How to Restart Windows Explorer.exe

If you encounter problems with Windows Explorer or it has stopped working, you may need to restart it. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager.
  2. Find “Windows Explorer” in the list of processes, right-click on it and select “End task”. This will close Windows Explorer.
  3. In the Task Manager, click on “File” in the top left corner and select “Run new task”.
  4. Type “explorer.exe” in the “Create new task” window and click “OK”. This will start a new instance of Windows Explorer.
  5. Windows Explorer should now be running again. If it is not, you may need to restart your computer to resolve the issue.

Note: If you are unable to access the Task Manager, you can also restart Windows Explorer using the Command Prompt or PowerShell. Open the Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator and type “taskkill /f /im explorer.exe” to end the Windows Explorer process. Then type “start explorer.exe” to start a new instance of Windows Explorer.