As the built-in file manager in Windows, Windows Explorer debuted with the release of Microsoft’s Windows 95. With some graphical user interfaces, it is very convenient for users to access and manage folders and files. File Explorer is usually the soul of Windows. This is a special user interface through which the user establishes without hesitation a reliable connection with all applications and services hosted in Windows.
Most of the time, Windows Explorer, taskbar, and Start menu issues can be fixed with a simple reboot. However, restarting Windows 10/11 means saving your work and closing your running apps. So, restarting the Windows Explorer process is often recommended instead of restarting the PC for Start, taskbar, and Windows Explorer issues.
Method 1: Restart Windows Explorer
- Open This PC, Quick Access, or any other folder located anywhere on your computer. This operation will start the Windows Explorer process.
- Next, press the Win + X keys and click Task Manager to open the Task Manager window.
- Under the General tab, the Windows Explorer process should show up. Right-click on it and then click the Restart option to restart the Windows File Explorer process.
If the Windows Explorer process is missing, please open any folder and then try again.
Method 2: Command Prompt
If the Windows Explorer does not show up in the Task Manager, you can use the Command Prompt to restart the Windows Explorer. Here is how:
- Type cmd in the Search box, and choose Run as administrator to open Command Prompt.
- Type the following command and press the Enter key to finish the Windows Explorer process.
Windows explorer-restart - Then type the following command and press the Enter key to restart the Windows Explorer process.
start explorer.exe
Method 3: Modify Registry Editor
- Press Win + R to open the Run box and type in regedit.
- Click OK to open Registry Editor.
- Go to this path: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
- Look for the SeparateProcess entry in the right pane. If you can’t find one, you can right-click on the blank space and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value to create a new entry, then name it as SeparateProcess.
- Double-click on the value to open it and set the value data to 0.
Conclusion
This article has shared 3 practical methods to fix the Windows Explorer missing from Task Manager issue. Want to know more about methods of other Windows issues, please click on the following links of related articles: