A bug in Windows 11 has been crashing explorer.exe (File Explorer) for some people, but it looks like the company has finally patched it. In a recent post on Feedback Hub, Microsoft confirmed it patched an issue that caused Explorer.exe to stop responding when you try to open File Explorer from the taskbar.
“This should be fixed as of Build 22635.4005,” Microsoft noted in a Feedback Hub post first spotted by Windows Latest.
“As a reminder, there can be different underlying causes for explorer crashes, so please don’t hesitate to file a new piece of feedback if you continue having issues with the latest updates (if possible, please include details about what you were doing when it crashed – even if to say “it seems to just happen randomly”, like this one we just fixed did),” the company added.
The most recent update for Windows 11 is KB5041587 (OS Build 22621.4112 and 22631.4112), and it ships with fixes for explorer.exe crashes. In addition, Microsoft has rolled out accessibility improvements for File Explorer, such as a fix for an issue where a screen reader might say a pane in Explorer is in focus when that is not the case.
Microsoft has also patched an issue that prevents “Ctrl + F” from working. In some cases, users flagged that Ctrl + F does not work as File Explorer refuses to look for the keyword they search for.
The other fixes are mostly related to the basic functionality of File Explorer.
For example, a bug has been fixed where keyboard focus gets lost when you press Shift + Tab.
The remaining two fixes help those who rely on screen readers. The first change addresses an issue where the screen reader does not announce items that you open or browse when working with a breadcrumb of the Open or Save dialog.
Last but not least, another bug has been resolved where screen readers do not recognize items in the column header and fail to announce their names.
Speaking of accessibility changes, Microsoft has confirmed that it has no plans to revert the “black border” in Explorer when selecting the folders or files. The company considers it a feature because it improves accessibility.
Other improvements in recent Windows 11 updates
Microsoft has made several improvements to other areas of Windows 11.
According to the official release notes, you can now easily share files between your mobile and desktop using the Windows Share window. To use this integration, you’re required to pair your Android phone with Windows 11.
The second biggest change in the August 2024 release is better security for the Widgets board.
The APIs have been improved for better security, especially when developers rely on the APIs to build widgets and widgets for EEA regions. If you’re in Europe, you’ll notice that a new app called Microsoft Start now powers the “Microsoft Start widget” and feeds experiences.
These changes are available with the August 2024 Update, but they’ll begin rolling out to everyone on September 10.