How to Fix File Explorer not Working in Windows 10

TimsComputerFix...
In this video I show you how to repair an issue with file explorer. A customer brought in their laptop to my shop here in Savannah Georgia complaining that every time she clicked file explorer the window would pop up but would freeze or hang and then crash Windows Explorer. This video shows a few of the many ways that you can attempt to repair this issue. Please keep in mind that these are just a few of my recommended fixes as there are several other ways of troubleshooting and repair this problem. If you are in the Savannah Georgia area come by my shop and say hello!

[@RAVINFORONE]

I didn't think I would be able to fix this. But I followed your steps, wrote them down and it worked. I really didn't want to pay to have it fix again. THANKS.

[@paulofem]

This actually bypasses the main issue of why on Quick Access, file explorer become unresponsive. Main fix is to clear the file explorer cache under the Privacy section. I learnt this from other comments here. All the same, thanks Tim!

[@anniedrews4849]

I'm so glad I read your comment. This fixed it in 5 seconds!! I did also hit restore defaults as mentioned on another video. Thanks so much!

[@Joecoleman84]

yup. finally right click works again! how easy. close all open file explorer windows(not sure if necessary) type file explorer options into windows search. click the top result. click the "clear" button.

[@manifestaphillips3574]

How to clear cache?

[@ryanelewis1379]

@@Joecoleman84 Thank you i got halfway through the video and was getting a bit annoyed that he was showing up solutions that didn't seem to work. I know they may for some tho

[@Joecoleman84]

@@ryanelewis1379 glad it worked for you!

[@adityak007]

So many apps were enabled in Startup tab, after disabling all of them finally the problem got solved...Thanks a ton buddy

[@BearClawstt]

Thanks Tim, your video allowed my file explorer to start working. Upon reading the comments below I also cleared by history and then went back and set my Open File Explorer to: Quick access. It now works as it is suppose to. Thanks again. Windows Explorer now works.

[@milohajek]

Thank god, someone that actually knows how to speak in a tutorial. Thank you for not putting awful background music in your video (as i see with so many "tutorials") and also for actually walking through a problem, and not just moving a mouse around, good job you get a thumbs up

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Hey thanks for the comment.

[@NJP76]

Even though this did not fix my Win10 file explorer crash issue, I wholeheartedly agree with you about the quality of this presentation. I was getting soooo frustrated with all of those non-talking videos! Indeed, this was a very welcome change. That is why I put a "like" on this video...and this comment as well. :)

[@ErnestoCarrasco]

Well, it was about a long-drawn-out process, but it finally worked after the second reboot. The problem I was having was that File Explore was not opening up at all. I never had an error message of any kind; it just wouldn't open. Following your very clear instructions helped me resolve the problem. I'll add your video to my Favorites in case I come across this again. Thanks!

[@noellebright2481]

This has been driving me MAD for days now! All other google search options were no help, so this was a life saver. Thanks so much!

[@SmugPandaStudios]

This saved my life. I couldn't get anything done the way my file explorer was running. Very difficult for an animator with a lot of files...

[@jackikrumnow3673]

Option 3 at 9:20 worked for me, thank you so much for this! I use my File explorer all the time and it was a real hassle to have it crash every time I needed it.

[@mukesh2738]

For me too 9:25 worked yeah

[@brucemeyer6345]

Clicking on a different view doesn't really solve the problem, you're really just circumventing it by having file explorer open to a different view. I had this very same issue. I started with more simple options and found that "Reset the Folders" in File Explorer Options worked perfectly for me.

[@abdullahfall1517]

how do udo this

[@AL-rf2fr]

Tim your the best. I spent 8 hours looking at videos and everyone of them couldn’t fix my problem until I found your video and it fixed it in minutes. God beless you !! Keep up the great videos. Subscriber for Life!!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Great to hear!

[@billharrington172]

I've been trying to fix this problem for two days... turns out I just needed to reset the file associations. THANK YOU!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Glad you figured it out.

[@gokaijourney2105]

Thank you. After a week of trying everyone else's ideas, changing the view option worked.

[@jayronarellano8993]

Thank you so much! You just save my new laptop. Keep it comming sir. You have my respect. Btw guys: 9:25 is the step that solves my issue.

