I have a MacBook Pro with Big Sur 11.1 and I found this:
https://howchoo.com/macos/how-to-set-the-view-options-for-all-finder-windows-in-os-x
But in Big Sur I don't have the "set as default" option in the finder window. What do you in Big Sur?
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.1
While I personally can't imagine why anyone would want to default to the Column View, I suppose that there are a few million people out there in the world who would like to do so. However, the software feature allowing us to do it has not been written.
Thus there is no ability to set Column View as the default, to set the persistent grouping and sorting for any folder seen in a Column View other than the one you happen to be looking at, and you should forget about having settings affect child folders that you happen to pop into from aliases and such.
I guess some software really is too difficult to write, even for the crafty wizards of Cupertino! It's a shame though, because I get so tired of having to force my Mac to do what I want on a daily basis, just to make navigation easier for me. But perhaps I'm not as important a customer as those who want to default to Icon View. It's like we're the Hatfields and McCoys.
Hello macandcheesespaghetti,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities. It looks like you're having a question about view options in the Finder on Big Sur, and we'd be happy to get your questions answered.
To get started, please check out this helpful link:
Change view options in the Finder on Mac
We hope this information is useful. Kind regards.
I looked through the link and it was somewhat helpful. Still, I was unable to find a solution to *quickly* changing all the folder and subfolder options to one setting. Instead I had to go to each folder individually and change them to my preferred setting. I want column and sorted a certain way and the link says it will change *all* folders but it doesn't. I'm wary of running the script that the old solutions suggest as it is a new OS and I don't want to inadvertently delete files. Also, I'm not sure this will remain the way the folders always show things. If someone has a cleaner solution to the question that applies to Big Sur I would like to keep this question unsolved to find a better answer eventually.
Chalk it up to another weird fetish, I suppose. I guess I won't suppose my preference deserves special editing from the slave coders that write script in the dark closets in Taiwan that Apple bought last market bubble to fund their wild attempts at a OS that will withstand a month-long build without wiping. I may just submit to the financial load and run Ubuntu and try and find an agreeable sudo chain for my odd inclinations. At least their mascot is a penguin.
It used to be possible to set a default view. SO again software moves backward. I prefer to have column view as default. It is really annoying that this option to set the default has been taken away.
Big Sur 11.1 Change default Finder organization settings for all folders
