Need to see if your shared folder is taking up space on your dropbox 👨‍💻? Find out how to check here.

Forum Discussion

buddyboy101's avatar
buddyboy101
Helpful | Level 7
8 years ago
Solved

How to sort folders first, then files?

When using Dropbox.com, subfolders are sorted below any loose files.   Is there a way to flip this so the folders sort first like in Windows Explorer?

FAQ
Organize
sort
Web
  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    7 years ago
    Hey Luke5869, if your inquiry pertains to the sorting options you’re seeing in the Files page, kindly note that you should be able to change your sorting method by clicking on the headers of the columns.
     
    If you’d like the folders to show first, then please click on Name and then (from the drop-down menu) click on Ascending. You can also sort folders first by clicking on the Modified (or second) column and selecting Type again from the drop-down menu.
     
    Hopefully my message addresses your initial inquiry & please do let me know if you have further questions or in case you need further assistance in any way Luke! 

17 Replies

Replies have been turned off for this discussion
  • Mark's avatar
    Mark
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
    8 years ago
    You can click on 'Type' and change to ascending and descending according to that there, but, this doesnt necessarily group according to file/folder (e.g. PDF is a type as is Word).
  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    8 years ago
    Hey buddyboy101, I hope my message finds you well! 
     
    As a follow-up to your post here, I’ve ran a search on our system on my end, I’ve located your open ticket & I’ve notified my colleague handling your inquiry on your comments here. 
     
    Please check your inbox for their latest message & keep them updated on that email chain if you’d like to discuss the matter in more detail. 
     
    Rest assured that you’re in safe hands from now on & I hope this gets clarified soon for you. Wishing you a fruitful & creative week ahead! 
  • Luke5869's avatar
    Luke5869
    New member | Level 2
    7 years ago

    I have the same issue, this is a big problem, any way to get folders first, then files?

  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago
    Hey Luke5869, if your inquiry pertains to the sorting options you’re seeing in the Files page, kindly note that you should be able to change your sorting method by clicking on the headers of the columns.
     
    If you’d like the folders to show first, then please click on Name and then (from the drop-down menu) click on Ascending. You can also sort folders first by clicking on the Modified (or second) column and selecting Type again from the drop-down menu.
     
    Hopefully my message addresses your initial inquiry & please do let me know if you have further questions or in case you need further assistance in any way Luke! 
  • Lantzr's avatar
    Lantzr
    Explorer | Level 4
    7 years ago

    @Jane Thank you, this worked! Totally not intuitive though. You would not think ordering by name is required to sort by type! But I am happy to know how to do it. 

  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago

    Happy to hear that this has been helpful to you Lantzr! Please feel free to ping us here for more #DropboxTips&Tricks or just in case you have any observations in the future & it’ll be a pleasure to work with you again. Take care until then & have a relaxed weekend ahead! 

  • marciofirmo's avatar
    marciofirmo
    New member | Level 2
    7 years ago

    Hello, I have the same problem of buddyboy101,  how can I solve it @Jane?  

    buddyboy101 wrote:

    When using Dropbox.com, subfolders are sorted below any loose files.   Is there a way to flip this so the folders sort first like in Windows Explorer?

     

  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago
    Hey marciofirmo, I have now changed the Best Answer on this thread, as my second post has been addressing this inquiry more accurately. Would you mind having a second look whenever you have a bit of spare time?
     
    Alternatively, if I’m wrong in my understanding & this doesn’t help you achieve the desired result, could you outline me how you’ve pictured that, so as to make sure I’m advising correctly? Thanks in advance Marcio!
  • PaulSlocum's avatar
    PaulSlocum
    Explorer | Level 4
    6 years ago

    Maybe this solution used to work, but it no longer does.  Sorting by name does not put folders first, it just sorts everything alphabetically by name with folders mixed into the files as you would expect.

  • Lantzr's avatar
    Lantzr
    Explorer | Level 4
    6 years ago

    You're right... It did work when I first found this thread but not anymore. 

About Delete, edit, and organize

Solve issues with deleting, editing, and organizing files and folders in your Dropbox account with support from the Dropbox Community.

The Dropbox Community team is active from Monday to Friday. We try to respond to you as soon as we can, usually within 2 hours.

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X, Facebook or Instagram.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!