Windows 10: File Explorer crashes after Right Click in Desktop

You know, I've been chasing this same problem for weeks, and one time before. Each time I get a different solution. Currently it is the nvidia cpl context menu extention, a few days ago disabling google stuff fixed it and it came back, and the first time few months back I uninstalled mozilla to solve the equation. And I see all of these other elaborate schemes to fix this problem (none from microsoft of course). The most helpfull device to identify it is this shellexview program. That lets you disable one at a time the programs that may cause this. But why I ask has this so many solutions if it is not somehow related to Windows itself?? I guess it of course be bad programing by the other software products. I just don't know. Just my 1 cent worth.

 

hey everyone

I had the same right click issue, but uninstalling the McAfee antivirus solved not only this problem but two more I had where the "update and security" section under settings was just blank and the one where windows wont connect to group policy Client services.
Everything is solved now *Smile
jus uninstall any third party antivirus guys .....

 

As I posted earlier, I disabled nvidia related file and that fixed my problem. But upon contacting nvidia they pointed out that anything related to the video could point to the video card files. That would make sense. But I just about stopped everything else but that. So not really sure if that was it.

 

Long time lurker. I want to report that I just did an upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. After uninstalling MalwareBytes, Refreshing explorer and opening context menus don't close explorer anymore. Thanks for the tip.

 

I downloaded the ShellExView program and did what Topgundcp said. Found out that "Spybot S&D" made my explorer.exe crash.
My solution to this was pretty easy, since in the program i can just turn off the shell integration and the problem was solved.
Thanks for the help Topgundcp *Biggrin

 

This program does not require installation, just right click and run as Administrator

My problem is right clicking causes the "crash" where Explorer seems to restart.

Turning off all contextual menu items using CCleaner hasn't helped. It seems right-clicking executables and some aliases to them cause the crash while others are fine. Unfortunately, ShellExView is one of the problem applications.

To do a virus scan on a downloaded app I need to place it in a folder - right-clicking it works with Malwarebytes and Avira and avoids the crash where the screen momentarily goes black and Explorer seems to restart.

Maybe going to Win 10 64-bit will help - updated from Win 7 32-bit. It seems carryover "stuff" from earlier installs might be related.

Just thought this info might help in troubleshooting.

 

I finally registered on this forum just to say thanks for this thread! I had a brand-new computer that's done this since we got it, and it has been bugging me like crazy. I finally had time to do some digging on it, found this thread, and got it fixed.

On this PC, I used Nirsoft ShellExView (just cuz I like Nirsoft products), and found extensions for the Open Office software that it came with installed were highlighted. We have MS Office 365 anyway, so I just uninstalled OO, and it's all good now.

Thanks so much!

 

Another way around that is the keyboard shortcut that seems to work fine for whatever reason. Single-click on a program to select it, then press Shift-F10 to bring up the context menu.

 

It was NVIDIA's 'OpenGLShExt Class for me. disabled it and alls well.

 

Fantastic solution. Thanks so much for this !! I've been looking for weeks...
Mine was an Nvidia Shell Extension... {OpenGlShExtClass} Ugh... Now I can get back to work ...

 

Yes... there seem to be a number of 'applications' that can interfere with Windows Explorer. Spybot (unfortunately) seems to be the cause of the difficulties with Windows Explorer (under Windows 10). But Uninstalling wasn't quite the end of the story. Dear old Spybot (no.. actually quite new) also has a 'hidden startup' running in Windows 10 to 'see if it's still there' !!! And it goes through a rigmarole with you on each 'Start' to get you to re-install. Pesky.. little Divil... So... Open up 'Task Manager' (and 'click' the start-up tag) and 'disable' ... "See If Spybot..." entry. Now you are probably free of this nuisance and - for me - Windows Explorer reverted to behaving itself impeccably. Good Luck! For you it might not be Spybot, but some other 'intended useful' piece of software. It's all become far too complicated. DOS is dead, long live the King!

 

Thanks a lot for the tip. It has also solved my issue.
I have first of all filtered all the non Microsoft items and disabled. It has immediately fixed my issue. Thanks again.

 

Greetings and Happy New Year.

Same problem as described. Brand new ASUS for Christmas, wanted to rename some images. Right click and crash. Found this forum. First eliminated AVAST, because seemed a possible suspect and was redundant to Windows Defender. So, was an easy-to-do.
No joy.
Then used the ShellExView. Was not able to disable all context extensions at once. Started with about a dozen. Joy.
Now to determine which one. Started focusing on the new non-organic software. Fonix Phantom PDF was the apparent culprit. After uninstall, no more issues (for now).

THANK YOU.

Take good care,
Sandy

ps: made this profile to provide comment. Thanks again.

 

You're my hero! I've been struggling for 2 weeks.

Thank you for sharing!

I've also made this profile only to thank you.

Happy New Year! *Biggrin

 

I do hope you come back and see this. Just wanted to say eternal thanks for this fix. Unbelievably appropriate. Windows 10 (ASUS R541U, brand new) was having this exact same problem. The guys in the shop thought it was the Microsoft Office 365 installment. It wasn't of course, and I got really really angry with them for selling me a faulty machine. Eventually I find this fix through you at home. Gonna go back to the shop and tell them their business.

Hmmm.... on a further note, when the pinked items are re-enabled one by one, none of them seems to be the culprit and the file explorer works fine until I reboot. Then it's back to square one. If I just leave everything disabled there seems to be no problem. So how to find out which is the culprit?