by date, but primarily
by 'type' first. Which means files are first grouped by type THEN by date modified.

please how do i fix this so it disregards the type and sort purely by date modified???