File Explorer is a vital tool in Windows 11 that is used to browse files, folders, and even cloud storage such as Onedrive, Google Drive, and iCloud. But what happens when File Explorer is not responsive or does not work completely? Well, of course, many Windows 11 users will experience it.
File Explorer does not open
It is safe to say that file explorer problems can interfere with your work. In this article, we have compiled a list of solutions that should get you back to your files as soon as possible.
Restart WINDOWS EXPLORER
Whenever File Explorer does not respond or starts crashing, you can restart Windows Explorer first to see if it helps resolve the issue.
Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to launch Task Manager quickly.
Step 2: In the Task Manager window, click on More details to open it.
Step 3: On the Process tab, scroll down to find Windows Explorer. Select it and then press the Restart button at the bottom.
Now, wait for Windows to restart File Explorer and see if it works without any problems.
Restart the computer
If restarting Windows Explorer does not help, you should consider restarting your computer. This will stop all programs and processes running on your PC and give them a fresh start.
Clear File Explorer cache
The more you use File Explorer, the more data it collects. If not cleared at regular intervals, this cache data can sometimes slow down or even corrupt File Explorer. Therefore, you can try to remove it by following the steps below.
Step 1: Click on the taskbar search, type File Explorer Options, and press Enter.
Step 2: In the File Explorer Options window that opens, go to the General tab. Go to the Privacy section and click the Clear button and then OK to remove the file explorer cache.
Run SFC and DISM SCAN
SFC (System File Checker) is a useful tool in Windows that can find corrupted system files on your computer and restore them to their previous version. So, if File Explorer crashes suddenly in Windows 11, you can try SFC scan by following the steps below.
Step 1: Right-click on the Start menu and select Windows Terminal (admin) from the menu created.
Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter.
SFC / scannow
Wait for the process to complete (it may take a while) and then restart your computer. If the problem persists, you can scan DISM or Deployment Image Service and Management. Similar to SFC scanning, DISM is a system tool built to repair system images and files in your Windows. Here’s how to do it.
Also read:
Run the Command Prompt with admin rights and enter the following commands one by one.
DISM / Online / Cleanup-Image / CheckHealth
Also, DISM / Online / Cleanup-Image / ScanHealth
DISM / Online / Cleanup-Image / RestoreHealth
When done, restart your computer to see if the File Explorer problem is resolved.
Run TRoubleshooting the system
If the above methods did not solve the File Explorer problems in Windows 11, you can use the system maintenance troubleshooter. It can optimize the overall performance of your PC by solving problems such as broken desktop shortcuts, unused programs, disk volume errors, and more.
Read more about how to run System Maintenance Troubleshooter in Windows 11.
Step 1: Click on the taskbar search, type control panel and press Enter.
Step 2: In the control panel window, change the view to large icons and go to Troubleshooting.
Step 3: In the System and Security section, click Run maintenance tasks.
From there, follow the on-screen instructions to run the troubleshooter. Then restart your computer to see if the problem is resolved.
Scan for malware
It is possible that a malicious virus has infected your computer and disrupted the normal operation of Windows 11. To ensure this, you can perform a quick scan to scan your computer for malware and viruses.
Check for Windows updates
Finally, if the above solutions did not work, you can check to see if updates are available on your computer. If so, install them first. Microsoft usually acts quickly when releasing corrections. The newer version of Windows 11 may have fixed the current File Explorer issues that you are experiencing.
To check for updates, press Windows + I to open the Settings app. Go to Windows Update to install the suspended updates.
