Windows 10 File Explorer Not Working: Common Causes and Solutions

A malfunctioning File Explorer refers to a situation where the built-in file management application in Windows 10 is unable to perform its intended functions. This could manifest in different ways, such as the application not launching, freezing or crashing when in use, not responding to commands, or failing to open certain files and folders. When File Explorer is not working correctly, users may be unable to navigate through their files and folders or perform basic operations like copying, pasting, and deleting files. This can significantly impact productivity for individuals who rely on this tool for everyday tasks. In this article, we will explore some common causes of Windows 10 File Explorer functionality problems and provide solutions to help you troubleshoot them.

Common causes of a dysfunctional File Explorer

There can be several reasons why File Explorer may stop working on your Windows 10 computer. Some of the most common causes include:

• Outdated or corrupted drivers: Drivers enable communication between your hardware and software, including File Explorer. When a driver becomes outdated or corrupted, it may not be able to properly communicate with File Explorer, leading to issues such as slow performance, freezing, or crashing. It’s important to regularly update your drivers to ensure that your system runs smoothly and without any problems.
• Malware or virus infections: When malware infects a system, it can modify or delete critical system files, which may lead to File Explorer errors such as crashes, freezes, and slow performance. Some malware agents create fake files or folders that mimic legitimate ones; when users try to access those items through File Explorer, it can cause the application to crash or become unresponsive. Malware can also modify registry settings associated with File Explorer, leading to issues such as missing icons and broken links.
• System errors or corrupted files: Various events can trigger system errors and file corruption, such as power outages and hardware failures, leading to issues when using File Explorer. For example, File Explorer windows that freeze and become unresponsive or close unexpectedly may occur due to a corrupt file or malfunctioning system component, or an incompatible program installed on your computer.
• Conflicting third-party software: External software programs often integrate with File Explorer during or after installation to provide additional functionality. However, any conflicts between different programs or versions can lead to problems. Examples of third-party software that may clash with File Explorer include antivirus programs, disk utilities, and backup software.
• Hardware issues: A faulty hard drive or RAM can cause slow performance, crashes, and even data corruption within File Explorer. Other hardware-related issues that can impact File Explorer include overheating and power supply problems.
• Insufficient disk space: When a computer runs out of disk space, it can slow down or even crash applications, including File Explorer. This event occurs because the system has limited resources to perform tasks, and when there isn’t enough free space available, it causes a bottleneck in the system’s performance. For example, if File Explorer freezes or stops responding to commands when you try to open files, it could be because the system does not have enough disk space to create auxiliary data required for its active processes.
• Microsoft credentials issues: Authentication problems may result in difficulty accessing shared folders or network drives within File Explorer. They could also cause slow performance and freezing.

If File Explorer search is not working when attempting to look up a file, it could be caused by corrupt search indexes or faulty system files.

How to fix File Explorer in Windows 10

Now that we have identified possible problems, let’s look at potential solutions:

1. Restart File Explorer

To restart File Explorer on Windows 10, follow these steps:

1. Open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
2. Find “Windows Explorer” under the “Processes” tab and right-click on it.
3. Click on “Restart” from the context menu that appears.
4. Wait for a few moments while File Explorer restarts.

Alternatively, use the following command in the Command Prompt to restart File Explorer: taskkill /f /im explorer.exe & start explorer.exe This will forcefully kill File Explorer and then start it again.

2. Restart your computer

To restart your PC and fix File Explorer Windows 10, follow these steps:

1. Save and close any open files or applications.
2. Click on the “Start” menu in the bottom left corner of your screen.
3. Click on the power icon at the bottom left of the Start menu.
4. Click on “Restart”.
5. Wait for your PC to shut down and restart.

Once your PC has rebooted, try opening File Explorer again to see if the issue has been resolved.

3. Check the available disk space

To check the available disk space on your computer, you can follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer or use an alternative file browser.
2. Right-click on the drive where the operating system is installed (usually C:) and select “Properties.”
3. The Properties window will display the used and free space on the drive. If there isn’t enough space left, you should free it up.

To free up space on your computer, try these methods:

• Use Disk Cleanup: This tool removes unnecessary files from your computer, such as temporary files and system files that you no longer need.
• Uninstall unused programs: Go to Settings > Apps & features, and then uninstall any programs that you no longer use.
• Delete large or old files: Use File Explorer or an alternative file navigator to identify and delete large or old files you may no longer need.
• Move files to an external drive: If you have a lot of large files that you don’t need to access frequently, consider moving them to an external hard drive or cloud storage service.

4. Check for Windows updates

To check for system updates in Windows 10, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Start menu and select Settings (gear icon).
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Click on Check for updates.
4. Allow Windows to check for any available updates; it will download them automatically. You may need to restart your computer after the updates have been installed.
5. Try to use File Explorer.

5. Check for conflicts with third-party software

Follow these steps to close all running processes except File Explorer using Task Manager. Here are the steps:

1. Save ongoing work and close all applications.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
3. Click on the “Processes” tab.
4. Right-click on any process that is not File Explorer and select “End task”.
5. Repeat step 3 for all processes except File Explorer.

If Task Manager fails, use Command Prompt by following these instructions:

1. Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type cmd and press Enter to open Command Prompt.
3. Type taskkill /f /fi 'imagename ne explorer.exe and press Enter. All running processes except File Explorer will be closed.

