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5 min fix 3 min read Recently reviewedBeginner

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Quick Answer

Press Windows Key + R, type control folders, and press Enter. Under the General tab, click the Clear button next to 'Clear File Explorer history'.

How to Fix the Windows 11 File Explorer Crashing on Startup ​

Estimated Time to Fix: 5 minutes

Applies to: Windows 11
Article Type: Troubleshooting
Last Updated: 2026-07-20

Summary ​

If you click the yellow folder icon on your taskbar and nothing happens, or the window appears for a split second and immediately vanishes, Windows File Explorer is crashing. This is a known issue in Windows 11, usually caused by a corrupted "Quick Access" cache or a bad history file. This guide explains how to clear the cache and get your folders opening normally again.

Symptoms ​

  • You click the File Explorer icon, your screen flashes, and the taskbar disappears and reappears (a full explorer restart).
  • The File Explorer window opens but is completely blank with a loading circle that never finishes.
  • You cannot access any files on your computer.

Prerequisites ​

  • None required.

Instructions ​

1. Restart the Windows Explorer Process ​

Sometimes the background process managing the folders gets stuck and needs to be forcefully restarted.

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open the Task Manager.
  2. Make sure you are on the Processes tab (the icon with squares on the left).
  3. Scroll down until you find Windows Explorer (it has a yellow folder icon).
  4. Right-click it and select Restart.
  5. Your screen will briefly flash black, and the taskbar will reload.
  6. Try opening File Explorer again.

2. Clear the File Explorer History ​

Windows keeps a history of recently opened files to populate the "Quick Access" page. If this history file gets corrupted, File Explorer crashes every time it tries to load it.

  1. Open the Start Menu, type Control Panel, and press Enter.
  2. In the top right corner of the Control Panel, change the "View by" setting to Large icons.
  3. Click on File Explorer Options.
  4. In the new window, look at the bottom section labeled "Privacy".
  5. Click the Clear button next to "Clear File Explorer history".
  6. Click OK.
  7. Try opening File Explorer again.

3. Change the Default Startup Folder ​

If clearing the history didn't work, you can force File Explorer to open directly to "This PC" instead of the buggy "Home" or "Quick Access" page.

  1. Open the Start Menu, type Control Panel, and click it.
  2. Go to File Explorer Options (as you did in Method 2).
  3. At the very top, look for the dropdown menu labeled Open File Explorer to:.
  4. Change it from "Home" (or "Quick access") to This PC.
  5. Click Apply, then OK.

Troubleshooting ​

TIP

If File Explorer only crashes when you right-click on a file (but opens normally otherwise), a third-party app has installed a broken context menu option. Common culprits include outdated ZIP software (like WinRAR) or buggy cloud sync tools.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
I can't open the Control Panel eitherSevere corruptionPress Win + R to open the Run dialog. Type cmd, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to run as administrator, type sfc /scannow, and press Enter to repair core Windows files.
It still crashes when I open the Downloads folderCorrupted file previewA specific file (often a broken video or PDF) in that folder is causing the crash when Windows tries to generate a thumbnail. You will need to delete it via Command Prompt.