Windows 10: Windows 11 File Explorer windows won't remember size/location after resetting Bags/BagMRU

So I have a bit of a problem that I believe I understand the issue but I'm not sure how to solve.I was finding that the Downloads folder was regularly resetting to have Group view enabled every time I disabled it. Since this was behaviour I didn't want, I searched around for a solution. The solution I found was to erase the registry entries for Bags and BagMRU in certain locations. This resolved issues with the Downloads folder and it now behaved as expected.However possibly because of this, none of my folders remember their size or location when opened. Instead, they always open in the centre

:)

 

Windows 10 Tweaks

Pressing “Windows+Pause Break” (it’s up there next to scroll lock) opens the “System” Window.

Windows 10: In the new version of Windows, Explorer has a section called Quick Access. This includes your frequent folders and recent files. Explorer defaults to opening this page when you open a new window. If you’d rather open the usual This PC, with links to your drives and library folders, follow these steps:

• Open a new Explorer window.
• Click View in the ribbon.
• Click Options.
• Under General, next to “Open File Explorer to:” choose “This PC.”
• Click OK

credit to Lifehacker.

 

Windows 10 not saving my folder view options.

Thanks Lio, this looks interesting, and is explored more fully here:
windows 7 - Cant find the BagMRU Size value, my folder settings are getting lost - Super User

where it seems in later versions of Windows "bagsize" doesn't exist as such, yet at least in Win 7, there was an attempt to read "bagmru size" (which sets a limit on the number of folders) from the registry- a seeming leftover.

If, in later versions of Windows, there is an assumed value hard coded (since it is not read from the registry) then some people could have these symptoms (desktop icons/explorer folder view settings not kept) on that score, and the solution suggested (add value to define it) might be relevant.

extract from that page:

"Analysis

Using Process Monitor on Windows 7 x64 I see the following when I restart explorer and randomly browse:

• Access under
  HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags
  
  
• Access under
  HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags
  
  
• Access at
  HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU Size
  
  (This does not exist on my computer, but it is requested)
  
• Access under
  HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU
  
• Access under
  HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\Directory\OpenWithList\MRUList
  (This does not exist on my computer, but it is requested)

Conclusion

So, our %WINDIR%\Explorer.exe only accesses the 64-bit keys for our Bags.
However, the Wow6432Node keys are accessed when you use %WINDIR%\SysWOW64\explorer.exe,
there might be some contexts where the 32-bit explorer is used so take caution. For example, when it is launched from a 32-bit context or maybe when you launch Windows Explorer from a File Dialog.
To clear the Bag information, it is indeed sufficient to recreate the Bags and BagMRU folders under:

• HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\

And although it is less used it might help to recreate the Bags folder under:

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\

The value of BagMRU Size is requested, so it's not really good that the key is absent. It could result in undefined behavior but I'm taking a wild guess that it just uses the default instead in the code. To be sure and run less fast into the limit you could define the DWORD value with a large number in the following key:

• HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU Size

The last key that is accessed is when you would open a MRUList with Explorer.exe, I don't think that this is ever needed as there is no such thing as opening a Most Recently Used List other than to showing that in something like the Start Menu. So it's not necessary to create that key.

Any suggestions to increase the cache size for view settings without completely resetting the entire explorer folder settings?I would say that you could solely create and increase the BagMRU Size setting under the assumption that your Bags settings aren't corrupt... I've answered the other question under your question."

 

Windows Explorer Replacement?

I don't use Internet Explorer, I meant the thing where you can look at files etc. Hotkey Windows+E. Maybe it's the wrong name in english though. *Stick Out Tongue