Windows 10: How to restart explorer.exe without losing opened windows

How can I restart explorer.exe process without losing the opened windows just like it does when I reboot my PC or simply logout.
I've set the option so windows are restored when I login.
I've tried the tutorial here about it but it didn't work. explorer.exe restarted but the windows didn't restore after it restarted.

How can I restart explorer.exe without losing the opened windows?

:)

 

Small Start Menu icons cut in half vertically

This is happening to me too, I don't know how to prevent it but you can fix it without restarting your computer by opening task manager and restarting explorer.exe

 

File Explorer crash when creating new folder

I tried clean boot but it still crashing.

I also tried safe mod and it still crashing.

I debug explorer.exe with visual studio and this is the output window content:

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'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\msftedit.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\ink\tiptsf.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\UIRibbon.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

The thread 0x17b0 has exited with code 0 (0x0).

The thread 0x120c has exited with code 0 (0x0).

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\WorkFoldersShell.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\nvshext.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\Display\nvui.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\comdlg32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\winspool.drv'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\msimg32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\globinputhost.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\Windows.Globalization.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\Windows.Storage.Search.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\samcli.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\credui.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\oobe\UserOOBE.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\UserMgrProxy.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\WorkFoldersShell.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\smartscreenps.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\OneCoreUAPCommonProxyStub.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\CloudExperienceHostCommon.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\msimg32.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\comdlg32.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\winspool.drv'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\Display\nvui.dll'

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\igfxDTCM.dll'. Module was built without symbols.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\samcli.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\igfxDH.dll'. Module was built without symbols.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\igfxLHM.dll'. Module was built without symbols.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Unloaded 'C:\Windows\System32\shacct.dll'

The thread 0x1b14 has exited with code 0 (0x0).

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\igfxDI.dll'. Module was built without symbols.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\d3d10_1.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\opengl32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\d3d10_1core.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\glu32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\ddraw.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dciman32.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

The thread 0x1684 has exited with code 0 (0x0).

The thread 0x1588 has exited with code 0 (0x0).

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wscinterop.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wscapi.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wscui.cpl'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\werconcpl.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\framedynos.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\wer.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\hcproviders.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\Windows.System.Launcher.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\WpPortingLibrary.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

'explorer.exe' (Win32): Loaded 'C:\Windows\System32\dsclient.dll'. Cannot find or open the PDB file.

Exception thrown at 0x00007FFC8B409FDF (windows.storage.dll) in explorer.exe: 0xC00000FD: Stack overflow (parameters: 0x0000000000000001, 0x0000000004E83E60).

Unhandled exception at 0x00007FFC8B409FDF (windows.storage.dll) in explorer.exe: 0xC00000FD: Stack overflow (parameters: 0x0000000000000001, 0x0000000004E83E60).

Exception thrown at 0x00007FFC8B409FDF (windows.storage.dll) in explorer.exe: 0xC0000005: Access violation writing location 0x0000000004E80EF0.

Unhandled exception at 0x00007FFC8B409FDF (windows.storage.dll) in explorer.exe: 0xC0000005: Access violation writing location 0x0000000004E80EF0.

The program '[8892] explorer.exe' has exited with code 0 (0x0).

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I think file explorer freezes because of that Stack overflow error

 

You can't. Either you're restarting the Explorer shell or you're not. Login is a different scenario.

 

Depending on, what you are trying to achieve, the other option would be to use an alternative file manager.
You can restart it without closing explorer's windows, but not via a command, that would close all explorer processes, but via a task manager, like option one. But at first you have to separate it. Run CMD and copy/paste:


reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer" /v "DesktopProcess" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /v "SeparateProcess" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f

 

Login may be a different thing. I just mentioned that so I could remove that case out of the equation of whom would help. It wasn't meant as if I had done a step to complete it.

I already have those two set to 1. Thank you regardless.

My objective is to restart all explorer.exe processes in one go and then start them again with all windows as it was afterwards.
One of the main objectives here is for software installations that require explorer.exe to be turned off while they install but it is definitely not limited to that use-case.

 

You can always hit Ctrl-Alt-Esc to launch Task Manager, then type "explorer.exe" into the "Run new task" item from the File menu. I've used this many times to relaunch File Explorer/Explorer after killing it (or losing it) for various reasons. But that doesn't put you back where you started your old Explorer processes from, even if it is a viable way to (re)start the program when Explorer itself is out of action (and all the shell stuff that goes with it).
HTH,
--Ed--

 

Thanks for trying but I already knew that one...

 

@brunoais :
Perhaps you should try something like 'Clover' File Explorer, that way you could Exit Explorer, by way of Ctrl/Shift/Right Click on the taskbar, and keep all your current windows open in tabs: