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Learn Every Aspect About File Explorer Won’t Open and the Ways to Fix It

One of the most frequent errors that the Windows 10 users face is that the File Explorer won’t open while you are trying to do so. There might be a lot of reasons behind the occurrence of such an issue on the system. You are trying to launch the File Explorer to get access to some kind of files or folders, this is the time when you face up this issue.

This is not a problem and it does not only appears on Windows 10 but also on the other versions of the Windows OS. Whatsoever, throughout the article, you are going to see all the solutions to get rid of the error. To some users, the error also appears as the folder won’t open and for them, this article would also be so helpful.

Explications to Resolve the File Explorer Won’t Open Error:

With each and every update that comes from Windows, the OS is getting better every day. If you are having trouble opening different types of folders and files or the File Explorer itself, then this section is going to help you. For the File Explorer won’t open Windows 10 error, there are so many facts to consider. Follow the instructions as prescribed in the section below and open the File Explorer along with its folders and files.

Method 1: Change the Display Settings

Behind the occurrence of the error, there might be a lot of reasons that you can’t access any files and folders. However, if there are faulty display settings on the system, then there’s a probability of facing the issue on the system.

On Windows 10, the display settings can be accessed right from the Settings menu. You can check if the settings are not correct and if they do, then change them. If you are not certain about the steps to do so, then go through the following section.

  1. At first, open the Settings from the Start menu. To do that, press the Start button and select the Settings options from there.
  2. As the Settings menu appears on the screen, select the first one from the list of items which is called System.
  3. In the System menu, go to the Display panel from the left sidebar and set it to 100% as Windows recommends.

If it is set at 75%, then there might be some problems and you need to change it to 100%. Once you are done with all the steps as described in the above section, try to open the File Explorer again. If it opens, then it means that you have successfully solved the issue.

Method 2: Check for Third-Party Antivirus Applications

Sometimes, the error appears on the system because of the third-party application installed on the system. In such cases, you need to either disable the antivirus or uninstall it completely from the system. You need to solve the File Explorer won’t open issue simply by closing the antivirus program from the Task Manager or you can also disable it from the tray icon. Follow the steps in an orderly fashion and close the antivirus application.

  1. Right-click on the taskbar that appears on the bottom of the screen where you usually pinned all the items.
  2. From the list of options, select the Task Manager and click on it to open it.
  3. As the Task Manager opens, find the antivirus program under the Process tab. Right-click on the process and select the option called End Process from the queue window.

Now, you have completely closed the antivirus process on the system and can check the existence of the issue. Try to open the File Explorer from the computer or you can simply press the Start button and E to do so.

Method 3: Restart File Explorer in the Task Manager

Restarting File Explorer from the Task Manager would be so helpful to recover you from such an error right away. You can follow the previous solution to open the Task manager. Otherwise, you can simply press the Control, Shift, and Escape buttons altogether to do so. After that, follow the steps properly.

  1. From the list, you need to select the Windows Explorer and right-click on it.
  2. Afterward, select the End Task option and click on it and wait till the Explorer closes.
  3. Once you have closed the Explorer, go to the top of this menu and select File from there. After that, click on the “Run new task” option and proceed further.
  4. Type in explorer.exe in the appeared search box and then click on the Ok button or simply hit the Enter key.

This is how you should be able to restart the File Explorer on your Windows 10 computer. This is the moment where you can check the is the issue persists on the system or not.

Method 4: Create History Cache and Create New Path

According to many users, the error appeared due to the history cache of the File Explorer. After deleting the history cache, they were able to eliminate the error and successfully work with it. To delete the history cache, you can stick to the steps as described in the following solution.

  1. At the very beginning, you have to right-click on the File Explorer icon from the taskbar if you have pinned it on the screen. It usually appears on the bottom left corner of the screen after the Start icon.
  2. After that, press the Windows and X key all together to directly open the Explorer.
  3. As the Explorer opens, navigate to the Quick Access section which appears at the left sidebar of the screen. Then, right-click on it and select Options from the queue window.
  4. From the appeared dialog box, you need to click on the Clear option from the General tab. You can locate it right under the Privacy section at the right bottom corner of the dialog box.

These steps will help you delete the File Explorer history cache and to create a new path, walk through the following steps.

  1. Go to the Desktop and right-click on the blank spot to create a Shortcut. After that, select the New option from the list and then Shortcut.
  2. In the newly appeared dialog box, type the following address. Then, simply click on the Next option from the right-bottom corner of the box.

    C:\Windows\explorer.exe
  3. The system will ask you to rename the file and rename it as File Explorer. Then, click on the Finish button to complete the operation.
  4. Now, you need to right-click on the shortcut and choose the “Pin to taskbar” option from the list.

Finally, with the help of these four above-mentioned steps, you will be able to fix the File Explorer won’t open Windows 10 issue. If you are still stuck with it, then follow the next solution.

Method 5: Disable Windows Search

This is one of the solutions that can help you rid that annoying issue you have been facing for a while now. The steps to do that is quite simpler than you think. To complete the process, go through the section as stated underneath.

  1. Press the Start button and search for cmd.exe from the appeared search box. Once you find Command Prompt on the search results, select and right-click on it. Then, choose Run as Administrator from the queue window that appeared and proceed further.
  2. If the UAC prompts for some kind of permission, then allow it by clicking on the Yes button.
  3. Since the Command Prompt opens up with the Administrative Privileges, type in the following line of commands on it and then press the Enter key.

    net.exe stop “Windows search”

The steps will help you temporarily disable the Windows Search function and allow you to check the error. To disable the Windows Search functions permanently, you can follow the next given steps.

  1. Open the Run window by pressing the Windows and R key from the keyboard and open the services. To open the services, type in the Services.msc in the search box.
  2. From the list of services, locate the Windows Search service and then double-click on it to get to its Properties.
  3. This is where you have to change the Startup type from Automatic to the Disabled one. Finally, click on the Ok button to save all the tasks you have performed on it.

This is how you can permanently disable the Windows Search on the system. After you do this, the issue shouldn’t stay on the system any longer. You can again enable the Windows Search option from the same section.

Concluding Words

Well, this is it when we have arrived at the end of our discussion on how to fix File Explorer won’t open on your Windows 10 computer. Following this article, you have become aware of several facts about this specific issue. If you have followed each of the solutions properly, then you should not face the error anymore. Hope the article was able to guide you through all the required solutions to resolve the issue.

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