Help in File Explorer - Microsoft Support (2024)

FAQs

How do I search for help in Windows File Explorer? ›

Tap or click to open File Explorer. Search looks in all folders and subfolders within the library or folder you're viewing. When you tap or click inside the search box, the Search Tools tab appears. As you enter your search terms, your results will start to appear with your search terms highlighted.

Search for help - Enter a question or keywords in the search box on the taskbar to find apps, files, settings, and get help from the web. support.microsoft.com - Head over to support.microsoft.com/windows to find answers to more complex problems, browse support content in different categories, and contact support.

If you want to reset general settings, click General > Restore Defaults. To reset search settings, go to the Search tab and then hit Restore Defaults.

Right-click on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen and click Task Manager. Alternatively, you can press the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys at the same time and select Task Manager. Click More details. Find and click Windows Explorer, and click Restart in the lower right corner.

The help command is a Command Prompt command that's used to provide more information on another command. You can use the help command at any time to learn more about a command's usage and syntax, like which options are available and how to actually structure the command to use its various options.

If your search options are misconfigured, File Explorer won't be able to use its search function properly. This happens if the option to search file names and contents is disabled. You might've turned it off yourself, or a third-party program might have done it for you. Luckily, this setting is easy to turn back on.

Press Win + E to open File Explorer. Click File in the top-left corner. Finally, select Change folder and search options to access the Folder Options.

More support options

This service is free. Get help and support, whether you're shopping now or need help with a past purchase.

You can also access Help from the File menu. In any Office app, click File and in the top right corner, click the familiar ? button. Or use the F1 function key anytime to open the Help Viewer window for the Office app you are working on.

Microsoft Help Viewer installation

Open Visual Studio Installer from the Start menu or, if you have Visual Studio open, you can choose Tools > Get Tools and Features to open Visual Studio Installer. Choose the Individual Components tab, then select Help Viewer under the Code tools section.

How do I access the help on my computer? ›

Windows 10 operating system

Type and search [Get Help] in the Windows search bar①, and then click [Open]②. Describe the question you would like to ask③. Microsoft will reply the appropriate answer based on your question.

Get Help, known as Contact Support before the Windows 10 Creators Update, is a built-in interface for communicating with Microsoft customer service employees over the Internet. The opening screen requests that the user specify a product and explain a problem with it.

Conflict with Third-Party Apps: Conflict with third-party apps installed on your system can also cause File Explorer to stop responding. Sometimes, these apps may interfere with the normal functioning of File Explorer. Faulty Hard Drive: If you have a faulty hard drive, it can cause File Explorer to stop responding.

File Explorer history: Besides the cache created by your system or from other resources, File Explorer also maintains its own cache. You can also clear it to improve performance or free up disk space. Just go to View tab and click Options in the ribbon. In the General tab, click Clear button in Privacy section.

Most likely either an application was installed or an update occurred and that is causing the error. If you can identify what it is then remove it and confirm Explorer is stable again. The next thing to do might be to run in safe mode for a while. Try to replicate the problem.