Forum Discussion
Right-click on file hangs Explorer
I just got a new PC with Windows 10 and MS Office. When I open File Explorer and navigate to a folder that contains a docx file, when I right-click on the file, Explorer hangs. (There is no pop-up for Properties or anything and I get a spinning round cursor.) Then I close the Explorer window. When I look at the event log, I see two messages: A warning about Hello for Business, then an error about closing Explorer.
If I open Word from the start menu and then open the file from Word, it opens ok.
The file association for docx is Word. But as I said, all I do is right-click and it hangs.
I tried disabling the Hello thing and that did not fix the probelm (although I got a different error).
I log in locally (without connecting to Microsoft account). This is not a business computer.
Here is the error:
Windows Hello for Business provisioning will not be launched.
Device is AAD joined ( AADJ or DJ++ ): Not Tested
User has logged on with AAD credentials: No
Windows Hello for Business policy is enabled: Not Tested
Windows Hello for Business post-logon provisioning is enabled: Not Tested
Local computer meets Windows hello for business hardware requirements: Not Tested
User is not connected to the machine via Remote Desktop: Yes
User certificate for on premise auth policy is enabled: Not Tested
Machine is governed by none policy.
See https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=832647 for more details.
Finally this is what worked: I reinstalled Microsoft Office and restarted the PC. Everything seems fine now. (The original installation had been done by Dell when I purchased the computer.)
p.s. -- I googled around and tried the following, which did not help or point to where the problem is:
SFC... (no issues)
DISM... (no issues)
Shellexview (disable, restart explorer, still had problem, re-enable) for each context menu, explorer bar, icon overlay handler, and property sheet -- still had the problem
p.p.s. -- The problem occurs with docx files but not with doc files or any other extension I've tried (although I haven't tried every single one)..
I have exactly the same problem - with the same message - also on a new Dell laptop. But I'm using Office 2010 which I installed, not the free version - for a month - of Office 365 which is still there. Maybe I should uninstall it?
Finally this is what worked: I reinstalled Microsoft Office and restarted the PC. Everything seems fine now. (The original installation had been done by Dell when I purchased the computer.)
Karen CushingWhat worked for me is turning OFF the File Explorer "Details pane". Either by turning on the preview pane or turning them both off.
So I am not surprised that re-installing Office apps would also fix it. It would fix this integration of Office 2019 with the Windows 10 File Explorer details pane.
The thread where I found this: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/file-explorer-crashes-when-i-open-ms-office-document.3516614/post-22109467
quoted here:
For me File Explorer Hung forcing me to click X then close application.
Other file extensions worked perfectly: .wmv, .jpg, .txt, .rtf, .pdf, even .doc, .xls, .ppt.
Only ones that caused explorer to hang were: .docx, .xlsx, .pptx.
Clicking on them, right clicking on them, or double clicking (to open) them.
And only with Windows 10 File Explorer details pane turned on.
Windows version 1909 with current updates as of 12/13/2020.
Office 365 subscription with Office 2019 updated as of 12/13/2020.
Also discussed here: file explorer preview pane crashing
and here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/...ighlight/false
And these folks suggest repair install of MS Office: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...e-8642038f3c71
Repair install also suggested here: https://www.dell.com/community/XPS/X...s/td-p/6054441
I'm having an issue similar to, but MUCH more destructive than, the one described in the first comment by Ms. Cushing: the Explorer Shell continuously crashes and restarts every few seconds to minutes, and every single Explorer crash in the Administrative Events log is followed one or two seconds later by a Warning regarding Windows Hello for Business akin to what she described:
Windows Hello for Business provisioning will not be launched.
Device is AAD joined ( AADJ or DJ++ ): Not Tested
User has logged on with AAD credentials: No
Windows Hello for Business policy is enabled: Not Tested
Windows Hello for Business post-logon provisioning is enabled: Not Tested
Local computer meets Windows hello for business hardware requirements: Not Tested
User is not connected to the machine via Remote Desktop: Yes
User certificate for on premise auth policy is enabled: Not Tested
Machine is governed by none policy.Even if the system is idle, the Shell will crash spontaneously after no more than three minutes, but I can easily elicit crashes by for instance RIGHT-CLICKING on the Desktop... sound familiar? The only way I have managed to keep the system at all usable is by terminating the Shell entirely and/or using an alternative shell (e.g. Cairo). This is occurring in a system with Windows 10 *HOME* and Office 2010 installed.
- I identified the specific cause of my problem: an installation of Free Launch Bar. I had been using it for years without interruption or issue until now, so something ELSE changed, whether it was a Windows update or other software that began misbehaving. Oddly, the "freemium" version, True Launch Bar, didn't cause the same shell behavior even when only installed in trial mode. I reported the issue with Free Launch Bar to the author, and he showed no interest in pursuing a solution, so I have abandoned both.
I eventually solved it in the same way as the original poser of the question. I deinstalled Office 365, or at least the idividual programmes - Word, Powerpoint, Excel - and the problem went away. The trial period had ended but that didn't stop the problem. I now just have Office 2010 and it's all fine.
