How to Sort, Filter and Group Files in ComfortFiles
Updated August 25, 2026
Click a column header to sort by it; click again to reverse the direction. The part that matters if you came from Windows: folders stay on top on every column, in both directions — not only when sorting by name.
Sort by any column
Three ways in, whichever your hands reach for:
- Click a column header — click again to flip between ascending and descending.
- Right-click the empty space in the file list → Sort by → Name, Date modified, Type or Size, and Ascending / Descending.
- The Sort button in the command bar — the row of commands under the address bar — opens the same menu, and it names the sort you are on: the button reads Sort: Name ↑ rather than just Sort.
Sorting applies to the icon view as well, not only the details list.
Folders stay first — on every column
This is the behaviour Finder cannot reproduce. macOS offers “Keep folders on top” only for name sorting; sort by date there and folders scatter among the files.
ComfortFiles splits folders from files first and sorts each group afterwards, so sorting by Date modified gives you the newest folders, then the newest files. Reversing the direction keeps folders on top too — they never mix in. If you want the Finder side of the story, see how folders-first works in Finder.
Choose which columns you see
Right-click any column header. The menu lists every column available in this view, with a checkmark next to the visible ones; click one to show or hide it.
The details list offers Name, Type, Date modified, Created and Size. Looking at a list of drives adds Total size and Free space.
Column visibility, width and order are stored per tab — set a tab up the way a job needs it, and moving between folders in that tab keeps the arrangement.
Filter a column
Hover a column header: a small button appears at its right edge. Click it and a panel drops down listing the values actually present in this folder — file types, date ranges, size buckets, name groups — each with a checkbox.
Tick what you want to see and the list narrows immediately. Filters on different columns combine, so “documents modified this week” is two clicks in two headers rather than a search query. Clear the checkboxes to bring everything back.
Group the list
Right-click the empty space in the file list → Group by → None, Name, Date modified, Type or Size. The Group button in the command bar opens the same menu, and names the grouping while one is on — it reads Group: Type ↑ rather than just Group, the way the Sort button names the sort. With no grouping it stays one word, because “Group: None” would be naming the absence of a thing. The list splits into labelled sections, and each section header collapses when you click it — useful in a downloads folder where you want today’s files apart from everything older.
Frequently asked questions
Do folders stay on top when sorting by date or size?
Yes. ComfortFiles separates folders from files before it applies the sort, so folders come first on every column and in both directions — by name, date modified, created, type or size, ascending or descending. Finder only offers folders-first when sorting by name.
Can I hide the columns I never use?
Right-click any column header and click a column to show or hide it. A checkmark marks the ones currently visible.
Are my column choices remembered?
Yes — column visibility, width and order are saved per tab, so a tab you set up for downloads keeps its layout as you navigate.
How do I filter by type or date without searching?
Hover a column header and click the small button at its right edge. A panel lists the values present in this folder as checkboxes. Filters on several columns combine, and the file list narrows immediately — no search query involved.