how to repair file explorer

by Aniyah Rippin Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago

How To Repair File Explorer In Windows 10.

1. Check for Updates and Restart Your PC. The first method to try to repair File Explorer in Windows 10 is to check for updates. Then restart your PC.
2. Check That There Is Enough Space In Drive C (Or The OS Drive)
3. Run System File Checker and DISM Repair Tools.
4. Run Automatic Repair.

Full Answer

Why does File Explorer not responding?

Quick Navigation :

Fix 1: Restart File Explorer
Fix 2: Make Sure Windows Search Service Is Enabled
Fix 3: Change the Search Options
Fix 4: Allow Files to Have Contents Indexed
Fix 5: Rebuild Search Index
Fix 6: Run Search and Indexing Troubleshooter
Fix 7: Add System Permission to A File/Folder
Fix 8: Restart and Re-register Your Cortana
Fix 9: Repair Corrupted System Files

More items...

How to fix File Explorer not working in Windows 10?

How To Repair File Explorer In Windows 10

Check for Updates and Restart Your PC. The first method to try to repair File Explorer in Windows 10 is to check for updates. ...
Check That There Is Enough Space In Drive C (Or The OS Drive) If you do not have enough space on the drive your Windows 10 is installed, it ...
Run System File Checker and DISM Repair Tools. ...
Run Automatic Repair. ...

How to fix File Explorer not responding?

How to fix File Explorer not responding?

Method 1. Restart the File Explorer. Press “Ctrl + Shift + Esc” to open Task Manager. ...
Method 2: Check for updates. Go to “Start” > “Setting” > “Update & Security” > “Windows Update”, and click “Check for updates”. ...
Method 3. Check Corrupted files. ...
Method 4. Extend the C drive. ...
Method 5. Clean File Explorer history files. ...

Why is my explorer not working in Windows 10?

What causes the Windows Explorer not to respond to errors?

The File Explorer history needs to be cleared. There’s a possibility that your File Explorer history is clogged and it’s causing the Windows Explorer to behave incorrectly. ...
Your display settings were changed. ...
The Windows 10 version you're using is out of date. ...
There's no available space on your system drive. ...
Something is wrong with your system. ...

Can you repair File Explorer?

1. Check for Updates and Restart Your PC. The first method to try to repair File Explorer in Windows 10 is to check for updates. Then restart your PC.

How do I run File Explorer repair?

Run Automatic RepairSelect the Start button > Settings > Update & Security .Select Recovery > Advanced Startup > Restart now > Windows 10 Advanced Startup.On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot. Then, on the Advanced Options screen, select Automated Repair.Enter your name and password.

How do I fix File Explorer not responding?

ResolutionUpdate your current video driver. ... Run System File Checker (SFC) to check your files. ... Scan your PC for Virus or Malware infections. ... Start your PC in Safe Mode to check for startup issues. ... Start your PC in a Clean Boot environment and troubleshoot the issue. ... Additional Troubleshooting Steps:More items...

Why my File Explorer is not working?

The most effective method to fix Windows Explorer not responding is to clear file explorer history. You can open on Control Panel, set view by large icons and click File Explorer Options from the interface. Then click Clear button and OK to clear Windows Explorer history. Then try opening Windows Explorer again.

How do I repair File Explorer in Windows 11?

Ways to Fix File Explorer Not Responding in Windows 11Terminate the File Explorer Manually and Restart it.Remove File Explorer History and Temporary Files.Use System File Checker to Check for Corruption.Use Command Prompt to fix File Explorer Crash.Repair your System using Windows Powershell.Restart Your System.More items...•

Can I Uninstall File Explorer and reinstall?

Click on 'Uninstall' to confirm and the and complete the uninstallation process. After the driver is uninstalled, restart the computer and Windows will automatically reinstall the driver, which won't be corrupted.

How to fix Windows 10 auto repair?

To run automatic repair, follow the steps below: Right-click Windows 10 Start Menu and select Settings. Then click Update & security. On the left pane of Windows Update, click Recovery. Then, on the Advanced startup section of Recovery, click Restart now. Then wait for the computer to restart and boot to recovery mode.

How to install Windows 10 Updates?

To install the updates, click Download and install. Even though Windows Update does not find any update, still restart your computer – this way, any pending updates will be installed. After restarting your PC, if the problem with Windows 10 File Explorer is not fixed, try the next recommended fix.

How to fix file explorer?

The first method to try to repair File Explorer in Windows 10 is to check for updates. Then restart your PC. To check for Windows update: Right-click Windows 10 Start Menu and select Settings. Then, on Windows Settings, click Update & security. Finally, on Windows Update, click Check for updates and wait. If Windows Update finds any new update, ...

What does it mean when Windows 10 says "Startup Repair couldn't repair"?

If you receive a message saying that “Startup Repair couldn’t repair your PC”, it means that the repair did not work.

Does Windows 10 have enough space for File Explorer?

Check That There Is Enough Space In Drive C (Or The OS Drive) If you do not have enough space on the drive your Windows 10 is installed, it may affect Windows 10 adversely – including File Explorer. One way to repair File Explorer in Windows 10 is to ensure that you have enough space in drive C – or the drive Windows 10 is installed on your ...

Who is Victor Ashiedu?

