If File Explorer is becoming unresponsive, you can try the following steps to resolve the issue:
- Disconnect Network Drives: Sometimes, mapped network drives that are offline or nonexistent can cause File Explorer to hang. To disconnect them:
- Right-click on "My Computer" and select Disconnect Network Drive.
- In the dialog box, select the drive letter you want to disconnect and click OK. Repeat this for all offline drives.
- Check for Graphics Driver Issues: If you have an Intel graphics adapter, ensure that you have the latest driver version. You can check this by:
- Going to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Device Manager.
- Expanding Display adapters and checking the driver version. If it's outdated, consider updating it.
- Disable Hardware Acceleration: If updating the driver isn't an option, you can disable hardware acceleration in Office applications, which may help if they are causing the issue:
- Open any Office application, go to File > Options > Advanced, and check Disable hardware graphics acceleration.
- Restart File Explorer: If it freezes, you can restart it through Task Manager. Press
Ctrl + Shift + Esc, find "Windows Explorer" in the list, right-click it, and select Restart. - Check for System Updates: Ensure that your Windows operating system is up to date, as updates can fix bugs that may cause File Explorer to freeze.
If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider checking for any third-party software that might be interfering with File Explorer's operation.