Downloads folder not responding will impede users to access the files. You can learn how to how to fix downloads folder not responding and recover data if the error causes data loss.
By default, all downloaded files are saved in the Downloads folder. Several customers have noticed that the download folder in Windows 10 is not responding. It's typically a hint that there are some problems with File Explorer. And you must resolve this issue fast since you may lose access to all of your files and folders.
Worse, this problem might be caused by file corruption or just a lack of memory as a result of many programs being open at the same time.
Some users might not be clear about “where is my downloads folder”. Normally, this folder is in “This PC” and you can directly access it in the main window. If you find that you can’ open the Downloads folder, the possible reasons might be:
In addition, too much-accumulated content can also trigger abnormal processing leading to Downloads folder not responding error. In this situation, File Explorer slows on unresponsive.
No matter what causes your Windows 10 Download folder not to respond, the key is how to solve this issue, and if this error causes data loss in your folder, how can you recover them? Therefore, in this part, we’ll teach you some methods to fix the Downloads folder not responding.
The problem is most likely not with the Downloads folder, but with the File Explorer itself. If the folder no longer responds, the File Explorer may also freeze. As a result, you'd have to restart Windows Explorer using Task Management.
Step 1. Right-click on the Taskbar, and select Task Manager.
Step 2. Locate the Windows Explorer process, right-click on it
Step 3. Click on Restart.
You can run DISM and SFC scans to repair corrupted file systems on C drive because the command utilities can repair any corrupted file systems.
Step 1. Click the Start button, type cmd, and select Run as administrator from the results.
Step 2. Input DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth command and press Enter to run it.
Step 3. After the scan finishes, paste the sfc /scannow command in Command Prompt and press Enter.
Step 4. Restart Windows after the scan.
If the Windows 10 download folder not responding problem is not caused by damaged file systems, it is most likely caused by bad sectors on your machine. The next program you should use is CHKDSK to scan for and repair any corrupted sectors on Windows.
Step 1. Press Wins + S together to open the Search menu.
Step 2. Type CMD and run Command Prompt as administrator.
Step 3. Type in the command: chkdsk G: /f /r /x, replace G: with the drive letter of your hard drive or disk where the Downloads folder is located, and press Enter to start the process.
Step 1. Right-click on the Downloads folder and choose Properties.
Step 2. Go to the Customize section and choose Documents from the Optimized folder for the menu.
Step 3. Tick the Also apply this template to all subfolders option and press Apply.
You can also use Registry Editor to modify some settings to fix Downloads folder not responding, but it is a bit complex for new users, and it may necessitate your complete attention because altering the Registry incorrectly might result in major problems.
Step 1. Press the Windows key + R to start a Run window, type regedit, and hit Enter or click OK.
Step 2. Navigate to the following Registry path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
Step 3. Delete the subkeys Bags and BagsMRU subkeys under Shell.
Step 4. Right-click on Shell and select New, then Key to recreate the Bags subkey.
Step 5. Right-click the newly created Bags and select New and Key to create a new AllFolders subkey. And under AllFolders, create a new key and name it Shell.
Step 6. If you’ve followed the steps correctly, you should have the following path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell
Step 7. Right-click on the right pane, select New and String Value, and name it FolderType.
Step 8. Double-click FolderType and set its value to NotSpecified, then click OK.
Lastly, restart your PC for the changes to take effect and see if the Downloads folder is working now.
The above 5 methods are for you to fix the downloads folder not responding. However, if you find that some files are missing after you fix this error, don’t worry, you can use the data retrieval tool to restore those lost files.
AOMEI FastRecovery has a “Recover Data” function to help you. It can restore more than 200+ types of files like lost Word, Excel, audio, etc from NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, and ReFS file systems. No matter HDD, USB, SD cards, and other storage devices, users can see all lost files in a clear window after scanning.
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data lost and click Scan.
Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.
Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".
Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.
Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovering ends.
Is the Downloads folder in Windows 10 not responding? don't worry, this post provides four viable options for you. Hope the 5 ways we list in this post can help you solve the issue.