If you’ve ever encountered the issue of files not responding on your Windows 10 PC, you know how frustrating it can be. Fortunately, there are several solutions that can help you resolve this problem and improve your computer’s performance. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most effective methods for fixing file not responding issues on your Windows 10 PC.
What causes File Explorer to stop responding?
There are several reasons why File Explorer may stop responding on your Windows 10 PC. One common cause is a conflict with other programs running on your computer, particularly Microsoft Excel. Another cause may be an issue with the Explorer.exe process, which can typically be resolved by ending the task in Task Manager and restarting the process. Additionally, issues with Windows files or folders can also lead to File Explorer not responding errors. To fix this, try restarting your computer or running a system file checker scan to repair any corrupted files. If all else fails, you may need to reinstall File Explorer or seek further assistance from Microsoft support.
Restart File Explorer with Task Manager
If you’re experiencing a “file not responding” error on your Windows 10 PC, restarting File Explorer may help resolve the issue.
To do this, you can use Task Manager.
First, open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc or by right-clicking the taskbar and selecting “Task Manager”.
Next, locate “Windows Explorer” under the “Processes” tab and click on it.
Then, click the “Restart” button in the bottom-right corner of the Task Manager window.
File Explorer should now restart and hopefully resolve any issues with unresponsive files or folders.
This method can also be used for other versions of Windows, such as Windows 7 or even the upcoming Explorer Windows 11. Remember to always save any important work in programs such as Excel or Microsoft Excel before restarting File Explorer.
Restart File Explorer with Command Prompt
To restart File Explorer with Command Prompt, follow these steps:
1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to open the Task Manager.
2. Click on “More details” if you don’t see all the tabs.
3. Go to the “Details” tab and find “explorer.exe”.
4. Right-click on “explorer.exe” and select “End task”.
5. Open Command Prompt by pressing Windows key + R, typing “cmd”, and hitting Enter.
6. Type “start explorer” and hit Enter.
7. This will restart File Explorer and should fix any “not responding” errors you were experiencing.
By following these steps, you can easily restart File Explorer with Command Prompt and resolve any issues with file not responding on your Windows 10 PC.
import os
import time
def check_file_not_responding(filename, max_wait=10):
"""
Check if a file is not responding by trying to access it and measuring the response time.
Returns True if the file is not responding, False otherwise.
"""
start_time = time.time()
try:
with open(filename, 'r') as f:
f.read()
end_time = time.time()
response_time = end_time - start_time
return response_time > max_wait
except:
return True
# Example usage:
filename = 'myfile.txt'
if check_file_not_responding(filename):
print(f"The file {filename} is not responding!")
else:
print(f"The file {filename} is responding.")
This code defines a function `check_file_not_responding` that takes a filename as input and tries to open and read the file. If the file takes longer than `max_wait` seconds to respond, it returns True (indicating that the file is not responding). Otherwise, it returns False.
You can use this function to check if a file is not responding and take appropriate actions (e.g., retry the operation, show an error message, etc.).
Restart explorer.exe with a batch file
To restart explorer.exe with a batch file, follow these steps:
1. Open Notepad on your Windows 10 PC.
2. Type the following code into the blank document:
@echo off
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
exit
3. Save the document as a batch file. To do this, go to File > Save As and change the file type to “All Files”. Then, name the file something like “restart-explorer.bat”.
4. Once the batch file is saved, you can double-click it to restart explorer.exe. This can help fix the “file not responding” error on your Windows 10 PC.
Remember to use Task Manager to end the explorer.exe process before running the batch file. This will ensure that there are no conflicts. Additionally, if you’re using a different version of Windows (such as Windows 7 or 11), these steps may still work. Just be sure to adjust the file paths accordingly. Restarting explorer.exe can often fix issues with the file manager or folders on your PC.
Clear File Explorer history
To clear File Explorer history on Windows 10, follow these steps:
1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click on the “View” tab at the top.
3. Click on “Options” and select “Change folder and search options”.
4. Under the “Privacy” section, click on “Clear” next to “Clear File Explorer history”.
5. Click “OK” to confirm.
This will clear all your File Explorer history, including recent files and folders. If you’re still experiencing file not responding errors, you may want to check your task manager for any processes that may be causing the issue. Look for “explorer.exe” and if it’s not responding, right-click and select “End task”. This may resolve the issue and allow you to use your file manager without any problems.
Revert display settings
To revert display settings when facing a “file not responding” error on a Windows 10 PC, follow these simple steps. First, right-click on the desktop and select “Display settings” from the menu. Next, scroll down and click on “Advanced display settings.” From there, select “Display adapter properties.” In the new window, click on the “Driver” tab and select “Roll Back Driver.” Confirm the action and follow the prompts. Restart your computer, and the display settings should be reverted. This should help resolve the file not responding error. If the issue persists, try closing any running programs through Task Manager windows or restarting explorer.exe.
Free up space on the system drive
To fix the “File not responding” error on your Windows 10 PC, you may need to free up space on your system drive. This can be done by deleting unnecessary files or moving them to an external drive.
To delete files, open File Explorer and navigate to the folder containing the files you want to delete. Select the files and press Delete.
To move files, select the files and press Cut. Navigate to the external drive and press Paste.