[@abhassagar]

Okay so, the thing in my case is that when I open File Explorer for the first time after starting my pc, it works fine, basically it shows the icons and recently used files and everything. But the green bar in the address tab keeps on loading. But This PC doesn't start at all, it only shows the Working on it... sign. And apparently, Control Panel also loads us to a white screen, it doesn't show the sub menus and everything. Although, all other folders are working just fine....

[@thiscommetwastyped8695]

Exactly my problem. I see it's been a year for you. So what fixed it? Please help. Kafi pareshan hoon main.

[@abhassagar]

@@thiscommetwastyped8695 Hey, I don't remembered what exactly happened with that whole situation, I assume I must have done a hard reset or something...

[@cynthiawilson3418]

Yay! Option 3 (disabling the start up apps) worked for me too! This has been a such a major pain the last few months on my computer, and have searched many videos. Thank you Tim!

[@gautalawrencebusa7474]

File explore used to freeze and crush every time I select Microsoft word doc. Now that problem is solved. Thank you very much, Sir.

[@AriaNLex]

Same problem.

[@gautalawrencebusa7474]

@@AriaNLex Did you find a solution yet?

[@AriaNLex]

@@gautalawrencebusa7474 by reading the comments. I just change it on 'View' tab. I dunno but it works.

[@gautalawrencebusa7474]

@@AriaNLex That method of making adjustments on the `View` tab worked temporarily for me. Now I installed Ultra Office and made it a default app to open Microsoft docs. Now File Explorer does not freeze anymore when I click/select Microsoft docs. But I still open my docs with Microsoft Office via `open with` option. In case you face the same problem again, I recommend you try that trick.

[@AriaNLex]

@@gautalawrencebusa7474 Thank you Sir. But,is ultra office free?

[@zerobeoulve013125]

Have to agree with many comments here. 9:25 worked for me also. Thanks, Tim!

[@Britec09]

Another good video, keep them coming Tim

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Cheers Brian

[@Bluedragon-co4kb]

Yeah, that was awesome Tim! Very informative and helpful :-) what if that last option didn't help either? What would do after that one? Would selecting reset default all help? Restore defaults in advanced settings I mean :-)

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Yeah there could be many scenarios. I covered the basic starting point in repairing that issue but things in Windows 10 can get corrupted for many different reasons.

[@joeywippledo9028]

Thanks a million! Changing the file explorer default open window from "Quick Access" to This PC, is what helped a similar issue I had to what you were (rather this pc was) experiencing here. The PC would almost lock up, and I have put A TON of money, time and effort into building my pc only to have this issue a couple months after completion. Thanks again!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

You're welcome!

[@jesusgonzalez7059]

9:20 worked for me; changing how File Explorer opens up. Changing Quick Access to This PC. Great troubleshooting video. Thank you, sir!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Glad it worked.

[@kevintuffley3537]

Brilliant. Went all around the houses on MS help pages but you nailed it for me. Thanks

[@howardfreedman4289]

Thanks sooooo much Tim. Changing the folder & search option under view did the trick. This was after trying and failing with several other suggestions on the internet. You are a magic man and saved me lots of grief. I gave you a thumbs up and have subscribed. Thanks again!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Hey thanks for the comment!

[@bethanyclayton9674]

thank you!!!!! as a uni student i definitely don't have the money to get this fixed, thank you so much for helping me step my way through this problem to find a solution.

[@kay77764]

4:56 solution is what I needed, it helped my file explorer to be able to play videos again, thanks!

[@HiTadpole]

This is just a work around. The REAL fix is to "Clear File Explorer history" in the Privacy section under Folder Options. Quick Access gets hung up when you've accessed a folder no longer available, like from a thumb drive you've removed. You don't have to change any settings.

[@TimsComputerRepair]

OK you simply pointed out another way to get file explorer working. The method I show has gotten explorer working again for many. I agree that there may be other or even better ways to do this.

[@AbigailRL81]

So, does this keep the problem fixed or am I going to need to go in and do it every time I load something from a thumb drive or other source? Just wondering if you know.

