Check this first
The short answer
Try Windows + E. If Explorer will not open, restart Windows Explorer in Task Manager. If it opens but right-click hangs, compare file type, location and menu stage before testing a related app’s extension. If only one folder is affected, inspect that location or connection first.
- Use Windows + E to separate startup failure from a right-click hang.
- Record whether a file, folder or empty area triggers the freeze.
- Compare Show more options and a different genuine local folder.
- Change one item at a time, then repeat the exact original operation.
Choose your next check
Start with the row that matches your situation. Change one setting at a time so you can tell what helped.
| What you see | What to compare | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Windows + E opens no window | Inspect Windows Explorer in Task Manager. | Step 2 |
| Every file’s context menu freezes | Compare empty space, file menus and Show more options. | Step 3 |
| Only a type such as ZIP or images freezes | Compare other existing file types in the same folder. | Step 3 |
| Only Home or one folder stops responding | Compare This PC and another local folder. | Step 4 |
| Only USB, network or synced folders freeze | Compare a local nonsynced folder on the internal drive. | Step 4 |
| It began after an app added context-menu entries | Match the menu entry/provider and installation time. | Step 5 |
| Opening, navigating and right-clicking fail across local folders | Compare after normal restart and Windows Update. | Step 6 |
Check in this order
Continue this issue
Private notes stay in this browser. Nothing is sent automatically. Back up important notes on My Page. PC settings are never changed by this site.
Step 1: Record the first operation that fails
- Save work and press Windows + E. If no window appears or it immediately closes, use Step 2. Otherwise record one location that opens, such as This PC or a folder you can access.
- Identify the first failing action once: opening Home, right-clicking an image, right-clicking empty space or selecting Show more options. Record location, item, delay and Not responding status; do not repeatedly trigger the same hang.
- Use Step 3 for right-click-only failure, Step 4 for Home/location-specific failure and Step 6 when opening/navigation fail across local folders. When symptoms overlap, first establish whether any location opens.
What the result means and what to do next
| Situation | What it tells you | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Windows + E produces no window | Failure occurs before any context menu. | Use Step 2. |
| A window opens but a file type or menu freezes | Opening and context-menu handling behave differently. | Use Step 3, then Step 5 if indicated. |
| Only Home, external storage or synced locations freeze | The symptom may depend on location. | Compare against a local folder in Step 4. |
- Expected result or what you learned
- You can state where Explorer freezes and the immediately preceding action.
- If something is wrong or unclear
- If the taskbar and other apps also stop responding, do not assume an Explorer-only issue; report the broader conditions to PC support.
- How to undo changes
- No settings changed; close comparison windows.
Step 2: Restart Windows Explorer when its window will not open
- Save work and avoid interrupting active file operations. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Processes. If Windows Explorer is present, select Restart; the taskbar may disappear briefly.
- If absent, choose Run new task (or File → Run new task in older layouts), enter explorer.exe and select OK. Try Windows + E again.
- Once usable, inspect Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates, apply needed updates and compare after a normal restart. If only right-click fails, use Step 3; for continued startup failure use Step 6. A pointer-only black desktop has its separate related guide.
What the result means and what to do next
| Situation | What it tells you | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Windows + E works after restart | The stopped process recovered at least temporarily. | Repeat the original folder/menu check before considering it resolved. |
| It opens but right-click freezes again | The triggering condition remains. | Use Step 3. |
| explorer.exe and normal restart both fail | This is broader than one context-menu operation. | Record errors/update results and use Step 6. |
- Expected result or what you learned
- Explorer/taskbar return and the original files/folders can be used.
- If something is wrong or unclear
- If it still will not open, do not immediately remove menu extensions; use Step 6 for the broader failure.
- How to undo changes
- Restarting/launching Explorer changes no persistent setting. Record names and times of any installed updates and consult official support for a new problem.
Step 3: Compare the file type and context-menu stage
- In one working local folder, right-click an existing text file, image, folder and empty space separately. Skip absent types; do not move or delete files just to create the comparison. Record which target hangs.
- If the first menu opens, compare Show more options. Distinguish hanging before the menu, on Show more options or only after selecting one command. Older app extensions may appear in the expanded menu, making the difference a clue.
- Select the same file and press Shift + F10. A keyboard-triggered hang is not easily explained by a faulty right mouse button alone, but still does not identify one app. A type/app/menu relationship leads to Step 5; a location-only relationship to Step 4.
What the result means and what to do next
| Situation | What it tells you | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Only a certain extension or Show more options hangs | A handler used by that file type/menu is a candidate. | Inspect related apps individually in Step 5. |
| Different file types hang only in one location | Location deserves priority over type. | Compare another local folder in Step 4. |
| Both right-click and Shift + F10 hang | The right mouse button alone does not explain the result. | Record the target/menu entries and use Step 5. |
- Expected result or what you learned
- You identify whether type, location or menu stage changes the outcome.
- If something is wrong or unclear
- If the window stops responding, restart Windows Explorer through Task Manager rather than repeatedly provoking the hang.
- How to undo changes
- The right-click/keyboard comparison changes no setting.
Step 4: For location-specific hangs, compare a genuine local folder
- Choose a nonsynced folder on the internal drive through This PC and repeat the same action. Documents may be redirected to OneDrive, so verify its path instead of assuming it is local. Distinguish Home, USB, network and sync locations; inspect their connection/service status.
