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Stonehu's avatar
Stonehu
Iron Contributor
Jul 10, 2026

When I press F2 to rename a file in File Explorer, the dialog box flashes briefly.

When I select a file in File Explorer and press the F2 key to enter rename mode, the rename text box flashes briefly and then automatically closes, preventing me from entering a new filename. I have to press F2 repeatedly to successfully enter rename mode, and I can only rename the file normally by selecting “Rename” from the right-click menu.

 

Application Management
licensing

1 Reply

  • Jamony's avatar
    Jamony
    MCT
    Jul 10, 2026

    Hi — that usually means Explorer is losing focus immediately after F2 is pressed. Since right-click > Rename works, the file and permissions are probably fine.

    Start by testing the F2 key in another app and disconnecting any extra keyboard or macro device. Then restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager. If the problem returns, try a clean boot or temporarily disable third-party Explorer shell extensions—cloud-sync tools, archive utilities, and context-menu add-ons are common focus stealers. It is also worth testing a different Windows user profile; if F2 works there, the issue is profile-specific rather than system-wide.

    Finally run `DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth` and then `sfc /scannow` from an elevated Terminal. If you share your Windows build from `winver` and whether this happens in every folder, we can narrow it down further.