file explorer wont open

Question

if i try to open file explorer it will act like it is opening but then close. what i mean but that is it will open but it will frozen the close.

things that i have tried

Windows key + R”, type “explorer.exe /n”,

resetting windows explorer

sfc /scannow

Answer 1

If those commands did not resolve the problem, click your Start Button, then just type rstrui and press Enter.

That will open the System Restore utility, do you have a system restore point you can revert your system back to dated before the problem with Explorer started.

If not or if that does not resolve the problem, click your Start Button, then just type winver and press Enter, please provide a screenshot of the resulting dialog box.

Answer 2

Try the following steps in order, since basic fixes already attempted (restart of Explorer and SFC) did not help.

1. Check for and install Windows updates
   • Windows 11: Select Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
   • Windows 10: Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.
     Install all updates and restart the PC.
2. Restart the PC fully
   Even if no updates required a restart, do a full restart (not just sign out) to ensure pending changes are applied.
3. Optimize performance and virtual memory (Windows 10)
   If using Windows 10, adjust system performance settings which can affect File Explorer stability:
   1. On the taskbar, type control panel and open Control Panel.
   2. Go to System and Security > System > Advanced system settings.
   3. On the Advanced tab, under Performance, select Settings > Advanced.
   4. Ensure Adjust for best performance of is set to Programs.
   5. Under Virtual memory, select Change and make sure Automatically manage paging file sizes for all drives is selected.
   6. Select OK, then Apply, and restart the PC.
4. Run Disk Cleanup
   Freeing space and cleaning temporary files can help if Explorer is crashing due to low resources:
   1. On the taskbar, type disk cleanup and open Disk Cleanup.
   2. Select the system drive (usually C:) and click OK.
   3. Check the boxes for the file types to remove (ensure nothing important is in the Recycle Bin).
   4. Select OK to clean.
5. Run the System Maintenance troubleshooter (Windows 10)
   1. Open Control Panel.
   2. Set View by to Large icons or Small icons.
   3. Select Troubleshooting > View all > System Maintenance.
   4. Select Next > Try troubleshooting as an administrator and review/fix any issues found.
6. Run Automatic Repair (Windows 10)
   If Explorer still opens then freezes and closes, run Automatic Repair to fix possible registry corruption:
   1. Select Start > Settings > Update & Security.
   2. Select Recovery, then under Advanced startup, select Restart now.
   3. On Choose an option, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
   4. Choose the user account, enter the password, and let Automatic Repair run (the PC may restart during this).
7. If problems persist
   • For Windows 11 or 10, if File Explorer still will not stay open after these steps, use Reset this PC as a last resort while keeping personal files:
     • Windows 11: Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC.
     • Windows 10: Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Reset this PC.
   • Choose Keep my files to preserve personal data while reinstalling Windows components.

For deeper system file issues beyond sfc /scannow, also review the guidance in Using System File Checker in Windows and rerun SFC as needed.

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References:

• Fix File Explorer if it won't open or start
• Error: Windows Explorer has stopped working