How to fix File Explorer crashes in Windows 10

by Madalina Dinita

Former Managing Editor

Last update:April 7, 2020

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3. Change your File Explorer Options

1. Press Windows Key + S and enter folder options.
2. Select File Explorer Options from the menu.
   
3. Navigate to View tab.
4. Check Launch folder windows in a separate process and click on Apply and OK to save changes.
   

If File Explorer crashes on your Windows 10 PC, you might be able to fix the problem simply by changing its settings. According to users, you can fix this problem simply by enabling a single setting.

After doing that, you’ll have another Windows Explorer process that will be related to your currently open directory. This is a simple solution, but users claim that it works, so be sure to try it out.

Did you know that File Explorer folders have separate process windows in Task Manager? Take a quick look on this article to find out more.

4. Change the text size

1. Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app.
2. Navigate to the System section.
   
3. Locate Scale and layout section and set the font size to 100%. You can also use 200% if you like.
   

According to users, File Explorer crashes sometimes if your font size isn’t correct. Windows allows you to adjust the font size in your apps, but sometimes certain values can cause issues with File Explorer.

After making the changes to the text size, the issue should be resolved and File Explorer will stop crashing.

If you’re having trouble opening the Setting app, take a look at this article to solve the issue.

5. Clean File Explorer history

1. Open File Explorer Options.
   • To see how to open this window, check Solution 3.
2. When File Explorer Options window opens, navigate to the Privacy section and click the Clear button.
   

Sometimes you can fix File Explorer crashes simply by clearing your File Explorer history. Windows keeps a list of recently modified directories, and sometimes this can cause various problems to occur.

After clicking the Clear button the file history will be removed and the problem should be fixed. This is a temporary solution, and if the issue reappears, you’ll need to clear your file history again.

If the File Explorer is slow on Windows 10, check out this guide to make it faster.

6. Don’t display recently used files and folders in Quick access section

1. Open File Explorer Options.
2. Locate Privacy section and disable Show recently used files in Quick access and Show frequently used folders in Quick access.
   • Now click on Apply and OK to save changes.
     

File Explorer has a Quick access section that allows you to quickly access recently opened files or folders. Due to certain issues, Quick access feature can cause File Explorer crashes to occur.

One temporary fix that you can try is to disable recent files and folders from appearing in Quick access section.  After doing that, recent files and frequently used folders won’t appear in Quick access section and the problem should be completely resolved.

Several users suggest that you should also clear your File Explorer history after performing this solution, so be sure to try that as well.

7. Install the latest updates

1. Open the Settings app and navigate to Update & security section.
   
2. Click on Check for updates button.
   

If File Explorer crashes on your PC, you might be able to fix the problem simply by installing the latest Windows updates. Problems with Windows Explorer can be serious, and the best way to fix them is to install the necessary updates.

Windows downloads the updates automatically in the background, but sometimes you might miss an important update.

Windows will now check for available updates. If updates are available, Windows will download them in the background and install them once your restart your PC.

After updating Windows to the latest version, the problems with File Explorer will be resolved.

Having trouble updating your Windows 10? Check out this guide that will help you solve them in no time.