Feature Request: Multi-Sorting With “Folders on Top” Preservation

[KishinMukito]

Hi David,

First off, thank you for your continued work on Everything. I've been using it for years now, and it's an essential part of my workflow. I’m currently using the latest 1.5 alpha, and wanted to suggest a small but meaningful enhancement to sorting behavior that could probably improve file management for a lot of users.

The Issue
Right now, Everything allows for multi-column sorting using Shift+click on column headers, which is great. However, once multi-sorting is enabled (e.g., sorting by Type and then Path), the default “folders on top” behavior gets disabled. Folders end up mixed with files based on the sort criteria, which can make navigation and visual parsing harder, especially in large result sets.

The Use Case
My current goal is to sort by Type first (grouping all file extensions together and keeping folders at the top), and then by Path, so that within each file type, the results are sorted by location, starting with root directories. If a multi-sort option could be enabled in the settings to accomplish this kind of thing, unless I really somehow glanced over it while scrolling through the various settings available.

For example:

• All folders remain at the top

• Followed by .docx files sorted by path

• Then .jpg files sorted by path, etc.

This kind of organization is extremely helpful when navigating deeply nested directory trees or analyzing files across multiple locations.
Feature Suggestion

Would it be possible to add an option like:

[x] Preserve folders on top when multi-sorting

Or even better, make it configurable in the .ini or under Advanced Settings? That way, users could enable it if they rely heavily on a specific directory-based structure during searches, while still benefiting from multi-sort logic.

Thanks again for considering this. I understand the focus of Everything is speed and simplicity, but I think this small feature would add a lot of clarity for users who manage large and diverse file sets.

All the best.

[void]

Thank you for your feedback.

Folders should always be first when using a secondary sort.

To can change the folders first order when using a secondary sort:

• In Everything 1.5, from the Tools menu, click Options.
• Click the Advanced tab on the left.
• To the right of Show settings containing, search for:
  secondary
• Select: secondary_sort_folders_first
• Set the value to: Always
• Click OK.

Check your View -> Sort by -> Mix files and folders setting.
Note: Mix files and folders is currently not supported for secondary sorts.
Files and folders will be separated when using a secondary sort.

[KishinMukito]

Thanks so much for the quick response and for pointing me to the

secondary_sort_folders_first

setting. That did exactly what I needed. I must’ve stared right at it and still managed to mentally 404.

Also, appreciate the heads-up about “Mix files and folders” not being supported with secondary sorts, as that cleared up some of the weird behavior I was seeing.

Really appreciate the support, and more importantly, thanks again for continuing to build and maintain such a lean, insanely useful tool. Everything is still one of the few programs I install immediately on any fresh Windows setup, right after disabling whatever nonsense Windows Search is trying to do.

[meteorquake]

I should add to this thread that "secondary_sort_folders_first:Always" doesn't work for me on a single descending sort, they always appear at the bottom. Maybe the bottom is what is meant by "first" on a descending search, although that's not a natural interpretation, but it may be this is a bug that needs fixing, as ideally I would want folders at the top.
d

[void]

There's two settings.

secondary_sort_folders_first

applies to multiple sorts.
The default is always (folders first) to match Windows Explorer behavior.

Please change the Tools -> Options -> Advanced ->

folders_first

setting.
folders_first applies to single sorts.
The default is Ascending (show folders first when sort ascending)

secondary_sort_folders_first
folders_first

[meteorquake]

Ah that's great, it works. I think I was half asleep, I even managed to think of a way the setting name had made sense (though now I think of it it doesn't...... )

[meteorquake]

I should say there's another alternative solution to this general problem of being able to find folders when you want them, which can be met by having Folders at the top, but which is also met by having "View Folders Only", "View Files Only" and "View Folders and Files" // "Toggle Files", "Toggle Folders" and "Toggle Files Folders" commands (catering for a few styles of use) which restrict whatever you entire search is, some could be on the menu, as buttons, but particularly as commands, so that at a keypress you can switch between files-view and folders-view or both.
I'd certainly use such actions a lot if they became available because in practice I tend to be looking at files or at folders, but much less occasionally both at the same time.
d

[void]

To jump between files and folders in the result list:
Press \ in the result list.



To search folders only, include the following in your search:

\

There is a built-in folders filter.
Filters can be activated from the Search menu, Filter bar (View -> Filter Bar), Filter sidebar (View -> Filters) or right clicking the status bar.



To search files only, include the following in your search:

file:

To create a files only filter:

• In Everything, from the Search menu, click Add to filters....
• Change the Name to:
  Files Only
• Change the Search to:
  file:
• Click OK.

Filters can be organized from Search menu -> Organize filters.
Keyboard shortcuts can be created for filters.
Please consider setting your folder filter keyboard shortcut to Ctrl + \
Ctrl + \ will then toggle folders only / Everything.



I will consider a keyboard command to show/hide files/folders.
Thanks for the suggestion.

[meteorquake]

Many thanks if it could be available. The main task is to show just filters or just folders rather than jump between them (though that's helpful) because much of practical usage on computers is about not having distracting clutter on the screen, just the things you are operating on. That's why the Windows Explorer folderbar is such an unusable mess, it has everything including the kitchen sink.
Keyboard shortcuts for filters (for "file:") aren't usable because they remove (and replace) any existing filter, and much of what I do uses a filter.

* What would work as an alternative implementation though, which would have wider usage, is the ability to call up a filter that "AND"s against existing results. I think a way this could be done is in a filter's settings where you have the shortcut key, to also have an "AND" or "OR" droplist with another shortcut choice. So the existing shortcut (not the new one) when called will just as currently replace any active filters with the filter (a SET filter), whilst this second shortcut would not replace but would AND or OR onto the existing active filter set (as a TOGGLE filter). The usage would for practical reasons I think need to take the form of (searchequation OR orfilters) AND andfilters (anything more complex could be typed in the search bar). If a filter is applied that is already present in the filter set it would remove it, and applying it again would restore it back again. This would allow you to create an AND file: filter or AND folder: filter that could have a keyboard assignment that would toggle them on and off by putting the shortcut on with AND setting in the filter.

d

[void]

I will consider an option to show files only / folders only that isn't tied to a filter.
Thanks for the suggestion.

Please see filter groups to define a filter as AND/OR.