You can also use Windows’ built-in Disk Cleanup tool to remove temporary files and free up space.
To access Disk Cleanup, search for it in the Start menu and select the system drive you want to clean up.
By freeing up space on your system drive, you can improve the performance of your Windows 10 PC and avoid the “File not responding” error.
Run System File Checker scan
To run a System File Checker scan on your Windows 10 PC, follow these steps:
1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator by pressing the Windows key + X and selecting “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the menu.
2. Type “sfc /scannow” and press Enter. This will initiate the scanning process.
3. Wait for the scan to complete. It may take some time depending on the size of your system files.
4. Once the scan has finished, you will see a message indicating whether any errors were found and if they were fixed.
Running a System File Checker scan can help fix the “file not responding” error on your Windows 10 PC. If the issue persists, you may want to try other solutions like restarting the explorer.exe process or using the Task Manager to end unresponsive tasks.
Restore File Explorer defaults
To restore File Explorer defaults, follow these steps:
1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click on View in the top menu bar.
3. Click on Options and then on Change folder and search options.
4. In the Folder Options window, click on the View tab.
5. Click on the Restore Defaults button.
6. Click on Apply and then on OK.
This should restore the default settings for File Explorer and may fix the issue of it not responding. If the problem persists, you can try using Task Manager to end the explorer.exe process and then restarting it. This can be done by opening Task Manager, selecting the explorer.exe process, and clicking on End Task. Then, click on File in the top menu bar and select Run new task. Type in “explorer.exe” and click OK. This may resolve the responding error on Windows 10 PC.
Uninstall unused or irrelevant apps
- Identify the apps that you rarely or never use.
- Uninstall those unused or irrelevant apps from your Windows 10 PC.
- Free up disk space and RAM usage by removing unnecessary apps.
- Reduce the chances of file not responding errors that may occur due to conflicts with unused apps.
- Use the built-in Windows 10 uninstaller or a third-party uninstaller tool to remove the apps.
- Check for any associated files or folders that may also need to be removed after uninstallation.
- Keep only the essential apps that you need on a regular basis.
Disable startup applications
- Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc
- Click on the Startup tab
- Select the application you want to disable
- Click on Disable
- Use System Configuration to disable all startup applications:
- Press Windows + R to open Run
- Type msconfig and press Enter
- Click on the Services tab
- Check the box next to Hide all Microsoft services
- Select Disable all
- Click on the Startup tab
- Select Open Task Manager
- Disable all applications that are set to start automatically
- Close Task Manager
- Click OK on the System Configuration window
- Restart your computer
Fix File Explorer not responding by using Task Manager
To fix File Explorer not responding on Windows 10 PC, you can use the Task Manager. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Look for Windows Explorer under the Processes tab and click on it. Then click on Restart at the bottom right. This will restart the Windows Explorer process, which should fix the issue. If this doesn’t work, you can try ending the process and then starting it again. Look for Windows Explorer again in Task Manager, right-click on it, and select End task. Then click on File at the top left and select Run new task. Type in explorer.exe and click OK. This should start Windows Explorer again and hopefully resolve the issue.
Fix File Explorer not responding by restoring defaults
To fix File Explorer not responding on your Windows 10 PC, you can try restoring defaults. Here’s how:
1. Open File Explorer and go to the “View” tab.
2. Click on “Options” and then “Change folder and search options”.
3. In the “Folder Options” window, click on the “View” tab.
4. Scroll down and click on “Restore defaults”.
5. Click “Apply” and then “OK”.
6. Restart your PC and check if the issue is resolved.
If restoring defaults doesn’t work, you can try restarting Windows Explorer. Here’s how:
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Click on “More details” if you’re in the compact view.
3. Scroll down and find “Windows Explorer” under the “Processes” tab.
4. Right-click on “Windows Explorer” and select “Restart”.
5. Wait for Windows Explorer to restart and check if the issue is resolved.
These steps should help you fix File Explorer not responding on your Windows 10 PC.
Fix File Explorer not responding by uninstalling apps
To fix File Explorer not responding on your Windows 10 PC, uninstall any recently installed apps that may be causing the issue.
To do this, open the Control Panel and go to “Programs and Features.” Find the app you suspect may be causing the problem and select “Uninstall.”
If you’re unsure which app is causing the issue, you can also try booting your PC in Safe Mode and see if the problem persists.
To do this, open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc and select “Restart” while holding down the Shift key.
Once your PC restarts, go to the Start menu and type “msconfig.” Select “System Configuration” from the search results and go to the “Boot” tab. Check the “Safe boot” option and restart your PC.
If the problem goes away in Safe Mode, you can selectively start up apps and processes to see which one is causing the issue.
Fix File Explorer not responding by disabling startup apps
To fix File Explorer not responding on a Windows 10 PC, try disabling startup apps. First, open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Then, click on the “Startup” tab and disable any apps that you do not need to run at startup. This can help free up resources and improve overall system performance. Restart your PC and see if the issue has been resolved. If not, you can also try restarting the “Explorer.exe” process. Open Task Manager again, go to the “Processes” tab, find “Explorer.exe,” and click on “Restart.” This can help refresh the File Explorer and resolve any issues. These steps can also apply to other versions of Windows, such as Windows 7.
