File Explorer Freezing, Crashing After Windows 10 November 2019 Update

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Dora's going to have to do some exploring on her own for a while. Windows Latest today reported that the Windows 10 November 2019 Update, which offered few new features but was supposed to bring improved performance to the operating system, has caused multiple problems with the built-in File Explorer utility for some users.

The first issue results in File Explorer freezing and sometimes crashing when using the new unified search experience that debuted with the Windows 10 November 2019 Update. Windows Latest said the "search bar becomes unresponsive when users search for files, documents or pictures." (Which leaves, well, diddly squat.)

The second issue prevents Windows users from right-clicking in File Explorer. That might not seem like too big a deal, but for people who regularly paste queries into the search field or perform actions right from the search results instead of hopping into another window, the inability to right-click might be a bit of a deal-breaker.

Windows Latest reported that people can use some keyboard shortcuts, such as CTRL-V, in File Explorer. It's not perfect, though. Some users reported that the utility becomes unresponsive for a few seconds when they use keyboard shortcuts to paste text into the search field--a basic action people have been doing for ages.

There don't currently appear to be any workarounds for these problems--people who install the Windows 10 November 2019 Update simply have to accept the possibility of experiencing issues with File Explorer. With the Windows 10 update just recently being pushed to people via Update Assistant, that could become a problem.

Nathaniel Mott
Freelance News & Features Writer

Nathaniel Mott is a freelance news and features writer for Tom's Hardware US, covering breaking news, security, and the silliest aspects of the tech industry.

  • razorwindmo46
    No issue here. Maybe the people with the problem are the ones that moved their user files to another drive?
    Reply