How to fix
File Explorer keeps crashing
on Windows

Hi, I am dealing with super annoying issue with File Explorer. Every time I attempt to copy/drag a file to another folder, or even access a directory, File Explorer stops responding, crashes, and restarts. This repeats constantly, and this makes my computer usage experience a complete nightmare. Please advise - I would appreciate.

In the Windows operating system, the File Explorer is the default application used for browsing and managing files and directories on the computer. It is typically referred to as "Windows Explorer" or "File Explorer" and can be accessed by clicking on the folder icon in the taskbar or by pressing the Windows key and "E" on the keyboard.

File Explorer in Windows provides a number of features and tools for managing and organizing files and directories. For example, it allows the user to view and navigate through the file system using a tree-like structure, create new folders and files, copy, move, and delete files and directories, and access various options and settings through the menu bar and context menu. Overall, File Explorer in Windows is a powerful and user-friendly application that allows users to easily manage and organize their files and directories on the computer.

Despite these benefits, this Windows component can sometimes cause issues to users - it was previously observed causing high resource usage, taking too long to open directories, and similar. This time, we will be delving into File Explorer crashing for users on Windows operating systems.

According to many user reports on various forums, they claimed that the app starts crashing as soon as an interaction with it is initiated, e.g., when copying files, accessing folders or sometimes even just having one of the windows open. If you are suffering from this problem, you shouldn't worry, as we prepared several solutions that should help you with File Explorer crashes.

We recommend running an automatic PC repair tool [d1] before following manual steps below, as it may solve your issue quickly and easily. Besides, the app works great when dealing with typical Windows issues such as BSODs, system crashes, DLL errors, registry corruption, and similar.

Fix 1. Start with SFC and DISM

First, make sure that your system files aren't corrupted with SFC. DISM can check your Windows image files.

• Type cmd in Windows search
• Right-click on Command Prompt result and select Run as administrator
• Paste the following command into the new window:
  sfc /scannow
• Press Enter and wait till the scan is finished
• Once done, run this set of commands, pressing Enter after each:
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
• Restart your PC.

Note: if you receive an error when using Restorehealth command, use the following command instead:

Repair-WindowsImage -Online -RestoreHealth

Fix 2. Change File Explorer options and clear history

• In Windows search, type in File Explorer Options and press Enter
• In the General tab, locate Open File Explorer to: section at the top
• Click on the drop-down menu and select This PC
• In the Privacy section, click Clear to clear File Explorer history
• Click Apply and OK.

Fix 3. Change display settings

In some cases, Windows Explorer crashing may be caused by incorrect display settings. In this case, we recommend setting them to default:

• Right-click on Start and pick System
• Select Display section on the left side of the window
• Find Scale and layout section
• Under Change the size of text, apps, and other items, make sure the option is set to 100% (Recommended).

Fix 4. Restart File Explorer

If you haven't done so yet, you should restart File Explorer via the Task Manager:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
• Click More details if required to expand the list of processes
• Find Windows Explorer entry
• Right-click and select Restart.

Fix 5. Try Clean Boot

Running clean boot will allow you to see whether conflicting or buggy apps are causing issues with File Explorer.

• Press Win + R, type msconfig, and hit Enter
• Go to the Services tab and tick the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox
• Select Disable all
• Go to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager
• Here, right-click on each of the non-Windows entries and select Disable
• Close down the Task Manager
• Go to the Boot tab and tick the Safe boot option
• Restart your computer.

If the problem does not occur when in Clean Boot environment, you need to locate and remove the faulty app that's causing it. To identify the startup application or service that is causing the File Explorer crashes, boot into a clean environment and systematically turn items on/off until you locate the source of trouble. Though this method may be slow if done one at a time, you can reduce diagnostic time by marking half of them, and then repeating the process until you find the culprit.

Fix 6. Reset Windows

Sometimes, Windows system itself could be bugged. If none of the methods above helped you, we recommend you reset Windows. You won't lose your personal files, although we do recommend making backups just in case.

• Right-click on Start and pick Settings
• Go to Update & Security and pick Recovery
• Find Reset this PC section and click Get Started
• Select Keep my files > Cloud download
• Proceed with the on-screen instructions (your PC may restart several times).