# Change the Recent Files view

Switch Recent Files between the Details, Grid and Compact views, and know where your choice is kept.

The same fifty files can be laid out three ways. The three buttons at the top right of the list switch between them: from left to right, **Details**, **Grid** and **Compact**. Point at one to see its name.

![The top right of Recent Files. Three small buttons sit in a group at the far right, the first one shaded to show it is selected. Below them are the column headings Last Modified and Size.](https://www.sorviai.com/help/nest/recent-files/view-switch.png)

*The shaded button is the view you're in. Details is the one selected here.*

| View | What it shows | Best for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Details | One row per file: name, who uploaded it, Last Modified and size | Reading what each file is before you open it |
| Grid | A card per file with a large type icon, its name and its size | Picking out a file by its type at a glance |
| Compact | One thin line per file: name, Modified and size | Seeing most of the list without scrolling |

## Grid

![Recent Files in the Grid view. Three columns of cards are visible, each with a large coloured file type icon, the file name beneath it and its size: Management Accounts - August 2026.xlsx 8.6 KB, Notes - Trade Counter Pricing Call.txt 661 B, Cycle Count Results - August 2026.xlsx 6.8 KB, then Motor Rewind Record - WEG W22 15kW.xlsx, Glasgow Van Stock Check - August 2026.xlsx and Pay Review 2027 - Principles.docx.](https://www.sorviai.com/help/nest/recent-files/grid-view.png)

*Cards drop the uploader and the date to make room for the icon. The row menu is still there: point at a card and its three dots appear in the corner.*

## Compact

![Recent Files in the Compact view: a small type icon and a file name on each thin line, from Management Accounts - August 2026.xlsx down through Notes - Trade Counter Pricing Call.txt, Cycle Count Results - August 2026.xlsx, Harrogate Water Engineering - MRO Supply Tender.docx, Workshop Capacity Plan - Q4 2026.xlsx and several more.](https://www.sorviai.com/help/nest/recent-files/compact-view.png)

*About half as many files again fit on the screen, because the uploader's line is left out.*

> **Note:**
>
> **One choice, for every Nest list, in this browser**
>
> The view you pick here is also the view your folders open in, and the other way round. It is remembered by the browser rather than your account, so another computer or a private window starts from **Details**.