How to make every Finder folder open in list view on a Mac

Finder keeps switching between icons and lists. How to set list, column or icon view as the default for every folder, and why some folders ignore it.

Guide · Updated 22 October 2026

How do I set a default view for all Finder folders?

  1. Open any folder and choose the view you want: ⌘ 1 icons, ⌘ 2 list, ⌘ 3 columns, ⌘ 4 gallery.
  2. Press ⌘ J to open View Options.
  3. Set the sort order, text size and columns you want.
  4. Click Use as Defaults at the bottom.

Why does a folder ignore the default?

Folders you changed by hand keep their own settings. At the top of View Options, Always open in list view (or whichever view you are in) pins a view to that one folder, and Browse in list view carries it into folders you open from there. Untick them, or set that folder again.

Which view is best?

ViewGood for
IconsPhotos and folders you recognise by look
ListSorting by date or size, and long names
ColumnsMoving through deep folders fast
GalleryScanning images and PDFs one by one

How do I keep folders above files?

In Finder Settings, Advanced, Keep folders on top has choices for windows when sorting by name, and on the desktop.

See inside files from any view: the Finder preview pane and Quick Look. Desktop icons have their own size: change desktop icon size.

Checked on 22 October 2026 on a MacBook Air (M1) running macOS 27.0.1: Always open in list view, Browse in list view and Keep folders on top were read from Finder.

Questions

How do I make all Finder folders open in list view?

Switch a folder to list view, press Command J, and click Use as Defaults.

Why does one Finder folder keep a different view?

It has its own setting. Untick Always open in that view in View Options, or set it again.

What are the Finder view shortcuts?

Command 1 icons, Command 2 list, Command 3 columns, Command 4 gallery.

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