How to Restart Windows Explorer.exe on Windows (8 Ways)

by | Nov 21, 2023 | Windows

Windows Explorer sometimes known as File Explorer is the Microsoft Windows default file manager. It was introduced in Windows 95. It is still found in every edition of Windows. Windows Explorer provides a graphical user interface to access files and folders. But, before Windows Explorer, files were accessed through the Command Line Interface. 

The taskbar, Desktop, and Start menu are part of Windows Explorer. They all are directly attached to Windows Explorer. When there is a bug inside any of the mentioned components then they cause the Windows Explorer to stop working properly. Hence, restarting the Windows Explorer will resolve the problems within the Taskbar, Desktop, and Start menu.

This article will observe the various methods to restart or reboot Windows Explorer.

How to Restart Windows Explorer.exe on Windows (8 Ways)?

Windows Explorer can be restarted by using the mentioned approaches:

  • Method 1: Use the Task Manager to Restart the Windows Explorer
  • Method 2: End Windows Explorer and then Restart it Using Task Manager
  • Method 3: Restart Windows Explorer Using the Start menu
  • Method 4: Restart Windows Explorer Using Taskbar
  • Method 5: Restart Windows Explorer Using Command Prompt
  • Method 6: Restart Windows Explorer Using a Batch File
  • Method 7: Restart Windows Explorer Using the Exit Explorer Feature on the Taskbar (Not on Windows 11)
  • Method 8: Restart Windows Explorer Using Run Application

Method 1: Use the Task Manager to Restart the Windows Explorer

Task Manager application can be used to restart the Windows Explorer. A Task Manager is a Microsoft Windows component that is used to monitor, and manage tasks. To restart the Windows Explorer in Windows, check the mentioned steps below.

Step 1: Open the Task Manager application from the Windows Start menu:

Step 2: Locate the Windows Explorer task under the Processes tab.

Step 3: Right-click on Windows Explorer and click Restart:

Method 2: End Windows Explorer and then Restart it Using Task Manager

Windows Explorer first, gets terminated and then it is restarted by running a new task in the Task Manager application.

Step 1: Open the Task Manager application.

Step 2: Locate the Windows Explorer task under the Processes tab.

Step 3: Right click on the Windows Explorer task and click End task:

Step 4: Click on the Run new task button.

Step 5: Type explorer.exe and press the Enter key:

Method 3: Restart Windows Explorer Using the Start menu

The Start menu is basically the central part of the application and files can be accessed more quickly. To restart the Windows Explorer check the steps mentioned below.

Step 1: End the Windows Explorer via Task Manager (Check Method 2).

Step 2: Move to the Start menu, search, and open File Explorer:

Method 4: Restart Windows Explorer Using the Taskbar

Windows Explorer application can also be restarted with the help of Taskbar. A taskbar is a GUI-based interface that helps in navigating across multiple windows when working on multiple projects on Microsoft Windows. Read the below-mentioned instructions to restart Windows Explorer using the Taskbar.

Step 1: Terminate the Windows Explorer via Task Manager (Check Method 2)

Step 2: Click on the Windows Explorer located on the Taskbar to open it:

Method 5: Restart Windows Explorer Using the Command Prompt (CMD)

Command Prompt is a Windows command line tool that helps in performing administrative-level operations. Command Prompt has the capability to restart the Windows Explorer. To restart Windows Explorer check the provided steps below.

Step 1: Launch Command Prompt from the Start menu:

Step 2: Type the taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe & start explorer command and press the Enter key:

Method 6: Restart Windows Explorer Using a Batch File

Microsoft Windows Explorer can also be restarted using the batch file in Windows. A batch file is a plain text file that contains code instructions to be executed with the help of a command line interpreter. To restart the Windows Explorer using the batch file check the steps provided below.

Step 1: Launch the Notepad application from the Windows Start menu:

Step 2: Type the mentioned lines of code:

taskkill /f /im explorer.exestart explorer.exeexit

Step 3: Press Ctrl + S to save the file.

Step 4: Select the file location, add the .Bat extension along with the name, set the file type, and hit Save:

Step 5: Double-click the batch file to open. This will restart the Windows Explorer:

The screen will turn black for half a second when the batch file is launched.

Method 7: Restart Windows Explorer Using the Exit Explorer Feature on the Taskbar (Not on Windows 11)

Another method to restart the Windows Explorer is through Taskbar’s Exit Feature. This feature allows the users to exit Windows Explorer instantly. To restart the Windows Explorer using the Exit Feature of Taskbar check the steps provided below.

Step 1: Press and hold the Ctrl + Shift keys, right-click on the Taskbar, and select Exit Explorer:

Step 2: Press Windows + X to open the Quick Access Menu and select File Explorer:

Method 8: Restart Windows Explorer Using Run Application

Lastly, the Run application can also be used to restart Windows Explorer. The Run command opens the application or file on Windows instantly. To restart Windows Explorer using the Run application check the steps provided below.

Step 1: End the Windows Explorer using Task Manager (Check Method 2).

Step 2: Press Windows + R to open the Run application. Type explorer.exe and hit Enter:

Conclusion

Press and hold the Ctrl + Shift key, right-click on the Taskbar, and select Exit Explorer. Press Windows + X to open the Quick Access Menu and select File Explorer to restart Windows Explorer. Additionally, the Windows Explorer can also be restarted using Taskbar, Command Prompt, batch file, exit feature, or Run application. Read the above article to learn the practical way of restarting Windows Explorer using several methods.