If File Explorer crashes whenever you click on Properties in the right-click context menu of a file or folder in Windows 11/10, read this post to learn how to fix the issue.
It can be frustrating to see Explorer freezing, becoming unresponsive, or closing unexpectedly in Windows. The issue can be caused due to various factors, and you may experience it in different scenarios, such as while accessing a mapped network drive, creating a new folder, or accessing files in Quick Acess.
In some cases, File Explorer may also crash while right-clicking on a file and selecting ‘Properties‘.
Whenever I click on Properties, Explorer crashes in Windows 11/10
The ‘Properties’ option allows users to view or edit the attributes, permissions, and metadata of a file or folder. If File Explorer crashes whenever you click on Properties in the right-click context menu of a file or folder in Windows 11/10, use these fixes to resolve the issue:
- Restart Explorer.exe process.
- Clear File Explorer Cache.
- Run SFC and DISM scan.
- Disable third-party Explorer add-ons.
- Troubleshoot in Clean Boot State.
Let us see this in detail.
Explorer crashes when I click on Properties
1] Restart Explorer.exe process
Start troubleshooting by restarting the Explorer.exe process in Windows Task Manager.
Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager. Switch to the Details tab in the left panel of the Task Manager window. Type ‘explorer’ in the Search Bar on top. explorer.exe will show up in the search results. Select exporer.exe and click on the Restart task icon in the top-right corner of the Task Manager window.
Alternatively, you can search for Windows Explorer within the Processes tab, right-click on it, and select Restart.
2] Clear File Explorer Cache
The File Explorer maintains its own cache that stores information related to the files and folders on your device. When this cache gets corrupted or is no longer available, File Explorer may crash on certain events. Clear the File Explorer cache following these steps and see if it helps resolve the issue:
Click on the Folder icon in your taskbar. Then click on the three-dots icon in the toolbar area. Select Options from the menu that appears.
In the Folder Options window, click on the Clear button next to the Clear File Explorer history option under the General tab. The icons in the File Explorer window will refresh after the cache is cleared. Click on the OK button to exit the Folder Options window.
3] Run SFC and DISM scan
SFC and DISM are two useful scans that are often run on a Windows PC to fix file integrity issues. If the File Explorer crash is happening due to corrupt or missing system files, these scans can identify those files and repair them automatically.
Start by running the SFC scan. You may run the scan by opening a Command Prompt window using administrator privileges and executing the following command:
sfc /scannow
If that doesn’t resolve the issue, use DISM to repair the Windows System Image.
4] Disable third-party Explorer add-ons
Shell extensions/add-ons are system components that extend the functionality of File Explorer by adding items to the context menu. You may have lots of non-Microsoft add-ons installed without your knowledge.
We recommend using ShellExView to view the details of the shell extensions installed on a Windows PC. The non-Microsoft shell extensions will be marked in pink color. Disable these extensions one at a time. Restart Explorer after disabling the extension and see if it starts to act normally. If it does, you have likely identified the problematic extension. If not, continue disabling and re-enabling third-party shell extensions (one by one) until you identify the extension causing the issue.
5] Troubleshoot in Clean Boot State
If none of the above solutions work, troubleshoot the issue in a clean boot state. This will help identify conflicting third-party software and help prevent future inconsistencies.
Press Win+R, type msconfig, and hit Enter. Go to the Services tab in the System Configuration window and check Hide all Microsoft services. Click Disable all to disable third-party services. Then switch to the Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager. Disable all startup items using the Task Manager. Return to the System Configuration window, click OK, and reboot your PC. This will initiate a clean boot, with just the necessary Windows services running, helping to identify and isolate software conflicts or issues.
I hope this helps!
Read: Explorer crashes after resizing or snapping in Windows.
Why does File Explorer crash every time I open it?
There could be many factors that can contribute to the crashing of File Explorer on a Windows 11/10 PC. This includes conflicts caused due to third-party software or shell extensions, corrupted or missing system files, hard drive or memory issues, malicious software, outdated drivers, or security holes in certain Windows updates.
Why does File Explorer keep crashing when I right-click?
Right-click crashes in File Explorer are generally associated with third-party shell extensions. These non-Microsoft extensions can be added unknowingly by external applications you install on your Windows 11/10 PC. Apart from that, corrupted system files, viruses, and incompatible drivers are among other factors that can contribute to the issue.
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