Can't create new folder in Windows 10 explorer

After a long time without any issues, my Windows 10 PC started to have trouble when creating new folders. Whenever I try to do it in explorer windows, be it through right-clicking or Ctrl+shift+n, the cursor shows its loading animation and explorer crashes. However when doing it on the desktop, through either method, the folder is created just fine. Can someone help me solve this problem?

dalchina said:

Hello, welcome to tenforums.

The standard approaches:
1. Does this work in Safe Mode?
If it does, Windows isn't broken and you have sthg installed which conflicts with explorer.

2. Resolving conflicts with explorer in normal mode.
a. Clean boot:
Clean Boot - Perform in Windows 10 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts - Windows 10 Forums
b. Use Shellexview (freeware) to disable shell extensions.
Download, install, run; hide all MS extensions. Disable all others.
If Win 10 = 64bit also check the 32 bit option in ShellexView.

No need to log off.

Retest.

Thanks! I noticed everything was working fine in safe mode, so I followed these steps and now everything is back to normal. Thanks again!

cvsbr said:

After a long time without any issues, my Windows 10 PC started to have trouble when creating new folders. Whenever I try to do it in explorer windows, be it through right-clicking or Ctrl+shift+n, the cursor shows its loading animation and explorer crashes. However when doing it on the desktop, through either method, the folder is created just fine. Can someone help me solve this problem?

i don't know if you resolved this issue, but for the sake of other people, most of the advice i have found on this issue has NOT been effective.

the ONLY method that worked for me was to manually edit the registry entry.
it is true that it is not always a good idea to do this, HOWEVER, in this case the intructions are so simple, a child can do it.

IMPORTANT: follow these instructions very closely (i have made them very clear!)

1. a) open "regedit" by going to "search the web and windows" on bottom left of your desktop screen.
b) usually at the top of results you should see a blue icon "regedit".
c) right click and run as administrator.

2. a) regedit will open (normally on my system, by default, it opens minimized to taskbar at bottom of screen)
b) when you expand or open regedit, you wil see a list of folders on the left menu.
(if you don't see a list, then click the arrow beside "Computer")
c) you are looking for the folder HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (see screenshots i've posted with this reply)
d)click the little arrow beside it to expand it to see it's subfolders.
e) look quite far down (after all the ones with "." at the start) till you see the one called Directory.



3. expand "Directory" the same way as above. click the little arrow.
b) inside you see "shellex",and below that "ContextMenueHandlers"
c) right click on "ContextMenueHandlers" and choose "new", then click "key".
d) a new folder will appear with "New Key #1" highlighted in blue as soon as you clikc "new"


COPY AND PASTE THIS KEY INTO IT:
{D969A300-E7FF-11d0-A93B-00A0C90F2719}

f) you should now see the new folder under "ContextMenuHandlers". you can now close regedit. (mine was fine at time of writing these instruction, so the new folder is already visible in my screenshots)

do a restart just to make sure it has fully gone through... and BINGO! it is fully fixed without having to install any software or do safe mode and lots of other timely "fixes" that generally never work, whereas this WILL work.

THIS IS THE DEFAULT SETTING that should HAVE BEEN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE THAT SOMEHOW, WHETHER YOUR FAULT OR A RELEASE "BUG" has been changed.
it is a good idea to keep a copy of these intructions.

any further questions just message me.