How to Customize the Details Pane in Windows 10

When you select a file in File Explorer, it shows some properties in the Details pane like date, size and offline availability. When a program EXE or DLL is selected, it shows some other info. In this article, we will see how to make the Details pane of File Explorer in Windows 10 show more useful information and how it can be customized.

Everything described below will work in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10. Here's how you can customize the properties shown there.

Note: The details pane is disabled by default, so you may need to enable it first. See the following article.

How To Enable Details Pane in Windows 10

For every registered file type in Windows, the information which is displayed in the Details pane can be specified in the Registry. Using a simple Registry tweak, it is possible to customize the information there and add/remove desired entries.

To customize the Details Pane in Windows 10, do the following.

1. Open Registry Editor.
2. Go to the following path:

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.file extension

   Replace the ".file extension" portion with the desired file extension you want to customize the details pane for. For example, go to the key

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe

   

3. On the right, see the value of the default parameter. In my case, it is "exefile".
4. Now, go to the key:

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile

   Instead of exefile, you should use the value you got from the previous step.
   

5. Here, create or modify the string value named PreviewDetails. Set its value data to the following value (you can copy this and paste it into the PreviewDetails value's data):

   prop:System.ItemNameDisplay;System.ItemTypeText;System.ItemFolderPathDisplay;System.Size;System.DateCreated;System.DateModified;System.FileAttributesSystem.FileOwner;System.FileAttributes;*System.OfflineAvailability;*System.OfflineStatus;*System.SharedWith

   See the following screenshot:

Now press F5 in File Explorer and select some file.

Before:

After:

As you can see, the Details pane now shows a lot more useful information like dates and file attributes.

Note: To restore defaults, delete the PreviewDetails value.

The prop:System.* values are a part of system metadata, which is fully described on MSDN. It is a very long list. After you read it, you can define which properties exactly you would like to see.

Every prop: value resolves an individual property, also known as metadata, from the Windows Property System that can be set for files, folders and other files system objects. You can get the full list of prop: values on the following MSDN page:

In our case, we are using the following properties:
System.ItemNameDisplay - name of the file.
System.ItemTypeText - user-friendly file type description.
System.ItemFolderPathDisplay - full path to the folder which contains this file.
System.Size - size of the file.
System.DateCreated - date when the file has been created.
System.DateModified - last modification date.
System.FileAttributesSystem.FileOwner - the user account which is set as the owner of this file.
System.FileAttributes - file attributes.

Here you can download Registry files to try this trick in your operating system without Registry editing. The undo tweak is included:

Download Registry Files

The same method can be used to customize tooltips. Also, you can make the details pane show app version and other properties.
That's it.