- If only Home hangs while This PC works, record the current starting location. Open See more (…) → Options → General → Open File Explorer to → This PC → Apply and compare a new window. If Options is absent or also hangs, skip the change.
- If only external, shared or synced storage hangs, close that location and confirm local operation. Before reconnecting storage, finish transfers and follow safe-removal guidance. Compare its cable/port/network or sync-app error separately; ask the administrator about business shares. If local folders also fail, use Step 3 or Step 6.
What the result means and what to do next
| Situation | What it tells you | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Home hangs but This PC opens | The starting page is a candidate. | Temporarily change the starting location and compare. |
| Only external/network/synced storage hangs | Its connection or sync state warrants investigation. | Inspect that destination; do not immediately format or delete it. |
| Other internal folders also hang regardless of operation | The issue is not limited to one destination. | Use Step 6. |
- Expected result or what you learned
- A working local folder narrows the issue to a starting page or connected location.
- If something is wrong or unclear
- For broad local failure use Step 6. For an undetected USB drive use the device-specific guide.
- How to undo changes
- Restore the recorded Open File Explorer to setting and any test connections.
Step 5: Temporarily disable one identified app extension
- Match the affected target/menu entry to a known app, such as an archive, sync or PDF tool, and its installation time. First check that app’s updates and own menu-integration setting. Save work, restart normally and repeat the identical operation.
- If the app’s controls cannot isolate it, obtain Autoruns from Microsoft’s official Sysinternals page. Run it as administrator if authorized, choose Options → Hide Signed Microsoft Entries, then Explorer. Identify the known provider’s candidate, record its name and checkbox state and uncheck only that item. Do not use Delete. Ask the administrator on a managed PC.
- Restart normally and retest the exact file/menu. If it helps, check the app provider’s fix and the effect on needed features. If unchanged, restore the checkbox before testing another candidate. Do not disable security or required business-sync entries without the administrator.
What the result means and what to do next
| Situation | What it tells you | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Unchecking one item restores the same menu | That app extension may contribute. | Check its update/support and impact on required features. |
| The same operation still hangs | That candidate alone does not explain it. | Restore the checkbox and reassess another candidate, location or Step 6. |
| No identifiable Explorer entry or no permission | There is no basis for disabling an entry. | Leave system entries alone and consult the app provider/administrator. |
- Expected result or what you learned
- Only the identified extension change makes the original operation work, narrowing an app relationship.
- If something is wrong or unclear
- If the provider is unknown, the UI differs or no candidate exists, do not disable the whole list. Take records to the provider/administrator.
- How to undo changes
- Restore the same Autoruns checkbox and restart if needed; restore any app-specific menu-integration setting.
Step 6: For broad local failure, inspect Windows and repair results
- Inspect Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates and pending restarts. Record update names/times, apply required updates and retry Windows + E plus the original operation after restarting. Record whether the symptom predated the update.
- If opening/navigation still fail across internal folders, confirm important-file backups. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. Only after success, run sfc /scannow. Keep the window open until completion and record final messages.
- If both complete, restart and compare the same folder/operation. For DISM failure, incomplete SFC repair or recurrence, provide the messages and affected targets to Microsoft support or the administrator. For DISM 0x800f081f, use the related update-error guide.
What the result means and what to do next
| Situation | What it tells you | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| The original operation works after update/repair | Improvement has been observed after the changes. | Retest after a normal restart before declaring resolution. |
| DISM fails or SFC cannot repair some files | Windows repair is incomplete. | Keep the full message for support. |
| Commands succeed but the target still hangs | A cause outside those repaired files may remain. | Include Steps 3–5 comparisons when seeking support. |
- Expected result or what you learned
- The same operation works after repair and a normal restart.
- If something is wrong or unclear
- For missing rights, errors or recurrence, stop repeating the same repair and share its output.
- How to undo changes
- Repaired system files have no single undo button. Check backups before starting and retain update names/times.
When to ask for help
Provide Windows + E results, first failing action, target-type/empty-space comparisons, Home/local/external results, recent apps, tested/restored Autoruns entries and DISM/SFC output. Do not delete files, registry entries or shell extensions in bulk, or reset the PC without backups.
FAQ
Right-click hangs but Shift + F10 works. Is the mouse broken?
It is a useful difference, not proof. Windows 11 menu paths can differ too. Compare the same item/location, another mouse if available, and other button actions.
Why does only Show more options hang?
That menu can include older app extensions. Record affected file types and recent app entries, then compare one relevant extension in Step 5.
What if only one folder stops responding?
Compare This PC and a verified nonsynced internal folder. For USB, shared or sync-only failure inspect that connection first; if local folders also fail, use Step 6.
Does restarting Windows Explorer mean it is fixed?
No. After a normal restart, repeat the same file, menu and location that originally failed. Recurrence needs the comparisons in Step 3 onward.
Sources
English adaptation preserving the Japanese guide’s diagnostic branches, steps, result tables and restoration conditions. Official documentation supports the controls; the comparison order is editorial guidance, not a claim of testing every PC. Record results and consult the administrator before changing a managed device.
Microsoft: Explorer startup problemsMicrosoft: context menus and This PC starting locationMicrosoft Learn: shell extension handlersMicrosoft Sysinternals: Autoruns and checkbox disablingMicrosoft: keyboard context menusMicrosoft: DISM then SFC