How to Solve Explorer.exe Constantly Restarting in Windows
We’ve all been there – one minute your Windows PC is running smoothly, the next you notice your system is sluggish and unresponsive. Upon investigation, you find that the Windows Explorer process explorer.exe keeps restarting unexpectedly. This constant crashing and restarting renders your system nearly unusable. In this article, we’ll walk through the various causes of explorer.exe restarting endlessly and provide potential solutions to get your PC working properly again.
What Causes Explorer.exe to Keep Restarting?
There are several potential culprits behind explorer.exe repeatedly crashing on your Windows machine:
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Corrupted system files critical for the stability of Windows Explorer and other processes. System file errors can occur after a buggy Windows Update or other software installation.
How to check if system files are corrupted in Windows 10?
System File checker (SFC) scan is done to check if there are any corrupted system files that could be causing this issue. Kindly follow the below given steps: Press Windows key + X, select Command prompt (Admin) to bring up elevated Command prompt. In Command prompt type sfc /scannow and press enter. Restart the computer.
How do I fix a File Explorer error?
Follow the steps below to fix the issue: Go to File Explorer, click on the three dots on top, then select “Options.” Uncheck “Show recently used files” and “Show frequently used folders in the Quick access” boxes. Tip: go in-depth with SFC by checking out this tutorial dedicated to this often-used command line utility. 6.
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Corrupted registry entries related to Explorer can also cause stability issues leading to crashing. The registry stores system settings and configuration information that Explorer relies on.
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Outdated, incompatible, or corrupt drivers, especially your graphics/video driver. Explorer depends on video drivers to render the Windows UI and graphics.
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Faulty or conflict-causing third party software may also negatively impact Explorer stability. Antivirus software and shell extensions are common offenders.
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Virus infections can modify system settings or corrupt critical operating system files.
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Using an outdated version of Windows that has not received fixes for known Explorer bugs.
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Permissions issues preventing access to necessary Explorer resources and dependencies.
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Other minor Windows bugs or glitches triggering the crash.
Why can’t I open a exe file Windows 10?
As per these users, clicking on the application file does nothing or displays the “Can’t open .exe file” error notification. All indications are that this issue is happening on the latest version of Windows 10, so it’s unlikely to be linked to using an old operating system.
Why is Windows 10 File Explorer not responding?
There are two signs indicating the Windows 10 File Explorer not responding issue: Note: Please be careful enough when trying to fix the Windows Explorer not responding issue. Otherwise, files may get lost from your Windows computer. Restart File Explorer in Task Manager. Restart explorer.exe via Command Prompt. Clear File Explorer history.
Fixing Explorer.exe Restart Loop
If you’re encountering constant restarts of explorer.exe, try these troubleshooting steps to stop the crashing:
Check Event Viewer
Event Viewer provides detailed error logs that can hint at the cause of Explorer crashing. To open it, press Windows Key + R, type "eventvwr" and press Enter. Navigate to Windows Logs > Application. Look for Explorer errors immediately preceding the restart issues. Apply any suggested fixes.
Update Graphics Drivers
Outdated video drivers often cause Explorer stability problems. Open Device Manager, expand Display Adapters, right-click your graphics card, and select Update Driver. Search automatically for updated drivers from the vendor. Reboot after installing the new driver.
Run SFC and DISM
These built-in utilities scan for corrupted files and system integrity issues. Open an elevated Command Prompt and run:
sfc /scannow
This will scan and replace corrupted system files. Follow up with:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
To repair the Windows image. Reboot after completing.
How to fix file explorer won’t open in Windows 10?
Click on the Clear button at the bottom right of the General tab. Click on the OK button. Wait a few seconds before you try to open File Explorer again. Method 4: restore/update Windows 10.
Why is File Explorer not working?
In some cases, missing system files are the reason for File Explorer’s common issues. To fix this kind of problem, Windows is equipped with several essential system utilities. Chkdsk, SFC, and DISM scans are Windows’s most effective repair tools and and should be executed in that order.
How to restart Windows Explorer?
Choose Task Manager from the context menu. The Process tab will be checked by default. Now, select Windows Explorer under Apps. Click on the Restart button in the lower right corner. Wait a few seconds for Windows Explorer to restart. Method 2: restart explorer.exe via Command Prompt. Click on the Cortana icon on the taskbar.
Registry Edits
Carefully edit the registry to remove faulty Explorer entries. Press Windows Key + R and type “regedit”. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ and rename/delete suspect keys related to Explorer.
Clean Boot
Boot up in selective startup mode disabling non-Microsoft services and startup programs. This isolates potential software conflicts. Access this via msconfig.exe System Configuration.
Antivirus Scan
Run a full antivirus scan to check for malware, viruses, spyware, and other infections affecting Explorer. Remove any detected threats. Restart upon completion.
Windows Update
Install the latest Windows Updates, Service Packs, and Cumulative Updates. Updates frequently contain Explorer fixes and improvements.
System Restore
If the issue started after a recent change or software installation, revert back using System Restore to undo system changes. Choose a restore point prior to the restart loop beginning.
Windows Repair Install
As a last resort, you can perform an in-place Windows 10 repair install via the Media Creation Tool. This will replace corrupted operating system files while retaining your data and apps.
How do I fix windows 11 explorer not responding?
Another way to fix Windows 11 Explorer not responding or crashing is changing the File Explorer options. Search for control panel from Start. Type file explorer options into the top right search box. Click File Explorer Options. Select This PC from the drop-down menu of Open File Explorer to. Click Apply and OK.
How do I fix Windows Explorer not working?
1. Locate Windows Explorer and right-click on it > select Restart. 2. If that doesn’t work, click “End task”. 3. On Task Manager, click File > Run new task 4. Type in “explorer.exe” and click OK. You can also start the PC in a clean boot state to check if there are other background apps which might be causing the issue: 1.
How do I fix explorer Exe error in Windows 10?
(tip: this is to rule out damaged system files that cause explorer.exe error.) Press and hold down Win key and R key at once to scan files with command “sfc/scannow”. If damage is found in explorer file, please copy the file from a healthy computer.
We hope these troubleshooting steps help stop explorer.exe from constantly crashing and restarting. Let us know in the comments if you found an effective solution for restoring Explorer stability on your Windows system. There are always new tweaks and techniques emerging from the expert Windows user community.
References
- https://www.minitool.com/data-recovery/windows-explorer-needs-restarted.html
- https://www.thewindowsclub.com/file-explorer-keeps-restarting-in-windows
How to fix Windows Explorer needs to be restarted error?
Run the System File Checker (SFC) If you’re getting Windows Explorer needs to be restarted error on your PC, you might be able to fix it by performing an SFC scan. To do that, follow these steps: Open the Command Prompt with administrator privilege. To do this, press the Win key + X shortcut key and select Command Prompt (Admin).
