Fix: Windows Explorer Has Stopped Working

Windows Explorer Not Working Anymore Fix: The main cause of Windows Explorer failure is Windows file corruption, which can be caused by several reasons, such as infection of malware, corrupt registry files or incompatible drivers, etc. But this error is very frustrating because many programs that work with Windows Explorer do not work.

You may receive the following error message while working in Windows: Windows Explorer is no longer working. Windows has restarted. Windows Explorer is a file management application that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for accessing files on your system (hard drive).

With Windows Explorer you can easily navigate your hard drive and check the contents of folders and subfolders. Windows Explorer starts automatically when you log in to Windows. It is used to copy, move, delete, rename or search for files and folders. So, when you use Windows, It can be very annoying if Windows Explorer keeps crashing.

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What is Windows Explorer?

Windows Explorer is a file manager first introduced in Windows 95 and also used in later versions such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.

It allows users to manage folders, files, network connections, and search for desired files. As Windows has evolved, Windows Explorer has become more powerful and supports new features such as video and audio playback.

However, Windows Explorer is also a system application. It can also crash. Imagine that every time you try to run Windows Explorer/File Manager, you get the error message “Windows Explorer is not working” or “File Manager is not responding”, which prevents us from accessing data stored on the hard drive or even opening anything.

Symptoms of Windows Explorer not working

When the error occurs, a warning message is displayed. It says, “Windows Explorer is no longer working.” There are other error messages you may receive in connection with this error.

1. Windows may search the Internet for a solution to the problem and try to restart the program.
2. Windows is looking for a solution to the problem.
3. Windows may attempt to restart the program.
4. Windows gathers more information about the problem. This may take several minutes.

Possible causes of Windows Explorer not working

Since this error is universal, the causes can be numerous and specific. Below is a list of some of the most common causes experienced by Windows users.

1. Using outdated or corrupted system files.
2. Drivers with faulty display.
3. Virus or malware infection of the system.
4. Damaged RAM.
5. Incompatible drivers causing a conflict with Windows.

Now that we know why this error occurs, here are Ten definitive solutions to help you get rid of itIn order to make each solution clearer for users, we have divided them into two parts: Basic Solutions and Advanced Solutions, users can try them in order.

Fix: Windows Explorer Has Stopped Working

Solution 1: Restart the Windows Explorer process.

• Press Ctrl+Alt+Del and Choose Task Manager.
• Locate Windows Explorer/Explorer.exe in the window and right-click it. Select Stop Task.
• Next, go to File > Run New Task, type explorer.exe and click OK.
• Now restart windows explorer and check if the error still occurs.

Solution 2: Copy explorer.exe to the System32 folder.

• Press Win + E To open File Explorer, type C:/Windows in the address bar and locate Explorer.exe in that folder, right-click on that application and select Copy.
• Now open C:/Windows/System32 and paste this Explorer.exe in the system32 folder.
• If the line of commands It tells you that you need administrator rights to copy this folder, just click OK and see if that fixes the error.

Solution 3: Perform a clean boot.

• Press Win + Q and enter System Configuration.
• Go to General and uncheck Load items from Boot in Selective Start.
• Now go to the Services tab, Select Hide all Microsoft services and click Disable All.
• Restart your computer and see if the problem persists or not.

Solution 4: Disable thumbnails

If Windows Explorer sometimes stops working due to corruption while opening image files, which can be a problem with thumbnails, we can try disabling thumbnails to fix the error.

• Press Win + E to launch File Explorer.
• In the menu bar, Click the View tab > Preferences, and then change the Folder and Search options.
• In Folder Options, select the View tab and check the box “Always show icons, never show thumbnails”.
• Restart your computer and check if the error still occurs.

Solution 5: Run the memory diagnostic in Windows.

• Press Win + Q and write Windows Memory Diagnostics.
• From the options that appear, select Restart now and Check for problems.
• Windows will reboot to check for RAM errors and hopefully display possible causes of the error. "Windows Explorer stops working."
• Restart your computer and check.

Solution 6: Update your video card drivers.