[@motown75]

Oh cool! .....HOW DO YOU DO THAT IF YOUR EXPLORER WINDOW WON'T OPEN???

[@brucebond2112]

This problem occurred after I removed my thumb drive, as you mention.

[@HiTadpole]

@@motown75The easiest way is from your Windows menu click on the "Documents" folder icon (lower left side below the User ID icon) to open it. Then select the "View" tab which is on the far right on the top menu bar, then the "Options" icon on the far right, then the "Privacy" section on the "Folder Options" menu. Good luck!

[@JayMalik]

9:25 real solution

[@_zamzamisangga9319]

yep it is

[@yapanliu9608]

Thank you!

[@Bariscansoy]

Wish I looked down here before doing all that stuff

[@Kayjeah]

yep worked like a charm!

[@azmiprsty]

Thank You Brooo!!

[@josephosorio5718]

You Da Man. Thanks for the help. I also clicked on the "Clear" File Explorer History button and was able to get my Quick Access function working cleanly and quickly once again. Keep the good tips and videos coming.

[@darkclouds27]

Thank you so much. I tried the option @ 9:23 into the video and it worked.

[@BaileySEA]

You are the bomb. Changing how it loads worked, Outstanding!

[@eagle13ftl]

Changing from Quick Access to This PC worked for me. Thank you!!!!

[@tridellmiller6910]

Oh my God this was the best experience I have had on KZbin you did this right "Thank you"!!!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

You're welcome!!

[@kennethjohnson2933]

Your approach is very refreshing. A systematic way that's very good and thoughtful. Knowing that this is not for all cases but it works in a lot of them and gets you thinking in a logical way to approach the problem if you listen to the entire procedure. Very good, Thank You

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Thanks for commenting.

[@meenuraju2696]

Really helpful video.Even my laptop had this problem.

[@michahalczuk9071]

Worked. In my case just wiping explorer search history (quick access) completely solved the problem. Thanks!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Excellent!

[@rickystambach7584]

Thanks for the video. It help me figure out that I just had to go to the View tab > Options > change folder and search options > and under the general tab click on the restore defaults button.

[@Ferdiansyah-wb4ts]

Thanks a bunch dude, actually I was mad. 'cause my laptop is new but I got that problem. Well done!

[@miftarama7152]

Same problem bro :d, solve that with this video

[@michaelbingham-hawk3110]

My client's laptop is brand new and it keeps doing this. Microsoft is and always has been a complete shit show

[@muhammadaiman5608]

omg me too..just bought this laptop few weeks ago..and i have the same problem T-T

[@imnotyourunicorn91]

I just bought this new computer too. But I tried all these tricks and it still doesn't work. I'm afraid I will have to try to reinstall it

[@thetvexplorer]

@@michaelbingham-hawk3110 It has so many flaws

[@Berghiker]

It worked when changing the view options to PC. Thanks!

[@meghagunti6260]

Solution given at 9:25 worked for me. Thanks!

[@markr1461]

Thanks Tim.

[@peterslater1732]

Excellent. Very clearly expressed. The fix for my problem was not revealed until close to the end and I was losing hope, but finally that very last solution worked! Thank you.

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Great to hear!

[@CuchulainAD]

Thanks man fixed the problem with the second last fix ...much appreciated.

[@drakejack4380]

If anyone hasn't still solved the problem try this one, it worked for me 100% Whenever I clicked on a .wav file or opened a folder containing .wav audio, file explorer would crash. so I tried all the options in this video but none of them worked for me. Then I realised that there could be a problem with the player since by default .wav and MP3 files were opened with windows groove so I tried changing the app defaults in windows settings to VLC (or to any other compatible player other than windows groove) and it solved all my problems file explorer now opens quick access in no time. There might be a problem with windows groove (or even windows movie player)

[@JimsonJrSeraspe]

Thanks brod, ill fixed my desktop now. God blessed and more power to your youtube channel

[@wicker70]

THANK YOU!!! The changing of the "Open File Explorer to:" option worked for me!!!!! Life. Saver. #youaremyhero

[@animeboy6287]

Omg I found this Video Than i clicked On it I thought all of my files Became Corrupted Tysm!

