Forum Discussion
When you press Win + E to open File Explorer, the window automatically opens in full-screen mode.
After installing a system update, every time I press Win + E to open File Explorer, the window opens in full-screen mode instead of the previously set window size. I tried manually resizing the wind...
First, check whether File Explorer is actually in full-screen mode or only maximized:
- If the address bar and taskbar are hidden, press F11 to exit full-screen mode.
- If the taskbar is still visible, the window is maximized. Press Win + Down Arrow or click the Restore Down button next to the close button.
Then close every other File Explorer window. Resize the remaining window, hold Ctrl, and click its X button to close it. Open File Explorer again and check whether the size is remembered.
If it still opens maximized:
- Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
- Right-click Windows Explorer and select Restart.
- Temporarily disable PowerToys FancyZones or any third-party window-management tool.
- Sign out of Windows and sign back in.
Windows 11 does not provide a separate setting for the size used by Win + E; Explorer normally remembers its previous window state. If it continues opening maximized after these checks, it is likely an Explorer issue introduced by the update rather than an intentional change.