What is the first character in the sort order used by Windows Explorer?

Question

For example, in a Windows folder, if we create some files and name them 1.html, 2.txt, 3.txt, photo.jpg, zen.png the order will be as is. But if we create another file with the name _file.doc it will be placed at the top. (considering we sort by name in descending order)

likewise, what would be the character that would be considered as the first, such that if i use that character, it would place the file on top of the hierarchy?

Answer 1

The first visible character is '!' according to ASCII table.And the last one is '~' So "!file.doc" or "~file.doc' will be the top one depending your ranking order. You can check the ascii table here: http://www.asciitable.com/

Answer 2

I had the same problem. I wanted to 'bury' a folder at the bottom of the sort instead of bringing it to the top with the '!' character. Windows recognizes most special characters as just that, 'special', and therefore they ALL are sorted at the top.

However, if you think outside of the English characters, you will find a lot of luck. I used Character Map and the arial font, scrolled down past '~' and the others to the greek alphabet. Capitol Xi, Ξ, worked best for me, but I didn't check to see which was the actual 'lowest' in the sort.