Question

On some of the folders, if I set the contents to be shown as an icon (Small, Medium or Large icons), the file name is not shown under the icon. Here is a screenshot which describes the problem:

The file names appear correctly if I set the view option to Tile or Details. How do I enable file names in Icons view?

Answer

For folders designated as Pictures or Videos (folder templates assigned via the Customize tab), you should be able to toggle the file name display by right-clicking on an empty area in the folder, clicking View and unchecking the Hide File Names option.

For other type of folders (Documents or Music), follow these steps to show or hide the file names:

In Windows XP, holding the SHIFT key when changing to Thumbnails view toggled the display of file name. This trick works in Windows Vista as well. Follow these steps:

  • Open the folder which is exhibiting this behavior
  • From the Views dropdown list, select Details
  • Press and hold the SHIFT key, and select Medium Icons (or Large Icons) from the Views dropdown list
  • Close and re-open the folder.

The file names should be back. Repeating the steps again (acts as a toggle) will turn off the display of file names under the icon.