Windows 11 Taskbar & Explorer Crash When Pressing Windows Key (Auto-hide enabled)

Question

Hello Microsoft Support Team,

I am experiencing a persistent and reproducible issue with the Windows taskbar and Explorer on Windows 11.

Problem description:

• Taskbar is set to Auto-hide enabled

When I press the Windows key repeatedly or quickly, the screen briefly turns gray

The taskbar disappears, then Explorer.exe crashes and restarts

After a few seconds, Explorer reloads and the taskbar returns

During the crash, Task Manager shows Windows Explorer restarting

When auto-hide is disabled, the issue does not occur

Important details:

No third-party shell tools are installed (No ExplorerPatcher, StartAllBack, OpenShell, RoundedTB, TranslucentTB, etc.)

This issue started after system tweaks/optimizations

System is stable otherwise

Issue is 100% reproducible only when auto-hide is ON

What I already tried:

Restarting Explorer manually

Resetting StartMenuExperienceHost and ShellExperienceHost

Clearing Explorer cache

Checking Windows services

SFC / DISM scans

Power plans reset

Registry resets related to taskbar and shell

Expected behavior: Pressing the Windows key should not cause Explorer or the taskbar to crash, regardless of taskbar auto-hide state.

This appears to be a ShellExperienceHost / Explorer auto-hide bug triggered by rapid Windows key input.

I would appreciate investigation or guidance on restoring default shell behavior without disabling auto-hide.

Thank you.Hello Microsoft Support Team,

I am experiencing a persistent and reproducible issue with the Windows taskbar and Explorer on Windows 11.

Problem description:

Taskbar is set to Auto-hide enabled

When I press the Windows key repeatedly or quickly, the screen briefly turns gray

The taskbar disappears, then Explorer.exe crashes and restarts

After a few seconds, Explorer reloads and the taskbar returns

During the crash, Task Manager shows Windows Explorer restarting

When auto-hide is disabled, the issue does not occur

Important details:

No third-party shell tools are installed
(No ExplorerPatcher, StartAllBack, OpenShell, RoundedTB, TranslucentTB, etc.)

This issue started after system tweaks/optimizations

System is stable otherwise

Issue is 100% reproducible only when auto-hide is ON

What I already tried:

Restarting Explorer manually

Resetting StartMenuExperienceHost and ShellExperienceHost

Clearing Explorer cache

Checking Windows services

SFC / DISM scans

Power plans reset

Registry resets related to taskbar and shell

Expected behavior:
Pressing the Windows key should not cause Explorer or the taskbar to crash, regardless of taskbar auto-hide state.

This appears to be a ShellExperienceHost / Explorer auto-hide bug triggered by rapid Windows key input.

I would appreciate investigation or guidance on restoring default shell behavior without disabling auto-hide.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Note: You’re posting on a Turkish forum, but your content is in English. I’ll reply in English, and the translation provided was generated automatically, so it may not fully reflect the original meaning.

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Hi @efe karadayı, 

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thank you for the detailed report regarding the Explorer crashes when using the Windows key with Auto-hide enabled. Since this behavior started after system optimizations, it is likely that a specific registry modification or shell animation setting is conflicting with the Shell Experience Host. 

To isolate the root cause, please perform the following two diagnostic phases and kindly report the results. 

Phase 1: Identify the faulting module 

Identifying the specific file causing the crash will help determine if the issue is a core system component or a driver conflict. 

1. Reproduce the crash as you described. 
2. Open Event Viewer and navigate to Windows Logs, then select Application. 
3. Locate the Error entry for Application Error that matches the time of the crash. 
4. Note the Faulting application name and the Faulting module name listed in the General tab. 

Phase 2: Test with a new user profile 

This determines if the optimization was applied to the current user registry hive or the entire system. 

1. Create a new local Administrator account via Settings, then Accounts, then Other Users. 
2. Log into the new account and enable the Auto-hide taskbar setting. 
3. Test if the Windows key still triggers a crash in this clean environment. 

Please provide the Faulting module name from Phase 1 and confirm if the crash persists in the new profile. This information will allow me to pinpoint the exact setting that needs to be reverted to restore stability. 

I look forward to your update.