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Question

Endless extra keystrokes- Please allow users to adjust DEFAULT sorting by folder

  • May 22, 2025
  • 9 replies
  • 10 views

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Box is about efficiency of work, yes?  I'm finally at my end with all the extra keystrokes needed to do such simple tasks b/c there is no ability to adjust any type of DEFAULT sort PER folder.

I'm well-versed in using the tabs at the top of folder columns to sort files by name, date, etc. (AND to reverse that order)... simple stuff, right?  I'm grateful for this feature b/c I deal with thouuusands of files.  That said, the sheer number of keystrokes/mouse clicks needed to constantly resort my folders all day long is astounding.  I have a continuous need to sort very distinct folders by name and then other specific folders always by date (oh, but hit the tab yet again to switch the order b/c when you click on the date tab it always shows the oldest items first).  It feels like the horrific days of submitting e-billing on a CA state website... cringe.  I cannot even begin to describe how priceless it would be to set a default sort mode for one specific folder and be able to set a different default sort for another specific folder.  Side note- the search bar does not help me in any efficient way to locate very specific files of nearly identical file names in the vast sea of similar file names.  Even in Windows folders, for example, you can click on "view" and "sort by" and it will LEAVE that folder sorted in that fashion, such that when you come back to it you don't have to do all the extra keystrokes to get it sorted the way you need it again and again and again.

This seems like a fairly straightforward feature to address and I'm 1000% positive that your users will appreciate the reduction in constant, unnecessary keystrokes and reduction of the correlated carpal-tunnel syndrome.  I'm begging you... please consider it.  

Thanks for all the hard work you do at Box.  I've been a user since 2011 and appreciate all the excellent streamlining.

~Lesley Goodman, therapist & small biz owner since 2007

9 replies

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Hi Lesley, 

Welcome to the Box Community!

We appreciate you sharing your use case here on how setting up your preferred default sorting options for per folder would be useful to you.
 
If this is something you would like to be able to do, I would highly recommend submitting this feature request at pulse.box.com! Our product managers review these requests and take them into consideration for future product development.
 
Should any new functionality/ feature come out, we will definitely announce it in Box Product Announcement page. 
 
Thanks for your participation in the community!
 
Best,

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All my files used to be sorted by name.  After the December 2021 update, no more.  Even if I select sort by name on my Mac, it no longer works.

Please fix this!


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I whole-heartedly agree.  The default of listing files by size is driving me crazy and is taking a ton of time to get to anything.  This is making Box very much LESS useful.....  Please, please fix this.

 


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Agree to above. Please fix this!


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FIX IT


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Also experiencing this. Mine is defaulting to sort via Updated, how do I permanently sort via Name??


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Agree, fix this! All I want is to permanently sort folders by largest to smallest, so that my folders appear, for example, as 2023, 2022, 2021 rather than the reverse. I reverse the order, close the folder, and then have to reverse it again - in the same session! It's not just when you log out and come back, it's IN THE SAME SESSION!


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ridiculous this was reported 2 years ago and still nothing has been done for such a basic feature.  Have to use Box for work but so far unimpressed.  there should be option to change the default at the FOLDER level (not just the AllFiles level).


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Yes this seems inefficient that settings cannot be adjust to default to sorting by name.