File Explorer not working

File Explorer not working

Is the File Explorer not working on your Windows 10 PC? Is the File Explorer not opening or automatically closing soon after the launch? Do you have any other issues with respect to the File Explorer in Windows 10? In this guide, we will see how to fix File Explorer issues in Windows 10.

There are several ways to fix File Explorer not working in Windows 10. Following are the five ways to troubleshoot and address File Explorer issues in Windows 10.

Check for updates

Select the Start button > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Then select Check for updates. Install any available updates and restart your device if required.

Restart your device

Even if you don’t see updates that require restarting, doing so ensures that any pending updates are installed.

Optimize advanced system settings, including virtual memory settings.

1.       On the taskbar type; control panel in the search box. Select Control Panel from the results.

2.       Select System > Advanced system settings.

3.       On the Advanced tab, under Performance, select Settings > Advanced.

4.       Ensure that Adjust for best performance of is set to Programs.

5.       Under Virtual memory, select Change and make sure that automatically manage paging file sizes for all drives is selected.

6.       Select Apply.

7.       Restart your PC. This resets explorer.exe.

Run Disk Cleanup to free up resources on your device.

1.       On the taskbar, type disk cleanup in the search box. Select Disk Cleanup from the results.

2.       Select the check box by each type of file. (Make sure there’s nothing important in your Recycle Bin before emptying it.)

3.       Select OK.

Run the system maintenance troubleshooter

1.       In the taskbar type; control panel in the search box. Select Control Panel from the results.

2.       On the View by menu, choose large icons or Small icons.

3.       Select Troubleshooting > View all > System Maintenance.

4.       On the System Maintenance troubleshooter, select Next > Try troubleshooting as an administrator and review the results.

Check if system files are missing or corrupted

See Using System File Checker in Windows 10 for more info.

Run Automatic Repair

Automatic Repair is a tool that attempts to fix registry corruption. To run it:

1.       Select the Start button > Settings > Update & Security.

2.       Select Recovery > Advanced Startup > Restart now > Windows 10 Advanced Startup.

3.       On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot. Then, on the Advanced Options screen, select Automated Repair.

4.       Enter your name and password.

Automatic Repair now begins. Your computer may restart during this process.

If File Explorer doesn’t work more reliably after trying these steps, please send feedback through Feedback Hub so Microsoft can investigate potential issues.