To open File Explorer in Windows 11,聽select File Explorer 聽on the taskbar or press the Windows logo key + E on your keyboard.
Here are some things to try if File Explorer won't open.
Select Start 聽> Settings 聽>聽Windows Update . Then select Check for updates. Install any ailable updates and restart your device if required.
Even if you don鈥檛 see updates that require restarting, doing so ensures that any pending updates are installed.
If you've tried the previous steps and File Explorer still isn't starting or opening, resetting your PC might help. To learn how, see Reset or reinstall Windows.聽
To open File Explorer in Windows 10,聽select its icon on the taskbar,聽press the Windows logo key + E on your keyboard, or select Start > Documents (directly beneath your user icon).
Here are some things to try if File Explorer won't open.
Select Start聽 > Settings聽 > Update & Security聽聽> Windows Update聽. Then select Check for updates. Install any ailable updates and restart your device if required.
Even if you don鈥檛 see updates that require restarting, doing so ensures that any pending updates are installed.
On the taskbar, type control panel聽in the search box. Select Control Panel from the results.
Select System and Security >聽System > Advanced system settings.
On the Advanced tab, under Performance, select Settings > Advanced.
Ensure that Adjust for best performance of is set to Programs.
Under Virtual memory, select Change and make sure that Automatically manage paging file sizes for all drives is selected.
Select OK, then select聽Apply.
Restart your PC. This resets explorer.exe.
On the taskbar, type聽disk cleanup聽in the search box. Select Disk Cleanup from the results.
Select a drive and select OK.
Select the check box by each type of file. (Make sure there鈥檚 nothing important in your Recycle Bin before emptying it.)
Select OK.
On the taskbar, type control panel聽in the search box. Select Control Panel from the results.
For聽View by, choose聽Large icons or Small icons.
Select Troubleshooting > View all > System Maintenance.
On the System Maintenance troubleshooter, select Next > Try troubleshooting as an administrator and review the results.
See Using聽System File Checker in Windows for more info.
Automatic Repair is a tool聽that attempts to fix registry corruption. To run it:
Select聽Start 聽> Settings聽 > Update & Security聽.
Select聽Recovery聽聽and under聽Advanced startup, select聽Restart now. You may need to select聽Windows 10 Advanced Startup. or that聽may happen automatically.
On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot聽> Advanced options聽> Startup Repair.
Choose an account and enter your password.
Automatic Repair now begins. Your computer may restart during this process.