Microsoft File Explorer Issues for Windows 11 24H2, company confirms

Microsoft has officially recognized a set of bugs affecting File Explorer after the Windows 11 version 24H2 update. Problems including ones that affect the usability of the application include, among other things, the address bar covering content when File Explorer is in full-screen view. Thus, crucial icons like Home and Gallery become inaccessible.

File Explorer Bugs

Another notable problem is with the “See more” or “More options” menus that appear at the top of the screen instead of immediately below the cursor, which is not very intuitive. Also, some menu items become completely inaccessible when the application is in full-screen mode, which further complicates the navigation.

Aside from those visual and functional problems, there are other issues that users have reported as frustrating. For example, the mouse cursor disappears when interacting with text input fields, e.g., when renaming a file or a folder. There is also a delay in loading the top bar of File Explorer, which results in the poor performance of the application.

The address bar does not alway work, as users expected; have users reported that cannot they always were unable their to way create to new directory folders.These issues were also reported by Windows Latest, which further shows how widespread the impact is on users.

Microsoft Fix with 24H2 update

Microsoft has stated that these issues are being worked on, and fixes are now in development. Some initial fixes have been backported to the Beta Channel build of Windows 11 version 23H2. These fixes are expected to be released to version 24H2 users in future updates; therefore,

Microsoft is actively working on these issues. However, until these fixes are fully released, users will have to find ways to work around these bugs in the meantime.

As a temporary fix, Microsoft has suggested that users should not use File Explorer in full-screen mode and instead use windowed mode. Also, by using the File Explorer window, it is possible to access some of the menu options that were otherwise inaccessible. Furthermore, relying on keyboard shortcuts can serve as a more reliable method of interacting with File Explorer in the meantime.

Microsoft has announced that it will issue the first security update for Windows 11 in 2025, on January 14. This update is to include fixes for some of the File Explorer problems mentioned, which should lead to an improved experience shortly.