Windows 10: Windows Explorer hangs when accessing Office files

Hi,


I have a strange issue with Windows Explorer. If I try to access an Office file only tried Word and Excel files then Explorer hangs and requires a restart via Task Manager. I have tried a number of other file types and they are OK. A reboot of the PC did not stop the problem.


Even simply right-clicking on the files in Explorer will make Explorer hang.

Similar files on other PCs are affected when attempting to access them via a network drive.


I can open the files if I start Word or Excel first and access them via Recent files or even using the Explorer-like Browse option.


I am using Windows 10 version 1903.


Any help or advice gratefully received.


Thanks

John

:)

 

Windows 10 Tweaks

Pressing “Windows+Pause Break” (it’s up there next to scroll lock) opens the “System” Window.

Windows 10: In the new version of Windows, Explorer has a section called Quick Access. This includes your frequent folders and recent files. Explorer defaults to opening this page when you open a new window. If you’d rather open the usual This PC, with links to your drives and library folders, follow these steps:

• Open a new Explorer window.
• Click View in the ribbon.
• Click Options.
• Under General, next to “Open File Explorer to:” choose “This PC.”
• Click OK

credit to Lifehacker.

 

File explorer hangs

Sorry I got nothing more to suggest then.

File explorer hanging is an image issue. So if you can't do a repair upgrade or reset your PC then you can contact microsoft support directly to see if they have further steps but I am sure they are going to tell the same thing i did.

 

File Explorer hangs at startup (until reboot)


After using Windows 10 for a few hours I find that File Explorer hangs when I open it - it tries to display the Quick Access items, but never completes - I just see "Working on it..." in the preview pane. If I click on "This PC" in the left pane it also hangs with the same message. If I type an address directly into the address bar (e.g. "c:") it will display immediately.

If I open a File Explorer window shortly after rebooting, and leave it open the whole time I can continue to select any entry from the left pane APART FROM "Quick Access" and "This PC", which hang with the message above.

If I open a new File Explorer window after a few hours I only see the "Working on it..." message, and the left pane contains only these top-level items:
- Quick Access (with no sub-items)
- Desktop
- This PC (with no sub-items)
- Homegroup (with no sub-items).

This doesn't happen when the machine is first booted, and only seems to start happening after a few hours. If I reboot the problem corrects itself.

My initial thought was that there was something on my Quick Access list (e.g. a network share) which was inaccessible, and hence causing it to hang, but I can access every one of the folders in my Quick Access list from my "original" File Explorer window if I leave it open for the entire session.

Any ideas for how to fix this?