How to Fix File Explorer Missing Left Sidebar Effectively

Looking for a way to fix the problem of File Explorer missing the left sidebar? Stop here and TipsMake will reveal to you how to do it!

For Windows users, you are certainly familiar with File Explorer. This is an important file management tool that helps you quickly access folders, drives, and files.

Normally, File Explorer works very stably, but sometimes some problems still appear. In particular, the situation of File Explorer losing the left sidebar is quite common and causes many of you headaches. TipsMake will immediately help you handle this problem in today's computer tips section.

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File Explorer Missing Left Sidebar and How to Fix It Super Fast

Changed display settings, Windows Explorer crashes or conflicts, software errors… These are the top reasons why File Explorer 'misses' the left sidebar. Here are 4 ways to get this bar back in File Explorer:

1/ You need to restart Windows Explorer

Restarting Windows Explorer is the first thing you should do when you see the left sidebar disappear in File Explorer. Because sometimes this is just a temporary problem and restarting will solve the error quickly and effectively:

1. Step 1 : Right-click on an empty space on the taskbar and select Task Manager .
2. Step 2 : Then, find and right-click on the line ' Windows Explorer ' > Select Restart from the displayed menu.
3. Step 3 : Once the restart is complete, check to see if the left sidebar appears in File Explorer. If not, continue with the next trick!

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2/ Re-enable Navigation Pane for File Explorer

You can fix the missing File Explorer sidebar issue by enabling this feature through some changes in Settings as follows:

1. Step 1 : Open Windows Explorer by pressing Win + E > Then, click View from the top.
2. Step 2 : Select Show from the drop down list and check the Navigation pane option > Then you can close the window and restart and check the problem.

Step 1 : You also press the Windows + E key combination > Then click on the View tab .

Step 2 : Continue clicking on the arrow in the Navigation pane line on the toolbar > Check Navigation pane .

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TIP: If you want to specify the Navigation pane on demand: Just open File Explorer > View > Options > View > Then scroll down and change the Navigation pane settings and you're done.

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3/ Run SFC to fix File Explorer missing left sidebar problem

If none of the above solutions helped you find the left sidebar, try running SFC. Because system file corruption can cause the Windows 10/11 File Explorer sidebar to disappear. All you need to do is:

1. Step 1 : Press Windows + S to open the search bar, enter the keyword ' Command Prompt ' > When the results appear, select Run as administrator > Press Yes if asked.
2. Step 2 : In the new window that appears, enter the command sfc /scannow > Continue pressing Enter to run the command.

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4/ Re-registering the shdocvw.dll file is also a solution

The shdocvw.dll file contains essential functions of Internet Explorer. Such as maintaining history, maintaining favorites, navigating the Internet and local links, parsing HTML, etc. Therefore, re-registering the shdocvw.dll file to fix the missing File Explorer sidebar is also an effective way.

You also open Command Prompt as administrator as instructed above > Then, you enter the command regsvr32 /i shdocvw > Press Enter . When done, close the window and restart your computer and check for problems!

TipsMake has shared how to fix the problem of File Explorer losing the left sidebar. Hope you can apply it and find this bar quickly.

Micah Soto

Update 23 February 2025