Guide to fix Windows 11 Explorer Unresponsive Issues

Windows Explorer is one of the most commonly used applications in all versions of Windows (formerly known as Windows Explorer). Windows 11 Explorer provides a simple and straightforward graphical user interface to access the file system. But the problem that bothers many users is the unresponsive problem of Windows 11 Explorer. How to solve it?

Windows 11 Explorer is not responding?

One issue we have noticed recently is that Windows 11 Explorer is not responding . Some users said they suddenly found that Windows 11 Explorer could not load, while others encountered Windows 11 File Explorer crash. It's a very bad experience and they all want to get rid of the unresponsive problem of Windows 11 File Explorer as soon as possible.

Update and recovery methods for Windows 11 File Explorer

Common Windows 11 File Explorer Issues

The new preview of Windows 11 is said to cause serious problems for some users, including the unresponsiveness of the Explorer, taskbar, and start menus, the disappearance of settings and other components, and the slowdown of the context menu.

• The taskbar cannot be moved on Windows 11.
• The Windows 11 Start Menu does not work.
• Enable tabs in File Explorer for Windows 11.

Windows 11 users are complaining about the problems they are having online, hoping to get help from others (get effective solutions to solve the problem correctly).

• Windows 11 Explorer fails to start
• Windows 11 Explorer is corrupted
• File Explorer is not responding when right clicked
• File Explorer is not responding when opening a file
• File Explorer is not responding when accessing network drives
• File Explorer is unresponsive, quick access does not work
• etc.

How to fix Windows 11 Explorer's unresponsive problem

Whether you find File Explorer unresponsive at startup or suddenly crashes during use, the following solutions can fix these issues.

Restart File Explorer

When you find that Windows 11 Explorer.exe is unresponsive, try restarting the application first.

Restart Windows 11 Explorer in Task Manager

How to restart Windows Explorer in Task Manager:

1. Right-click the Start button on the taskbar.
2. Select Task Manager from the pop-up menu. You can also press Ctrl Shift Esc to open it directly.
3. Under the Processes tab, find Windows Explorer and select it.
4. Click the Restart button in the lower right corner.

If you don't find Windows Explorer, you can go to the Details tab and look for explorer.exe . Then, select it and click End Task . Finally, restart File Explorer.

1. Click File in the top menu bar.
2. Select Run new task .
3. Type Explorer or explorer.exe in the text box after Open. Then, click OK .

Restart Windows 11 Explorer using the command prompt

1. Open the command prompt as usual.
2. Type taskkill /f /im explorer.exe and press Enter .
3. Type start explorer.exe and press Enter .

How to fix File Explorer unresponsive/stop working Windows 10:

Perform an SFC scan

You can run an SFC scan to fix corrupt files to fix the issue where File Explorer is not responding after right-clicking or other actions.

1. Click the search icon on the taskbar.
2. Type cmd and select Run as administrator from the right pane.
3. Type sfc /scannow in the command prompt window and press Enter .
4. Wait for the process to end.
5. Restart your computer.

The Command Prompt tool can also be used to recover lost files.

Repair with Windows PowerShell

If the SFC scan method still fails, you should try a DISM fix.

1. Right-click the Start icon on the taskbar.
2. Select Windows Terminal (Administrator) .
3. When PowerShell is open, type Repair-WindowsImage -Online -RestoreHealth and press Enter .
4. Wait for the process to end and restart the computer.

Change File Explorer Options

Another way to fix Windows 11 Explorer is to change the File Explorer options.

1. Search for Control Panel from the Start menu.
2. Type File Explorer options in the search box in the upper right corner.
3. Click File Explorer options .
4. Select this computer from the drop-down menu that opens File Explorer .
5. Click Apply and OK .

Additionally, you can try to clear the cache to resolve issues that Windows 11 Explorer cannot load or Windows 11 Explorer cannot start.

1. Repeat the above steps to open the File Explorer option .
2. Go to the Privacy section under the General tab.
3. Click the Clear button after "Clear File Explorer History".
4. Click Apply and OK .

If the problem persists, you can also try the following:

• Remove recently installed hardware and software
• Update your system to the latest version
• Uninstall the most recent system update
• Perform system restore
• Try using a third-party modern file explorer: Files application. Learn how to download Files apps on Windows.

What to do if the new File Explorer is missing in Windows 11?

The above is the detailed content of Solved: Windows 11 File Explorer Is Not Responding/Crashing - MiniTool. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!