Forum Discussion
File Explorer randomly freezes and restarts on Windows 10
File Explorer keeps freezing and restarting out of nowhere on my Windows 10 PC. It usually happens when I open certain folders, but sometimes it just crashes while sitting idle. No error message—the window just disappears and the taskbar flickers for a second.
I've tried clearing the thumbnail cache, running sfc /scannow, and restarting Explorer manually. Still happens. It's a clean install with no unusual software running.
Anyone else seen this or know what might be causing it?
4 Replies
Open File Explorer, click View > Options. On the General tab, click Clear next to "Clear File Explorer history".
Context menu handlers from installed software can inject into Explorer and cause crashes when certain folders are accessed.
The thumbnail cache isn't the only one that can get corrupted. File Explorer also keeps a history of your recent files and folder navigation, and if that database is broken, it can crash the whole process .
Hello, same has been happening to my device's explorer (Win 10). Just started a day or two ago and still happens on and off.
