How to restart the Windows Explorer.exe process

Sometimes when using Windows 10, you may find that the Windows desktop freezes and you can no longer use the Start menu, click programs, drag files or switch between windows. This can be caused by Windows Explorer or Explorer.exe and can usually be fixed by restarting this process.

Explorer.exe is an executable file in Windows operating systems located at C: Windowsexplorer.exe. When Windows starts and the user logs on, the operating system launches the Explorer.exe process, displaying the Windows user environment like the desktop, taskbar, and Start menu.

To restart the Explorer.exe process, you can perform the 3 different methods described by TipsMake.com below.

Method 1: Restart Windows Explorer.exe via Task Manager

If you are using Windows 10, the easiest way to restart Explorer.exe is through Task Manager.

To restart Explorer.exe in Windows 10, please follow these steps:

Step 1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+ Alt+ Deleteand select Task Manager or right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager. When Task Manager is opened, click the More details option .

How to restart the Windows Explorer.exe process Picture 1 Click the More details option

Step 2. When the full list of processes is displayed, scroll down until you find the Windows Explorer process. Then right-click on this process and select Restart.

How to restart the Windows Explorer.exe process Picture 2 Right-click on the process and select Restart

Step 3. The Explorer.exe process will end and automatically restart. During this process, you should see the desktop disappear briefly and then reappear.

Step 4. Now that Windows Explorer has been restarted, you can close the Task Manager.

Method 2: Restart Windows Explorer.exe from the Command Prompt

This method allows you to restart the Explorer.exe process directly from the Command Prompt. This method works in Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.

To restart Explorer.exe from the Command Prompt, please follow these steps:

Step 1. Open Command Prompt.

Step 2. When the Command Prompt opens, type the command taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe & start explorerinto it and press it Enteron the keyboard. This command will stop explorer.exe and then immediately restart the process so you can see your desktop again.

How to restart the Windows Explorer.exe process Picture 3 Type taskkill / F / IM explorer.exe & start explorer

Step 3. After entering the command, you should see the Windows desktop disappear for a second and then reboot. You can now close the Windows Command Prompt because the Explorer.exe process has been restarted.

Method 3: Exit Explorer and then reboot through Task Manager

If you are using Windows 7 or any version of Windows, you can also restart the Explorer.exe process by first ending the process in Task Manager and then running it again from the Create New Task dialog box .

To restart explorer.exe by ending the process first, you can perform the following steps:

Step 1. Open Task Manager. Once Task Manager is opened, scroll through the list of processes until you find the explorer.exe process and right-click on it. When the context menu opens, click the End Process option .

How to restart the Windows Explorer.exe process Picture 4 Click the End Process option

Step 2. When you try to finish the explorer.exe process, you need to confirm the request. Click the End Process button to confirm.

How to restart the Windows Explorer.exe process Picture 5 Click the End Process button to confirm

Step 3. Now you will see Explorer disappear and you are left with a blank screen with Task Manager. In Task Manager, click the File menu and select New Task (Run .) .

How to restart the Windows Explorer.exe process Picture 6 Click the File menu and select New Task (Run .)

Step 4. When the Create New Task prompt appears, enter explorer.exe in the Open field : then click the OK button .

How to restart the Windows Explorer.exe process Picture 7 Enter explorer.exe in the Open field:

Step 5. The Explorer.exe process will launch and you should see Windows Desktop again. Now the Explorer.exe process has started and you can see the desktop. Just close Task Manager and you're done.