---
title: "Configuring the Folder Tree Navigation Pane"
description: "Configure expansion depth, folder sorting, file counters and empty-folder visibility in the Folder Tree navigation pane."
url: https://vitextra.com/en/support/kb/10484
language: en
published: 2026-11-07
modified: 2026-11-14
products:
  - "Folder Tree"
author: "Lidija Reising"
tags: ["Folder Tree navigation settings", "expansion depth", "file count", "natural sorting"]
---

# Configuring the Folder Tree Navigation Pane

Configure expansion depth, folder sorting, file counters and empty-folder visibility in the Folder Tree navigation pane.

## Open the folder settings

Edit the page, open **Settings**, and expand **Folders**. Enable **Show folder tree** to display the navigation pane. Disabling it leaves the content area available; it does not create a tree-only view.

## Set expansion and counters

- **Initial expansion depth** accepts 0, 1 or 2. With 0, users expand the root themselves. Higher values expand the corresponding levels when the tree initializes.
- **Show file counts** displays the file count supplied by SharePoint for a folder when that metadata is available. It is not a count of search matches or of all files in descendant folders.
- **Hide empty folders** hides child folders whose SharePoint item count is zero. A folder containing subfolders is not necessarily empty.

## Choose folder sorting

Use **Folder sorting** to choose **Name**, **Natural order (2 before 10)**, or **Library order (item ID)**. Natural sorting places a folder such as `2. Contracts` before `10. Reports`. Library order uses the item ID; it is not a drag-and-drop ordering editor.

📝 **Note**  
Child folders load when a branch is expanded, in pages of up to 200. Sorting applies to the loaded nodes. Select **Load more** within a branch when another page is available; the web part does not load the entire library tree in advance.

## Verify the tree

Save or republish the page. Expand a branch with several folders and confirm the ordering and counters. Select a folder name to show its contents; expanding the arrow and selecting the folder are separate actions.

![Expansion, counters and natural folder sorting](https://static.vitextra.com/articles/10484/configuration-en.png)
*Expansion, counters and natural folder sorting*