How to Restart Explorer.exe in Windows 10
If you’re a Windows 10 user and have encountered issues with your system’s performance or appearance, restarting the Explorer.exe process can often resolve these problems. Explorer.exe is the process responsible for managing the graphical user interface of Windows, including the desktop, taskbar, and file explorer. However, sometimes this process can become unresponsive or cause system errors. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to restart Explorer.exe in Windows 10.
Method 1: Restarting Explorer.exe from Task Manager
The Task Manager is a built-in utility in Windows 10 that allows you to monitor and manage processes, including Explorer.exe. Here’s how to restart it using Task Manager:
1. Press `Ctrl + Shift + Esc` to open Task Manager.
2. In the Processes tab, scroll down and find “Windows Explorer” or “explorer.exe.”
3. Right-click on “Windows Explorer” or “explorer.exe” and select “Restart.”
4. A confirmation dialog will appear; click “Restart” to confirm.
Method 2: Restarting Explorer.exe from Command Prompt
If you prefer using the Command Prompt, here’s how to restart Explorer.exe:
1. Press `Win + X` and select “Command Prompt (Admin)” or “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” from the menu.
2. In the Command Prompt or PowerShell window, type the following command and press Enter:
“`
taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
“`
3. You will see a message indicating that the process has been terminated.
4. To restart Explorer.exe, type the following command and press Enter:
“`
start explorer.exe
“`
5. The desktop and taskbar should now reload, indicating that Explorer.exe has been restarted.
Method 3: Restarting Explorer.exe from the Run dialog
The Run dialog is another quick way to restart Explorer.exe in Windows 10:
1. Press `Win + R` to open the Run dialog.
2. Type the following command and press Enter:
“`
taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F
“`
3. You will see a message indicating that the process has been terminated.
4. To restart Explorer.exe, type the following command and press Enter:
“`
start explorer.exe
“`
5. The desktop and taskbar should now reload, indicating that Explorer.exe has been restarted.
Method 4: Restarting Explorer.exe using a third-party tool
If you’re looking for a more user-friendly approach to restart Explorer.exe, you can use a third-party tool like Process Explorer from Sysinternals. This tool provides a comprehensive list of running processes and allows you to easily restart Explorer.exe:
1. Download Process Explorer from the Sysinternals website (https://www.sysinternals.com/tools/process-explorer).
2. Extract the downloaded file and run the “procexp.exe” file.
3. In the Process Explorer window, find “Windows Explorer” or “explorer.exe” in the list of processes.
4. Right-click on “Windows Explorer” or “explorer.exe” and select “Restart.”
5. The desktop and taskbar should now reload, indicating that Explorer.exe has been restarted.
By following these methods, you can easily restart Explorer.exe in Windows 10 and resolve any issues related to the graphical user interface.
