Folders/Files no desktop not opening? This article contains nine simple solutions to the problem of desktop files that would not open or start.
“When I boot up my computer today, I am unable to view any of the folders I have made on my desktop. I press the button, but nothing occurs. The screen may occasionally flicker and then return to the desktop, however, files and folders won’t open. I tried right-clicking and selecting open, but the same thing happened. What happened? How to fix this problem?”
--From Microsoft Community
As our scenario shows, some users find files on desktop not opening after double-clicking, or File Explorer can’t open files. This is not an uncommon problem. When you look up this issue on the internet, you will notice that many people are troubled by it. This problem always occurs when anything is amiss with your computer's system files. It may also occur after making modifications to your PC.
To assist you in resolving the problem, we have compiled a list of relevant remedies and included them in this post.
Step 1. Click the search icon from the taskbar. Then, search for Control Panel and select Control Panel from the search result to open it.
Step 2. Select Troubleshooting to continue.
Step 3. On the next page, click View all from the left panel to continue.
Step 4. The following page displays all accessible troubleshooters. To execute it, click System Maintenance and then the Next button on the pop-up window. Please follow the on-screen instructions to locate and resolve problems.
Step 1. Click the search bar in the taskbar and search for cmd.
Step 2. Right-click Command Prompt from the search result and select Run as Administrator.
Step 3. Type sfc /scannow into Command Prompt and press Enter to run the command.
On a Windows 10/11 computer, you can run the inbox Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool prior to running the System File Checker.
Run the following command in Command Prompt:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /restorehealth
If no errors on your PC, then the problem might be the file selective ways.
Step 1. Press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer and select a folder at random.
Step 2. Under the “View” tab, click the “Folder Options” button.
Step 3. In the Folder Options window, click General > Double-click to open an item (single-click to select) > OK.
If you never set the mouse speed correctly, Windows 10 won't open files/folders.
Step 1. Type “Mouse settings” in the search bar on your PC and hit “Enter” to open it.
Step 2. Go to Mouse Settings and click the “Addition mouse options” at the bottom.
Step 3. Locate the Double-click speed section. Then adjust the indicator at a fast speed. Please click “OK” to close the window.
If you encounter the "files on desktop not opening" issue, it is possible that some keys in the Login Profile have been changed. You must edit the Login Profile to remedy the aforementioned issue.
Please keep in mind that changing the Login Profile is dangerous and may impair the regular operation of your system. Ensure that all important files are adequately backed up.
Step 1. Type “Regedit” in the search bar and hit “Enter” to open it.
Step 2. Go to the Regedit Editor window and locate HKEY-CURRENT-USER\Control Panel\Mouse in the left panel.
Step 3. Find “DoubleClickHeight” and “DoubleClickWidth” on the right. Then change the numerical data of these two keys.
The preceding section discussed how to resolve the issue of files on desktop not opening. Another possible reason that makes users can’t open files/folders on PC is that the target files are removed or missing by your system. Usually, this happens after you update your OS, or some other operations trigger some unknown settings that modify some data files, which affects common data files you saved.
If this happens, don’t worry, you can use AOMEI FastRecovery to recover these files/folders. This handy tool can scan your disk to find the original path, filename, and format for the lost files.
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.