Sort files and folders
You can sort files in different ways in a folder, for example by sorting them in order of date or file size. See Ways of sorting files below for a list of common ways to sort files.
The way that you can sort files depends on the folder view that you are using. You can change the current view using the View menu.
When you change how items are sorted in a folder, it only affects that folder. The file manager will remember your sorting choice for that folder, but use the default sort order for other folders. See File manager views preferences for information on how to change the default sort order.
Icon view
To sort files in a different order, right-click a blank space in the folder and choose an option from the Arrange Items menu. Alternatively, use the View ▸ Arrange Items menu.
As an example, if you select Sort by Name from the Arrange Items menu, the files will be sorted by their names, in alphabetical order. See Ways of sorting files for other options.
You can sort in the reverse order by selecting Reversed Order from the Arrange Items menu.
For complete control over the order and position of files in the folder, right-click a blank space in the folder and select Arrange Items ▸ Manually. You can then rearrange the files by dragging them around in the folder. Manual sorting only works in icon view.
The Compact Layout option in the Arrange Items menu arranges the files so they take up as little space as possible. This is useful if you want to have lots of files visible at once in a folder.
List view
To sort files in a different order, click one of the column headings in the file manager. For example, click Type to sort by file type. Click the column heading again to sort in the reverse order.
In list view, you can show columns with more attributes and sort on those columns. Click View ▸ Visible Columns and select the columns that you want to be visible. You will then be able to sort by those columns. See File manager list columns preferences for descriptions of available columns.
Compact view
You can sort files in Compact view in the same way that you can sort them in the Icon view. The only difference is that you can't manually position the files anywhere you want; they are always organized as a list in this view.
Ways of sorting files
- By Name
Sorts alphabetically by the name of the file.
- By Size
Sorts by the size of the file (how much disk space it takes up). Sorts from smallest to largest by default.
- By Type
Sorts alphabetically by the file type. Files of the same type are grouped together, then sorted by name.
- By Modification Date
Sorts by the date and time that a file was last changed. Sorts from oldest to newest by default.