Today our topic is How to Fix File Explorer Not Opening on Windows 10. File Explorer for Windows 10 is as much important as File Manager for Android. It is an integral part of Windows 10 and the previous version. Over the decades Microsoft is continuing this feature because of its importance. It helps Windows users a lot especially in the ease of access. One thing is to confirm if File Explorer is not working then Windows users will face a lot of problems.
By the way File Explorer is bound to receive a major overhaul with the next Windows 10. Till the update, if anyone faces the issue of File Explorer not working on Windows 10. Need to follow the solutions written below.
How to Fix File Explorer Not Opening on Windows 10?
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File Explorer is important in fact it is the most important part of Windows so, whenever an issue occurs in it necessary to solve it quickly. Solutions written below are ranked to positions according to their potential. So, we recommend following the solution according to the sequence.
Most of the time, the issue gets resolved before reaching the last solution, sometimes after the solution too. So, let’s start the guides to Fix File Explorer Not Opening on Windows 10.
Reboot Explorer
You need to reboot explorer from the task manager because we can’t do it from the cross icon.
Open the File Explorer to keep it alive at the Task Manager
Launch Task Manager on Your Windows, simply right-click on the Taskbar and click on the Task Manager.
Select the File Explorer on the screen and then click on the Restart button at the bottom of the screen.
Restart Explorer after End Task
If users failed to find the Restart option in the above method, then this is the second technique to do the same.
Open the File Explorer to keep it alive at the Task Manager
Launch Task Manager on Your Windows, simply right-click on the Taskbar and click on the Task Manager.
Right-click the File Explorer on the screen and then click on the End Task button.
Click on the File option at the screen top and select Run a New Task.
Type explorer.exe and hit the OK button.
Once you hit the OK, File Explorer will restart quickly and it should fix the app not opening on Windows 10 issue for you.
Restart File Explorer Using Comment Prompt
If the system got failed to reboot File Explorer on Windows 10 in both ways above, Command Prompt is the only hope left for us. You need to reboot Explorer using Command Prompt in order to fix File Explorer not opening on Windows 10 issue.
Step 2: Type taskkill /f /im explorer.exe in the Command Prompt window and press Enter.
Step 3: This command will end the explorer.exe process. You’ll see a blank screen behind the Command Prompt window.
Step 4: To start the explorer.exe process again, type explorer.exe in the windows and press Enter.
The command will reboot the File Explorer app on Windows 10.
Change Layout on PC
Maybe you see it usually What is the concern of Layout or resolution with the File Explorer not opening on Windows 10 issue. But, the truth is it’s an effective solution to fix File Explorer issues. Maybe your computer resolution is not suitable for File Explorer.
Launch the Setting app on your Windows 10 machine.
- Press Windows key + I or, type Settings in the Windows search bar and press enter.
Select the System option and then Display.
Scroll down to Scale and layout option.
Change the Display Resolution to the recommended settings.
Change the scaling option to Windows recommended.
Try changing it to 125% and back to 100% again. If your PC’s display scaling is already set to 100%.
Clear History in File Explorer
Clear the search history of File Explorer is also an effective way to fix File Explorer not opening on Windows 10. File Explorer keeps a log of all previous activities for example recently accessed files, folders, searches, address bar entries, etc.
Step 1: Find the File Explorer through the Windows Search. Click on File Explorer Options.
Step 2: Select Clear under the General menu.
Step 3: Click on Apply and hit OK.
Now reboot your computer, and use File Explorer again.
Update your Computer’s Video Drivers
Like a car needs a driver to run similarly a computer needs drivers to operate. According to the Microsoft Windows manuals, if video drivers are outdated on your machine, it can crash File Explorer. So get your computer video drivers up to date to fix File Explorer not opening on Windows 10.
Step 1: Open Device Manager by right-clicking on the Windows icon.
Step 2: Expand the Display adapters on Device Manager and right-click on video drivers.
Step 3: Select Update drivers and the OS will scan to install the newest video drivers from the web.
Run the Security Scan
You need to run the security scan to troubleshoot the problem that is causing the Failure of File Explorer on Windows 10 computer.
Hit the Windows key and click on the Settings icon. Or, press the Windows key and search for Windows Security app. Find the Virus & threat protection option and click it. Now, run a quick scan on the PC. Find and remove any malicious files and try accessing File Explorer app.
Update Windows 10 to the latest version
That’s the final thing which you can do in fixing the File Explorer not working on Windows 10. This is not just for Windows only in fact every OS users have to keep the version up to date. The latest version of Windows 10 is a must for smooth operation. If you didn’t update Windows 10 to the latest version quickly do it. This will surely fix File Explorer not opening on Windows 10.
Conclusion
The File Explorer not working issue is not a big one. In fact, most of the time only rebooting can fix the issues. These all solutions are enough to fix the Windows 10 File Explorer, not working issues. One thing you must ensure is that you are using the original version of Windows 10 and it must be activated using the Windows Key.
