Fix: File Explorer crashes after right-click [Easy guide]
- If you're wondering why File Explorer crashes when you right-click, it is due to system problems.
- One quick way to get rid of the Windows Explorer crashes on right-click is by doing a clean boot.
- Try using another third-party file manager if your file explorer freezes when right-clicking.
- A Windows SFC scan will also solve the Explorer crashes when right-clicking in no time.
Some users are facing a problem with their File Explorer. Apparently, their File Explorer crashes when they click on the right mouse click. This problem could be caused by a bad context menu handler.
In case you didn’t know, a context menu handler is a shell extension handler whose job is to add comments to an existing context menu, like for example cut, paste, print, etc.
How do I fix File Explorer crashing on right-click?
1. Perform a Clean Boot
- Open the Windows search box.
- Type msconfig in the search box and press Enter.
- On the Services tab of the System Configuration dialog box, select Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable All.
- On the Startup tab of the System Configuration dialog box, click open Task Manager.
- On the Startup tab in Task Manager, for each startup item, select the item and then click Disable.
- Close Task Manager.
- On the Startup tab of the System Configuration dialog box, tap or click OK.
- Then restart the computer.
Clean Boot could be a solution for many problems, and it may fix ours as well.
Clean Boot starts Windows with a minimal amount of drivers and software in order to determine if some software conflict with each other, or prevent them from working.
Before you perform a Clean Boot, you need to login to your computer as an administrator.
Be aware that your computer may lose some functionality after you perform a Clean Boot. But, right after you start your PC normally, the functionality will return, so there’s no need to worry about that.
Also, you should be very careful when you’re performing a Clean Boot, because if you make certain errors, your computer could become unusable.
2. Use another third-party file manager
If a Clean Boot didn’t help, then your problem is definitely caused by a bad context menu handler. And below, you’ll find the best and fastest way to handle your files.
You’ll need to install one third-party software that can manage your files instead of windows explorer.
This tool can view and manage all of your installed software and files. Not only will this app help you would drastically, it is also really easy to use and doesn’t require any previous experience.
The interface is pretty self-explanatory and simplistic, giving you a minimalist look while still helping you find your files quickly. Finding relevant data has never been easier with this awesome app.
3. Run the SFC scan
- Launch Command Prompt from the Start menu, then type:
sfc /scannow
- Hit Enter for the scan to start
- Wait for the scan to complete.
- Try to open File Explorer again to see if this solved the problem.
If the issue persists after following these two solutions, you can also run SFC. This is a built-in tool that scans your system files and fixes corrupted or missing ones.
What to do if right click crashes File explorer in Windows 11?
Although Windows 11 has many new features and an improved design, a lot of its menus and apps have remained the same.
That is why all the solutions we listed for Windows 10 work perfectly for the new OS as well, including the clean booting procedure, the third-party software, and the Command Prompt line.
Yes, File Explorer looks different in Windows 11 but it has the same functionalities and it can easily break down just as easily, but our solutions will help you fix the right-click problem.
So, there you have it, each one of these solutions should resolve your File Explorer issue when clicking right with the mouse.
You might also be interested in our guide on what to do if File Explorer is slow on Windows 10 & 11 because there might be some helpful solutions there as well.
Do let us know which of our solutions helped you fix the problem with the File Explorer app in the comments section below.
Frequently Asked Questions
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If you are unable to right-click on a file within the File Explorer, try restarting the app from the Processes tab. Check out more solutions in this complete guide dedicated to fixing File Explorer.
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You will find all the causes and solutions for each one of them in this thorough article dedicated to solving File Explorer crashes.
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No, but you can update it via the global Windows update system. Here’s a useful article about fixing Windows Updates if your OS doesn’t want to update File explorer.
