Windows Explorer crashes on right-click: how to find the cause and fix it

Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10, when the screen flashes, the taskbar disappears and reappears, or File Explorer closes after a right-click on a file, folder or the desktop.

Why right-clicking crashes Explorer

The right-click menu isn’t built by Windows alone. Every installed app can add entries to it, such as Compress with…, Scan with… or Share with…. To show those entries, Explorer loads code from each app into its own process. If one of those add-ons is outdated or broken, it takes the whole of Explorer down with it.

When it crashes	Most likely cause
On any file or folder	A context menu extension from an archive, sync, backup or security app
Only on the desktop	A graphics driver extension (NVIDIA, AMD or Intel menu entries)
Only on certain file types, such as videos or PDFs	A thumbnail, preview or codec add-on for that file type
On Show more options in Windows 11	An older extension that only loads in the classic menu
Right after a Windows update, with no new apps	Damaged system files or an incompatible app

First: get Explorer back

If the taskbar and desktop don’t come back on their own, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Select Run new task (on Windows 10, File > Run new task), type explorer and press Enter. If Explorer is still listed but frozen, right-click Windows Explorer and select Restart. If the taskbar stays empty afterwards, see taskbar icons missing.

Fix 1: Find the faulty file in Event Viewer

1. Right-click Start (or press Win + X) and select Event Viewer.
2. Go to Windows Logs > Application.
3. Look for Error entries with the source Application Error (Event ID 1000) at the time of the crash.
4. Select one and read the General tab. Check that Faulting application name is explorer.exe, then note the Faulting module name and its path.

The module is usually a .dll file. Its folder normally names the app it belongs to, for example a file under C:\Program Files\<app name>\. If you don’t recognise the name, search for it together with the word “shell extension”.

If the faulting module is a Windows file such as ntdll.dll or KERNELBASE.dll, it doesn’t point to the cause. Those files are where the crash surfaced, not where it started, so use Fix 2 or Fix 5.

Fix 2: Disable the bad shell extension

Windows has no built-in list of context menu extensions, so the usual tool is ShellExView, a free utility from NirSoft that many IT support teams use. Download it only from NirSoft’s own website.

1. Run ShellExView. In Options, turn on Hide All Microsoft Extensions so only third-party entries remain.
2. Sort by Type and look at the Context Menu entries. If Event Viewer named a file, find it in the Filename column.
3. Select the suspect entries, right-click and choose Disable Selected Items. If you don’t know which one, disable them all.
4. Restart Explorer from Task Manager, as in the first section, and test a right-click.
5. If the crash has gone, enable the extensions again a few at a time, restarting Explorer each time, until the crash returns. The last group you enabled contains the culprit; leave that one disabled.

Disabling an extension only removes its right-click entries. The app itself keeps working, and you can enable the extension again at any time.

Fix 3: Update or uninstall the app behind it

Once you know which app the extension belongs to, check for an update from its maker; many fix context menu crashes in later versions. If there isn’t one, uninstall it:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
2. Sort by Date installed to see what changed recently.
3. Select … next to the app, then Uninstall, and restart the PC.

Common sources include older versions of archive tools, cloud storage clients and file-sharing apps, antivirus software, and PDF tools. If the crash only happens on the desktop, update or reinstall your graphics driver from your PC or GPU maker; see how to stop Windows 11 replacing your graphics driver if Windows keeps installing an older one.

Not sure which app? Start Windows in Safe Mode, which loads far fewer add-ons, and test a right-click there. If it works in Safe Mode but not normally, a third-party app is to blame.

Fix 4: Crashes only on certain files

If Explorer only crashes when you right-click, or open a folder with, certain file types, a thumbnail or preview add-on is the likely cause. To test it, open File Explorer, select … > Options (on Windows 10, View > Options), go to the View tab and tick Always show icons, never thumbnails. Also turn off the preview pane with Alt + P.

If that stops the crash, update or remove the codec pack, PDF reader or image tool that handles those files, then turn thumbnails back on.

Fix 5: Repair Windows system files

If Event Viewer points only to Windows files and no third-party extension is to blame, repair Windows. Open Terminal (Admin) or an administrator Command Prompt and run:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

Restart when both finish. If Windows won’t stay up long enough to run them, see how to run SFC offline. Also install the latest updates in Settings > Windows Update, because Microsoft fixes Explorer bugs in cumulative updates.

Still crashing? Create a new local user account and test there. If it works for the new user, the problem is in your profile’s settings rather than in Windows itself.

Related guides

• How to run SFC offline from the recovery environment
• Taskbar icons missing in Windows 11: how to get them back
• How to stop Windows 11 updating your graphics driver
• How to stop OneDrive from syncing (without losing files)

Official sources: for more detail, see Microsoft’s own pages:

• Microsoft Support: Use the System File Checker tool
• Microsoft Support: How to perform a clean boot in Windows

Frequently asked questions

Is Explorer crashing on right-click a virus?

Rarely. It’s almost always a buggy add-on from a legitimate app. Run a scan with Windows Security if you see other warning signs, such as apps you didn’t install.

Why does the crash only happen on Show more options?

Windows 11’s new menu shows only extensions written for it. Show more options opens the classic menu, which loads older extensions too, so a broken old extension only shows up there.

Will a clean boot fix it?

Not always. A clean boot stops third-party services and startup apps, but shell extensions still load when Explorer starts. It’s useful to rule out background apps, while ShellExView targets the extensions directly.

Do I need to reinstall Windows?

Almost never. Removing or updating the app behind the faulty extension fixes nearly every case.