Explorer.exe randomly taking focus - Windows 11

Anonymous
2023-02-08T00:52:23+00:00

Firstly, I've been using my same PC for 3 years (minus a few upgrades, graphics card etc) on windows 10 and never ever had this issue.

Recently I had the pop up saying I'm eligible to upgrade to Windows 11 - Cool, why not.

So I've been using windows 11 for a couple of weeks now and I'm enjoying it... apart from one VERY annoying issue I'm having.

When playing a fullscreen application (or borderless window, it doesnt matter) It will randomly minimize itself to start bar, the same kind of action If I were to Alt-Tab out of it.

This isn't an issue with any one program, it can happen in any game I'm playing, or even just fullscreen applications I leave running, such as Heaven benchmark or other benchmarking programs.

Its not an accidental press of windows key or anything daft like that, It even happens when gaming with a PS5 controller, hands nowhere near the desk.

This can happen within a minute or 2 of playing a game, or sometimes go as long as 20 minutes without happening, but it WILL happen and will repeat itself periodically.

I figured somehow another window is taking focus out of my game and tabbing to it, but no other window or notification etc actually pops up, I'm just left staring at my desktop.

I managed to find a program online someone created which logs which windows are in focus in order, so using this program I was able to determine that when im gaming and this happens, the window taking focus is 'Explorer.exe'. which is suspiciously the same thing that is in focus if I just click on my background on my desktop from another program. Its essentially like my PC is just tabbing itself to desktop for no reason.

As mentioned above, ive not had this issue ever in 3 years with windows 10 and its only started happening when upgrading to windows 11 so clearly something new or different is causing this.

Things ive already tried... Disabling notifications, Turning on/off 'Game Mode'. Changing power plans. Disabling 'minimize when a second monitor is plugged in or removed.

None of these have solved this. At this point im thinking of just reverting back to windows 10 for now.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-12-09T11:01:18+00:00

    I have been using focus.exe to identify the cause. It told me that explorer.exe is doing it. I am on Windows 11 Pro. with 24H2.

    It was very clear:

    10816:C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe | Mon 09 December 10:06:27
    7208:C:\Windows\explorer.exe | Mon 09 December 10:06:49
    12716:C:\Windows\System32\ApplicationFrameHost.exe | Mon 09 December 10:06:52
    10816:C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe | Mon 09 December 10:06:56
    7208:C:\Windows\explorer.exe | Mon 09 December 10:07:00
    12716:C:\Windows\System32\ApplicationFrameHost.exe | Mon 09 December 10:07:00
    10816:C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe | Mon 09 December 10:07:09
    7208:C:\Windows\explorer.exe | Mon 09 December 10:07:14
    10816:C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe | Mon 09 December 10:07:18
    7208:C:\Windows\explorer.exe | Mon 09 December 10:07:40

    By the way, focus.exe and focus-monitor.exe appear to be clones of each other. Only bother with one of them.

    So, I did the obvious and closed Explorer.exe, and it stopped. I was pleased, then I had left focus.exe running, and saw that Explorer.exe was still stealing focus. If explorer isn't open, something is using it, and giving it focus, just for a fraction of a second. It only does this while I am doing something else, like typing an email. or a chat on Whatsapp for PC, or typing this message.

    Note: If I Alt-Tab to look at/switch to a different window it uses Explorer.exe, so it pops up in focus.exe. You need to pay attention in order not to get false positives.

    Bad Microsoft.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-11-24T02:29:47+00:00

    I just started having this same issue in the last month or so. I first found the issue when Farming Simulator 25 released because I couldn't play more than 10 minutes without it losing focus and eventually closing with absolutely nothing in the FS25 log.txt file!! I'm still having this issue. I have an amd processor and gpu on this computer and when I ran the logger it was showing that the AMD software was taking focus. Once I closed that (forced close through task manager) it started telling me that explorer and DWM.exe were both taking focus randomly and I can't manage my mods in American Truck Simulator without it losing focus and closing with nothing in the ATS log.txt file. I'm so pissed off and frustrated!! I even went back 1 version of the AMD Radeon software and it didn't make a difference!! Microsoft sucks at fixing things!! If I didn't already have everything set up on windows I would already be on Linux because I've never seen a Linux version have the issues that MS does and they also don't have the security issues!! Microsoft, you need to fix this, believe me, as a developer and gamer, this is a MAJOR ISSUE and needs to be fixed ASAP!! I also find it funny that Microsoft hasn't replied to the OP in over a year!! I don't know if they ever got theirs fixed but there's proof in 220 posts that it's a MAJOR ISSUE!!

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-10-10T00:51:22+00:00

    I have started having this issue over the past couple of weeks aswell and looking for a fix.
    I have been on Windows-11 the past year, and it has onlyt started happening.
    I have only noticed it when playing Fortnite (probably because I cannot aim and have to click the window before I can play again).
    It is definitely explorer taking the focus, as I used Window Focus Logger whilst gaming to find the culprit (the specific log is posted below in imgur). https://imgur.com/nbM9Ar7
    I     am going to try the fix of "launch folder windows in a seperate process".

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-10-06T12:06:59+00:00

    Trouble is, this is my main PC, and I have a lot of stuff as I like it. I am thinking of making it dual boot with 10 & 11 so that I can gradually migrate. You never know, Sod's Law, while I am doing it MS may get off their comfortably-upholstered buttocks and do something.

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-10-06T03:29:18+00:00

    I just downgraded to Windows 10 and I couldn't be happier. It fixed this annoying issue.

    Games are working perfectly now.

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