If the problem is resolved, restart your computer and try File Explorer again. If the same issue returns, the culprit could be a startup program. Follow these steps to disable startup apps:

1. Open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc or right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting “Task Manager”.
2. Click on the “Startup” tab.
3. You’ll see a list of all the apps set to start up automatically when you log in to your computer. To disable an app, simply right-click on it and select “Disable.” You can also enable or disable multiple apps at once by selecting them and clicking on the “Disable” button at the bottom of the window.

Find out more about managing startup programs.

If File Explorer issues persist, consider removing unknown or recently installed programs from your Windows 10 PC. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Start Menu and click “Settings” (gear icon).
2. Click on “Apps”.
3. Scroll down to find the program you want to uninstall and click on it
4. Click on “Uninstall”. Follow the prompts to complete the uninstall process.
5. Restart the computer and check File Explorer.

Discover more ways to uninstall programs.

6. Run a malware scan

Having reliable antivirus software installed on your computer and updating it regularly is crucial to prevent File Explorer problems in Windows 10. It’s also important to avoid downloading suspicious files from untrusted sources and avoid clicking on links from unknown senders. In case of an infection, running a full system scan with the antivirus software and removing any detected threats should help resolve most File Explorer issues caused by malware infections. Follow these steps to use the built-in Windows Security app for a malware scan:

1. Click on the Start menu and select Settings (gear icon).
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Select Windows Security from the left-hand menu.
4. Click on Virus & threat protection.
5. Click on Scan options.
6. Choose between Quick scan or Full scan. A quick scan will check the most common areas where viruses are found, while a full scan will check your entire computer for any threats.
7. After selecting your preferred type of scan, click on Scan now to start the process.
8. Once the scan is complete, any threats found will be displayed in the results section. Click Clean threats or Remove, depending on what Windows Security recommends.
9. Restart your computer and try to use File Explorer.

Find out more about Windows 10 virus scans.

7. Update drivers

Follow these steps to update drivers in Windows 10:

1. Open the Device Manager by typing “device manager” in the search box on your taskbar and selecting it from the results.
2. Expand a category (e.g., Display adapters) and right-click on the device you want to update.
3. Select “Update driver” and choose whether you want to search automatically for updated driver software or browse your computer for driver software.
   • In the case of an automatic search, Windows will look for an updated driver online and install it if one is found.
   • If you chose to browse your computer, locate the downloaded driver file and follow the installation prompts.

Discover more ways to update Windows 10 drivers.

8. Run System File Checker

Check your operating system for errors using the System File Checker command. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator. You can do this by searching for “Command Prompt” in the Start menu, right-clicking on it, and selecting “Run as administrator.”
2. In the Command Prompt window, type sfc /scannow and press Enter. The system file checker will now scan your system for any corrupted or missing files and attempt to repair them automatically. This process may take some time, depending on the size of your system and the number of files that need to be checked.
3. Once the scan is complete, you will see a message indicating whether any issues were found and repaired.
4. Restart your computer and try to use File Explorer.

9. Disable non-Microsoft shell extensions

Follow these steps to turn off non-Microsoft shell extensions in Windows 10:

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked.
4. Right-click on an empty space in the right pane and select “New” > “String Value”.
5. Name the new value {number}, where “number” is a number starting from 1 and incrementing for each new value you create.
6. Double-click on the new value and enter the CLSID of the non-Microsoft shell extension you want to disable. Find the CLSID by opening Task Manager, going to the Details tab, right-clicking on a non-Microsoft shell extension process, and selecting “Properties”.
7. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
8. Try to use File Explorer.

Disabling non-Microsoft shell extensions can cause some programs to not function properly or even crash, so be cautious when using this method.

10. Reset File Explorer to default settings

Follow these steps to restore File Explorer to its factory configuration in Windows 10:

1. Open the File Explorer Options window by typing “File Explorer Options” in the Windows search bar and selecting it from the results.
2. In the File Explorer Options window, click on the “View” tab.
3. Under “Advanced settings,” click on the “Reset Folders” button.
4. A confirmation dialog box will appear asking if you want to reset all folder views to default settings. Click on “Yes.”
5. Try to use File Explorer normally.

11. Create a new user account

Follow these steps to set up a new user account in Windows 10:

1. Click on the Start button and select Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click on Accounts.
3. Click on Family & other users.
4. Under Other users, click on Add someone else to this PC.
5. Enter the email address or phone number of the person you want to add as a user, or select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information if they don’t have an existing Microsoft account.
6. Follow the prompts to set up the new account with a username and password.
7. Log in with the new account.
8. Try to use File Explorer as usual.

12. Repair corrupt system files using DISM commands

Using the DISM tool to fix corrupt system files should be a last resort when other File Explorer troubleshooting methods have failed. It’s recommended to create a backup of your important files before attempting any repairs on your system.

1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Type the following command and press Enter: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
3. Wait for the scan to complete. If any issues are found, proceed to the next step.
4. Type the following command and press Enter: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
5. Wait for the scan to complete. If any issues are found, proceed to the next step.
6. Type the following command and press Enter: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
7. This process may take several minutes or even hours depending on your system specs and internet connection speed, so be patient.
8. Once the process is complete, restart your computer.
9. Try to use File Explorer.

Conclusion

File Explorer is an essential tool for managing files on your Windows 10 computer. However, it may stop working from time to time due to various reasons, as discussed above. By following these troubleshooting steps, you should be able to diagnose and fix any problems that arise quickly and efficiently without having to resort to drastic measures such as reinstalling Windows or formatting your hard drive.