What is ‘File Explorer not working’ issue in Windows 11?
If you are facing ‘File Explorer not working in Windows 11’ or ‘File Explorer crashing’ issue while trying to launch File Explorer in your Windows 11 computer, then you are in right place for the solution. Here, you will be guided with easy steps/methods to resolve the issue. Let’s starts the discussion.
‘File Explorer’: File Explorer or Windows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of Microsoft Windows Operating System from Windows 95 onwards. It provides GUI for accessing the file systems. It is also the operating system that presents many user interface items on the screen like taskbar and desktop. It is responsible for displaying desktop icons, the start menu, taskbar and control panel.
However, several Windows 11 users reported that they faced ‘File Explorer not working in Windows 11’ issue or ‘File Explorer crashing’ issue while they tried to use File Explorer in their Windows 11 computer. The issue indicates you are unable to launch ‘File Explorer’ tool in your Windows 11 and when you try to open File Explorer, it won’t start and crashes at startup. The possible reasons behind the issue can be improper system settings, incompatible third-party software, large number of files in history, corrupted system files, or malware or viruses infections in computer.
File Explorer not working issue can be occurred due to some improper settings in your Windows 11 computer. You should adjust and optimize its advanced options in order to fix the issue. Another possible reason behind the issue can be the incompatible third-party software installed in your Windows 11 computer. In such case, you uninstall the problematic third-party applications in order to fix the issue.
This issue can also be occurred due to large number of files stored in File History or your storage is full unnecessarily. You can clear file history or clear unnecessary files in order to resolve the issue. Also, you can run SFC scan tool in your computer to fix corruption in system files in order to fix the issue. Let’s go for the solution.
How to fix File Explorer not working in Windows 11?
Method 1: Adjust File Explorer Options
Step 1: Open ‘Control Panel’ in Windows 11 via Windows Search Box
Step 2: In ‘Control Panel’, type ‘File Explorer’ options in top-right search bar and open it
Step 3: In the opened ‘File Explorer Options’ window, under ‘General’ tab, Select ‘This PC’ option from ‘Open File Explorer To:’ dropdown
Step 4: Finally, hit ‘Apply’ and ‘Ok’ button to save the changes and check if the issue is resolved.
Method 2: Clear File Explorer cache
Step 1: Open ‘Control Panel’ in Windows 11 using above method
Step 2: In ‘Control Panel’, type ‘File Explorer Options’ in top-right search bar and open it
Step 3: Under ‘General’ tab, click ‘Clear’ button under ‘Piracy’ section, and hit ‘OK’ button to save the changes, and check if he issue is resolved.
Method 3: Update Windows 11
Step 1: Open ‘Settings’ App in Windows 11 via Windows Search Box
Step 2: Go to ‘Windows Update’ and click on ‘Check for updates’ button. Download and install all available updates or pending updates in computer and once updated, restart your computer and check if the issue is resolved.
Method 4: Run SFC scan
Step 1: Type ‘cmd’ in ‘Windows Search Box’ and press ‘SHIFT + ENTER’ keys on keyboard to open ‘Command Prompt as Administrator’
Step 2: Type ‘sfc /scannow’ command and hit ‘Enter’ key to execute. This will repair system files
Step 3: Once executed, restart your computer and check if the issue is resolved.
Method 5: Fix File Explorer not working issue using Windows PowerShell
Step 1: Right-click on ‘Start’ icon and select ‘Windows Terminal (Admin)’
Step 2: Type ‘Repair-WindowsImage -Online –RestoreHealth’ command and hit ‘Enter’ key to execute. Once done, restart your computer and check if the issue is resolved.
Method 6: Restart File Explorer in Windows 11
Step 1: Press ‘CTRL + ALT + DELETE’ keys on keyboard to open ‘Task Manager’
Step 2: Under ‘Processes’ tab, right-click on ‘File Explorer’ or ‘Windows Explorer’ and select ‘Restart’ option. Once done, check if the issue is resolved.
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Conclusion
I hope this post helped you on How to fix File Explorer not working in Windows 11 with several easy steps/methods. You can read & follow our instructions to do so. That’s all. For any suggestions or queries, please write on comment box below.