Victor Ashiedu is the Managing Editor of Itechguides.com. Before he started Itechguides.com, he worked in IT for close to 20 years. Having done all things tech all his career, he now focuses on making tech easier for others. Victor writes "How to" guides, "Fix it" guides, reviews and buying guides.

How to change the file explorer?

First press the Win+E combination to open the file explorer. Then click on the file in the upper right corner of the screen. Now click on Change folder and search options. Next, click on the General tab. Then scroll down to the Privacy section.

What does it mean when a file explorer shows recent files?

When opening the file explorer, a list of recent files is usually displayed. It shows the most recently used folders. Therefore, this usually makes the work easier. However, if it gets too saturated, it can slow down the computer. Let’s see how to disable this function.

How to fix a slow browser?

The first thing we have to do is to check the operation of the browser. So if the browser is running slow, then restart it. With this in mind, follow the steps below: 1 Press the Win+Shift+Esc combination to open the task manager. 2 You will immediately see a list of active and background programs. 3 Locate the file explorer, right-click and select End Task.

Why does restarting my computer make my computer run faster?

This happens because the system has closed many of the applications and tasks running in the background. This puts an extra load on Windows. However, this cleaning can be done manually.

Is Explorer slow to open documents?

Indeed, it is a quick way to open folders and files. In addition, it allows you to organize, send and save them. However, it can happen that this task becomes tedious. It can become slow and buggy. It can happen that when trying to open a document, the explorer takes much longer than usual.

1. Restart Windows Explorer

Whenever the File Explorer becomes unresponsive or starts crashing, you can try restarting the Windows Explorer process first to see it helps. Here’s how.

2. Reboot PC

If restarting Windows Explorer doesn’t help, then you should consider restarting your PC itself. This will stop all the apps and processes running on your PC and give them a fresh start.

3. Clear File Explorer Cache

The more you use file explorer, the more data it accumulates. This cache data might sometimes slow down or even crash the File Explorer if not cleared at regular intervals. Thus, you can try removing it by following the steps below.

4. Run SFC and DISM Scan

SFC (System File Checker) scan is a handy utility on Windows that can find corrupted system files on your PC and restore them to their previous version. So, if the File Explorer on Windows 11 is crashing abruptly, you can try running an SFC scan by following the steps below.

5. Run System Maintenance Troubleshooter

If the above methods fail to resolve the File Explorer issues on Windows 11, then you can try using the System Maintenance Troubleshooter. It can optimize the overall performance of your PC by resolving issues such as broken desktop shortcuts, unused icons, disk volume errors, etc.

6. Scan for Malware

It’s possible that a malicious virus has affected your PC and has been interfering with regular operations on Windows 11. To be sure of it, you can try scanning your PC for malware and viruses by performing a quick scan.

7. Check For Windows Updates

Lastly, if the above solutions haven’t worked, you can check if there’re any pending updates on your PC. If so, go ahead and install them first. Microsoft is usually quick when it comes to releasing fixes. The newer Windows 11 build may have resolved the current File Explorer-related issues you’re facing.

Why is my search bar so slow?

It helps improve the search performance on your PC. However, File Explorer and its search bar could be slow if the search and indexing service has issues. Troubleshooting the Windows search and indexing service could help speed up File Explorer.

Is File Explorer good?

Windows File Explorer is a great tool, but it also has its drawbacks. The program often responds slowly when you open or copy files. Sometimes, File Explorer’s search bar takes too long to load your search results or doesn't deliver search results at all. If you manage and work with files daily, File Explorer’s performance issues can drastically ...

Repair Internet Explorer in Windows

You can reset the program settings to repair your Internet Explorer. To do this, use the following procedure:

Disable and enable Internet Explorer

To disable and enable Internet Explorer 11, see Disable and enable Internet Explorer on Windows.

Reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows

You can use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files to validate the corresponding system files.

How to fix Windows Explorer not responding?

How to clear file explorer history in Windows 10?

Step 1. Input Control in the Windows 10 Cortana search box. Then click Control Panel from the Best Match result. Step 2. Find File Explorer Options from the interface and click on it. Step 3. Click Clear and then click OK to clear File Explorer history. Now, try opening file explorer again. Solution 5.

How to restart File Explorer?

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to start Task Manager. Step 2. Right-click Windows Explorer in Task Manager and choose End task. Step 3. Click File on the upper left corner and then choose Run new task. Step 4. Input explorer.exe in the box and then press Enter. File explorer will restart very quickly this way.

How to fix file explorer crashes?

If Windows 10 File Explorer keeps crashing, you can try the following solutions: 1 Keep Your Windows Up to Date 2 Disable Thumbnails 3 Clear File Explorer History 4 Launch Folder Windows in a Separate Process 5 Run CHKDSK and SFC Scans

Why is my file explorer not responding?

If your Windows 10 file explorer is not responding, it may be caused by corrupted files on your drive. And many users said that they fixed file explorer not responding issue by System File Checker scan. You might try and see if it works for you too. Step 1.

Why upgrade to the latest version of Windows 10?

If you are not running the latest version of Windows 10, it is recommended to upgrade to the latest version as Microsoft fixes most known issues like file explorer not responding via updates.

What is a file explorer?

File Explorer, also called Windows Explorer, is a Windows built-in file manager application. It debuted with the release of Windows 95 by Microsoft. With a graphical user interface, it is very convenient for users to access and manage drives, folders and files.