[Tip] Decrease Icons Spacing in Windows 11 File Explorer by Enabling Compact View Mode

By default, Windows 11 uses large spacing between icons in File Explorer or This PC. This article will help you in decreasing the items spacing and enabling Compact View in Windows 11 File Explorer.

When you open File Explorer in Windows 11, you’ll notice that the spacing between items is larger than previous Windows versions. It has been done specifically for touch-enabled devices so that the user can select the item easily.

But if you don’t have a touch-enabled computer or don’t want to use touch features, the extra spacing or gap between items may start annoy you. Specially if you use Details view in File Explorer, you may find this extra spacing irritating as few items are shown on computer screen due to the extra gap and you need to scroll down to see remaining items.

Fortunately, Windows 11 allows users to turn off the extra spacing and enable the classic Compact View in File Explorer similar to Windows 10 operating system.

Following image shows default extra spacing and Compact View side-by-side for a comparison:

If you also want to remove the extra spacing between items and enable Compact View mode in Windows 11 File Explorer, following methods will help you:

Enable Compact View in Windows 11 File Explorer Using Toolbar

This is the quickest way to enable Compact View in File Explorer in Windows 11:

1. Open File Explorer and click on View menu option present on the toolbar.

2. Now select Compact view option and it’ll immediately turn on Compact View mode in File Explorer.

To restore default large spacing between items, deselect Compact view option in View menu.

Enable Compact View in Windows 11 File Explorer Using Folder Options

You can also enable Compact View in Windows 11 File Explorer using Folder Options:

1. Open File Explorer and click on 3-dots (…) menu button showing at the end on the toolbar. Now click on “Options” to open Folder Options window.

2. Now go to “View” tab and enable following option:

Decrease space between items (compact view)

Apply changes and it’ll remove extra spacing and enable compact view in File Explorer.

To restore default large spacing between items, disable the above mentioned option in Folder Options.

Enable Compact View in Windows 11 File Explorer Using Registry Editor

Advanced users can also modify Windows Registry to enable/disable Compact View mode in Windows 11 File Explorer:

1. Press WIN+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box. Now type regedit and press Enter. It’ll open Registry Editor.

2. Now go to following key:

3. In right-side pane, look for UseCompactMode DWORD. If it’s not present, right-click on empty area and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value option. Set the new DWORD name as UseCompactMode

Set the DWORD value to 1 to enable Compact View in File Explorer.

The changes are instant.

PS: In future, if you decide to restore extra spacing in Windows 11 File Explorer, set the above mentioned DWORD value to 0.

Also Check:

How to Remove User Folders from File Explorer in Windows 10 and 11

[Tip] Restore Classic File Explorer with Ribbon in Windows 11

How to Disable Snap Layouts Flyout on Maximize Button in Windows 11