[@CallMeNovaGirl]

Oh my god thank you. My HEART was going crazy. I thought I was gonna lose my PC.

[@arunabhadityatiwari8568]

Thank you man! I thought I had a virus in my system. Explorer started working back again just fine..... Thanks a lot.. 🙏🙏

[@owencoopersfx]

Thank you very much. Resetting the file associations fixed this issue for me.

[@owencoopersfx]

Got this issue again and then the same fix as in the video fixed it for me. Honestly, I would prefer for it to open on My PC anyway so this took out two birds with one stone. Thanks again.

[@bonnieetc]

Wow Thank you so much! Yes, new laptop here also, and this resolved my problem. Now I need to find out why my Wifi doesn't connect automatically on my new laptop.

[@pixlworks6844]

Great video, fixed the issue when tech support couldn't. Thank you

[@HasanainShuja]

Thanks! @5:15, disabling some start up service worked great for me after all other solutions I found online didn't work. Thanks again so much it saved my day and I can access my files again!!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Glad it helped

[@itswaynesgame6715]

Thanks....i already fix my own laptop because of this video.

[@fordtoy2000]

Thanks. Your style is very thorough and I had to wait because I knew you were just being thorough. In this day and age, a lot of folk would just roll their eyes because they want the gist and only the gist. I have patience and that was cool how you went through all the walk through/s of the trouble shooting. Anyway, fixed my issue. Thanks a lot! Awesome!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Hey thanks for the comment. Glad the video helped.

[@fsarb1]

Switching to 'This PC' option fixed my issue. Thank you so much

[@jamesvarner7816]

Stopping the quickview option and just opening to My PC did the trick, thanks. I never liked that quickview option anyway, too much clutter.

[@daviddarby3738]

Absolutely right - very simple. A long drawn out video on this is unnecessary.

[@misssteak5646]

Thanks. resetting default apps worked straight away.

[@peacefulimagination4296]

Thank you sir I was very worried since 2 days finally I fixed the problem through you🙏

[@dancicero]

Thanks, Tim. I had this problem, watched your video and changing the privacy settings worked. I also cleared the file explorer history. I reset back to "Quick Access" and the problem was still gone, so I suspect, like other posters here, the root problem was in the file explorer history.

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Thanks for the input.

[@NJP76]

Sorry to say, that didn't work either. :(

[@SeggyFlun]

Excellent video - extremely helpful. Thank you, Tim

[@rosiebarrios3183]

5:14 worked for me omg god bless!! THANK YOU!!

[@ReverseCOPD]

Thanks man. Method 3 worked for me. I didn't try the other 2.

[@vocady-creation466]

Thank you!!! It worked for me!! Its been bothering me for the past 2-3 days but your video helped.

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Great to hear!

[@sitnspin1819]

You, my friend, are an absolute legend!

[@JJones-dm7zy]

Hi Tim, thanks for the instructions. My wife's computer suddenly stopped opening folders but the files worked fine and I could not figure out why. The problem was with the SSD and after I scanned and fixed the errors everything worked normal again. I would not have thought to check the drive.

[@iwalenia9007]

Excellent! Changing the one option worked for me!

[@anasabughalia4325]

This video helped me so much I had assignments to do and I couldn't do them because of this problem so thanks very much for helping

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Thanks for commenting.

[@aminulhoque9243]

This was helpful. It resolved an ongoing issue. Thanks very much

[@brianmorgan1204]

Yes! It worked! "Change Folder and Search Options". Thanks a million!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

You're welcome!

[@SuperKostyl]

Thanks a lot. Last step fixed my problem in seconds. Fast and easy.

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Thanks for commenting.

[@ElviaNavas]

The fix for me was to remove the 128 GB SD card that I had inserted in the PC. It may not have been correctly inserted, but all is well now. Thank you.

[@seanzimmerman1488]

Jill Schuler I did that recently added a new ssd did you stop using it or what did you do after that

[@pablobolanos3868]

Aye thanks bro I had 3 assignments due and I was about to punch my computer!

[@joemaragasite7045]

Ty

[@adamvelazquez3620]

Hey Tim! Thanks for making this troubleshooting so easy!

