Detailed Guide to fix “file explorer not responding” Windows 10

File Explorer, which is also known as Windows Explorer, is the program that allows you to view folders and files and is also responsible for displaying the desktop.

Sometimes, your Windows 10 File Explorer may encounter problems where it gets stuck in a “Not Responding” state. We will review 6 simple solutions that will help you get back to work as it should.

Method 1: You restart Windows Explorer to fix File Explorer not responding

Step 1. You need to press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.

Step 2. Right-click Windows Explorer in the Task Manager and then select End task.

Step 3. Now, click on the File in the upper left corner and then you need to select Run new task.

Step 4. Input explorer.exe in the box and then press the key Enter.

In this way, File Explorer will start very quickly and smoothly. And, congratulations your issue has now been resolved completely.

Method 2: You manually restart the Explorer.exe Process via Command Prompt to fix the file explorer not responding:

Step 1. Input cmd in the Windows 10 Cortana box and you need to click the best match to open the Command Prompt window.

Step 2. Now, input task kill/f /im explorer.exe in the Command Prompt window and then press Enter. This command will finish the explorer.exe process. You will see a blank screen behind the Command Prompt window.

Step 3. To start the explorer.exe process again, enter start explorer.exe in the windows and then press Enter.

After doing this desktop icon, Taskbar, and all of the other elements (of the desktop) will come back.

Method 3: You restore the defaults of the Explorer to fix the file Explorer not responding:

Step 1:  Open the Start (menu), then you need to type: file explorer options, then hit Enter (to search).
Step 2: Now, select the General tab.
Step3: It’s time to click Restore defaults 

And all done now. Your issue has been resolved successfully.

It could be an issue with your display driver.

Step 1: You need to uninstall your display driver and then restart.
Step 2: Now, press the Windows key + X.
Step 3: You must click Device Manager
Step 4: It’s time to expand Display adapters. Then, right-click the current display adapter.

Step 5: Now, click on Uninstall. Then Exit Device Manager.
Step 6: Restart your PC and everything will be fine.

Method 4: You run a system file checker scan to fix the file explorer not responding:

System File Checker is a built-in Windows utility for users to scan for damage to Windows system files and restore damaged files. If your Windows 10 file browser does not respond, it may be due to damaged files on your drive. Many users said they solved the problem of the file browser that was not responding by scanning the System File Checker. You can try to see if it works for you too.

Step 1. Enter cmd into the Windows 10 Cortana search box to find the best match, right-click it, and choose Run as Administrator.

Step 2. Now, input sfc /scannow and press Enter.

Step 3. After the scan, you need to restart the computer and check whether the issue has been resolved or not.

Method 5: You clear file explorer history to fix file explorer not responding:

80% of Windows users who have a Windows browser that does not respond to the problem said that this method worked for them. Therefore, if you have tried all the previous solutions and have not found any of them useful, you can try this one.

Step 1. Input Control in the Windows 10 Cortana search box. Then click on Control Panel from the Best Match result.

Step 2. You must select File Explorer Options from the interface and then click on it.

Step 3. Now click on Clear and then OK to clear File Explorer history.

Afterwards, try opening the file explorer again.