How to Fix File Explorer Crashing When You Right-Click in Windows 10

If File Explorer closes or restarts every time you right-click a file, folder, or empty space, a third-party context-menu extension is a common cause. Right-click menus can load add-ons installed by archive tools, cloud-sync apps, media software, and other utilities. Start with a clean boot to check for background conflicts, then disable a suspicious Explorer extension one at a time. Run Windows repair commands if the crash continues.

These steps are for Windows 10. Save your work before restarting. If the desktop or taskbar briefly disappears after a crash, Explorer may be restarting along with the File Explorer window.

1. Check for a background app with a clean boot

A clean boot starts Windows with essential drivers and services while temporarily turning off third-party services and startup apps. It helps determine whether another program is interfering with Explorer. Microsoft notes that some PC functions may be unavailable until normal startup is restored. On a work-managed PC, check with your administrator before changing startup settings. See Microsoft's clean-boot instructions.

1. Sign in to an administrator account. Search Start for msconfig, then open System Configuration.

2. Open Services. Check Hide all Microsoft services, select Disable all, and choose Apply. Do not hide this step or disable Microsoft services manually.

3. Open the Startup tab and select Open Task Manager. In Task Manager's Startup tab, disable each enabled startup item. Write down what you change, then close Task Manager.

4. Back in System Configuration, select OK and restart Windows. Try the same right-click action that caused the crash.

If the crash stops in a clean boot, a third-party service or startup app is involved. Re-enable items in small groups and restart between tests to narrow down the cause. When finished, restore normal startup: open msconfig, choose Normal startup on the General tab, restore the services and startup items you changed, and restart.

2. Isolate a context-menu extension with Autoruns

If right-clicking still crashes Explorer, or the problem affects only certain file types, inspect shell extensions. Microsoft's free Sysinternals Autoruns lists Explorer shell extensions and can disable an entry by clearing its checkbox.

1. Download and extract Autoruns from Microsoft. Run Autoruns64.exe as administrator.
2. Select the Explorer tab. From Options, choose Hide Signed Microsoft Entries to focus on third-party entries.
3. Uncheck one recently installed or updated context-menu, preview, or overlay extension, then restart Windows and test again. Do not delete entries. If nothing changes, re-enable that item before testing another.

Once you identify the likely extension, update or uninstall the app that installed it, or leave only that extension disabled. Avoid turning off unrelated entries.

3. Remove or update a recently added app

If the crashes began after installing or updating a program, start with that app instead of removing several programs at once. Open Start > Settings > Apps > Apps & features, sort by install date if useful, select the likely app, and choose Uninstall. Restart and test the context menu. If the app offers a repair option or has a newer version, try that when you need to keep it. Microsoft's Windows app removal guide covers other uninstall paths.

4. Repair Windows system files

If the crash continues after checking third-party software, run Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) before System File Checker (SFC). DISM repairs the Windows component store that SFC uses. Use an administrator Command Prompt and let each command finish before starting the next.

1. Search Start for Command Prompt, then select Run as administrator.
2. Enter this command and press Enter:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

3. When DISM completes, run:

sfc /scannow

Keep the Command Prompt open until SFC reaches 100 percent. Restart Windows afterward and test right-click again. If SFC reports that it repaired files, the restart loads those repairs. If it reports no integrity violations, the crash may be caused by an extension or profile issue instead. Follow Microsoft's DISM and SFC guidance if either scan cannot complete or reports files it could not repair.

5. If File Explorer still crashes

Test right-clicking an empty area, a folder, and different file types. A crash limited to one file type points toward an extension associated with that format. If it happens across the system after a clean boot, extension checks, and file repair, try another Windows account to see whether the issue is profile-specific. Back up important files before using Windows recovery options, and consult Microsoft's File Explorer troubleshooting guide.

Windows 10 still runs, but standard support ended on October 14, 2025. A device not enrolled in Extended Security Updates no longer receives regular security updates; see Microsoft's Windows 10 support notice.