Forum Discussion
File Explorer is broken after July 2026 Update
Dear Jamony, thank you so much.
I checked the event logs, and I realized the error is related to "widget.exe". I tried to disable widgets by group-policy which didn't help.
Today I got another update and applied that, but hopefully error log changed to notepad++ context dll.
I just disabled notepad++ context integration and now the bug is no more producible.
Thanks.
You’re seeing Explorer freeze and restart when selecting images, right-clicking files, or opening ZIPs, and disabling Preview made no difference. Microsoft’s current Windows 11 release-health pages do not list this pattern, so the July update’s timing is a clue, not proof. Those actions may also invoke third-party Explorer integrations.
First reproduce once, then inspect Reliability Monitor (perfmon /rel) and Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application for the explorer.exe failure and faulting module. Test Safe Mode; if stable, perform a clean boot. Use Microsoft Sysinternals Autoruns’ Explorer tab, hide Microsoft entries, and temporarily disable third-party extensions, re-enabling them in halves. Then run elevated DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth, followed by sfc /scannow.
Record the exact KB/build. Only after backup and those tests, temporarily uninstall that quality update; some updates cannot be removed and removal reduces security. Submit Feedback Hub feedback with “Recreate my problem” diagnostics and the KB/build.
Dear Jamony, thank you so much.
I checked the event logs, and I realized the error is related to "widget.exe". I tried to disable widgets by group-policy which didn't help.
Today I got another update and applied that, but hopefully error log changed to notepad++ context dll.
I just disabled notepad++ context integration and now the bug is no more producible.
Thanks.