How to fix error windows-explorer-keeps-crashing in Windows 11

Solution Steps

1. 1 Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. If Task Manager doesn't open, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and select Task Manager. This gives you a view of all running processes. We need to confirm that Explorer.exe is indeed crashing and restarting.
2. 2 In Task Manager, look for 'Windows Explorer' under the Processes tab. If you see it repeatedly disappear and reappear, that confirms the crash loop. Note the exact time pattern to help diagnose.
3. 3 Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type 'eventvwr.msc' and press Enter. This opens Event Viewer, which logs system errors. We'll look for the specific crash details to identify the culprit.
4. 4 In Event Viewer, go to Windows Logs → Application. Look for recent Error events with source 'Application Error' or 'Windows Error Reporting'. Click on them to see the faulting module name (e.g., 'ShellExt.dll'). This tells us which shell extension is causing the crash.
5. 5 If you identify a specific shell extension, disable it. For example, if it's a third-party context menu tool, uninstall it via Settings → Apps → Installed apps. If you can't identify it, use the built-in 'Clean Boot' to isolate the problem: Press Windows key + R, type 'msconfig', and press Enter. In System Configuration, go to the Services tab, check 'Hide all Microsoft services', then click 'Disable all'. Then go to the Startup tab and click 'Open Task Manager', disable all startup items, and restart. If Explorer stops crashing, re-enable services one by one to find the culprit.
6. 6 If the crash persists, run System File Checker: Press Windows key + X and select 'Terminal (Admin)' or 'Command Prompt (Admin)'. Type 'sfc /scannow' and press Enter. This scans and repairs corrupted system files. It may take 15-20 minutes.
7. 7 If SFC finds issues but can't fix them, run DISM: In the same admin terminal, type 'DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth' and press Enter. This repairs the system image that SFC uses. It can take up to 30 minutes.
8. 8 Finally, if nothing else works, perform a Windows Repair Install using the Windows 11 ISO. Download the ISO from Microsoft's website, mount it, and run setup.exe. Choose 'Keep personal files and apps'. This reinstalls Windows while preserving your data.