Faulty, corrupted, or outdated video card drivers can cause Windows Explorer to stop working. You can try updating your video card driver to fix the error by following these steps:

• Search for Devic Manager in the Windows search bar and launch it.
• Locate your video card under Display Adapters, right-click and select Update driver.
• Select Search automatically for updated drivers and proceeds to complete the update.

If this step did not help you find the latest driver for your video card, you can try visiting the manufacturer's official website, downloading and installing the driver to see if the "Windows Explorer is not responding" error still appears.

Hopefully the basic solutions above will help you finally resolve the error, and if the problem occurs again, you can rest easy, There are always advanced solutions you can follow.

Advanced Solutions to Fix “Windows Explorer Has Stopped Working” Error

Before moving on to the next step, remember that these solutions may result in the loss of important data. Consider these solutions very carefully and if you don't know how to proceed, ask your technical friends for help and make sure your important data is stored in a safe place.

If sometimes it happens that an error of Windows Explorer has stopped working resulting in lost or inaccessible data, then first we need to run a third-party data recovery tool, Bitwar Data Recovery Software, to recover the data. Then we can try to recover the error later.

Bitwar Data Recovery is capable of recovering deleted, formatted or lost data from internal and external hard drives, hard drives, USB, SD cards, etc. The program offers a simple interface that can be used by any user to retrieve the desired data without any special knowledge. It also details the steps to follow:

• Download Bitwarsoft Data Recovery from Bitwarsoft official website and then install it on your computer.
• After installation, run Bitwar Data Recovery and select the drive where the lost files were located.
• Select the recovery mode. For the first time, it is recommended to select the Quick Scan mode as this mode scans the entire disk within a few minutes. However, if you cannot find data in this mode, Please try using Deep Scan mode next time.
• Select the file types and click Scan.
• Double-click the desired files to preview them, then Click Recover to keep files in a safe place.

Note: Please do not save the recovered files to the original location to avoid overwriting and irrecoverable data loss.

After successfully recovering the desired data to a safe location, we can perform advanced solutions to fix the problem:

Solution 7: Run System File Checker (SFC).

This method consists of scanning the computer with System File Checker and search for missing or corrupted files. To do this, follow these steps:

• Press Win + Q and writes cmd.
• Right click on the program and Select Run as administrator.
• You may see a user account check and it will ask for permission. Click Yes.
• On symbol of the system, type sfc /scannow and press Enter. Then wait for the program to scan and restore the corrupt files found.

Solution 8: Run a system error checker.

The Windows Explorer not working problem may be caused by a logical error, running a system error checker can help you fix this error. It's very simple, just follow the steps below:

• Right-click the partition where the error occurred and select Properties.
• Click the Tools tab and click Check in the Error Checking section.
• Once the analysis is complete, restart windows explorer and check if the error still appears.

Solution 9: Run antivirus software on your computer.

Sometimes Windows Explorer may stop working due to a virus attack or Trojan infection. In this case, we can run antivirus software to perform a full scan of your computer and remove viruses and malware.

Solution 10: Restore the previous version

This is the last solution if none of the above can fix the error found and if we have system restore enabled, we can use this application to restore the last restore point.

However, please note that this solution may result in the loss of current data, so it is recommended to backup important data using a built-in application or third-party data recovery software – Bitwar Data Recovery. Then, follow the steps below:

• Search for Recovery in the Windows search bar and Click Open.
• Select Open System Restore > Next > Show other recovery points, select the desired points to continue.
• Restart your computer after the recovery is complete.

Conclusion

It can be really annoying that Windows Explorer stops working when we try to run Windows/Explorer, some users also report that even in safe mode This error prevents us from using the computer and can also lead to data loss, as a result of the latest guide you can find out why this error occurs and how to fix it without much effort.

It is highly recommended to start with the basic solutions if the error has not caused data loss, otherwise, Try a third-party data recovery tool – Bitwar Data as one to recover deleted, formatted or inaccessible documents, images, photos, videos, audio files or files from the disk and save them in a safe place and then proceed with the recovery using advanced solutions.

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