[@mavishkumarjeeawan6667]

I really can say thank you man. Finally it worked. The best solution

[@otterlypawful]

The second method worked perfectly! Thank you so much, as a gamer who is constantly downloading mod files, it was getting so stressful having to restart my computer because of File Explorer.

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Great to hear!

[@chrisburns7534]

Mine keeps disappearinh

[@jmphotographereditor]

Thank you so much man I totally freak out when explore didn't answer so look up and finally find you again thank you so much man keep going!👊🏻❤️

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Glad I could help!

[@catherineelainebaxter4609]

You are my life-saver. Thank you so much for your time and effort which I am sure has helped so many people like myself who are not equipped to fix these problems. I am so grateful to you. I followed your instructions, and viola, I am sorted again. Woo Hoo.🎇🏅

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Glad I could help!

[@mickeyhimmel9713]

This was a great help to me, thanks Tim.

[@4alex7181]

thanx thanx thanx thanx thanx thanx thanx thanx the third one worked for me thanx definitely gave a like .

[@keroleperry8551]

Oh my gosh! Thank you so much! This was totally helpful... it was the simple change of quick access to this PC that worked for me...

[@zartar2]

Thanks a lot Tim, the last method worked for me!

[@TheWickeRmoss]

First step and it already worked for me. Thanks and GOD BLESS YOU!! ❤

[@DontKnowNoSnakes]

Thank you! 09:15 was the solution for me.

[@lnnys]

me too

[@Laura_Nunn]

me too :D. some reason it was set to my pc, i just click apply again and it worked :D

[@triwaluyo6155]

Me too

[@Dr-BeaBeltran]

Great and thorough demonstration.

[@ss1nga]

Thanks so much the option ending at 6:57 work for me!!

[@ronhisel]

Thanks, changing the setting explorer options worked.

[@ajmodding]

Thanks! That helped out a lot, been having the same issue for awhile now and the first solution from Quick Access switched to PC has solved my issue. Keep up the great work.

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Glad the video helped.

[@Mindpreet]

Sir plese help me my file explorer is opening but when i go to this it does not respond and came back to desktop i even not connect usb also to this because when i click it came back

[@reinvalero2733]

Reaaally helped me on my laptop. Thanks very much!

[@rudyvargas5038]

Thank you! Your explanation was very thorough.

[@hausofgrind]

So good! Thank you! Changing quick access to this pc is the option that worked for me!

[@haldavnekar]

Good video and instructions. My issue was that the Explorer crashed when I hit the File Explorer button on the Taskbar. Sometime it took few seconds for reloading sometime quite a bit of time. I used to access files using Recycle Bin icon on the Desktop and then navigating to the folders. Also, the right click on any item was crashing the Explorer. None of the suggestions here or in the comments worked for me. Instead, I downloaded ShellExViewer, disabled the 16 (might vary for others) third-party context menu and it started working. I haven't figured out which one of the 16 is the culprit. But the File Explorer and the right click are working after restarting multiple times.

[@CJDirtyEwok]

fantastic video learned a few things a never knew, cheers buddy.

[@jamesh2640]

Changing default view to "this PC" worked for me. Thanks for the tip!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Glad you got it working.

[@nojento99]

Thank you. This worked exactly as it did on your tutorial and what fixed yours, also fixed mine. Much appreciated.

[@chenagar]

My issue was a virtual drive error a.k.a. problem with a cloud drive on my pc. Mine was a cloud service linked to Autodesk Fusion 360. To fix it, I had to enable autodesk start up programs in task manager.

[@nikwu8891]

Thank you so much!

[@0name933]

Thanks for the guide Tim I really appreciate the video.

[@leigh8224]

Great help. Thanks!

[@CWM432]

This was GREAT! Fixed my problem, which was the same as yours in the video. Only comment I have is that I was following you on another screen and when it said to reboot, I did it without thinking I was going to lose the video. Easy enough to pick it back up though. If you would have given a quick warning for those of us following you like sheep. Otherwise great video. Thanks for doing that!!

[@TimsComputerRepair]

Glad the video helped.

[@qansanyahadie]

Thanks a lot, Tim. It's so helpful!