Windows 11--most recently opened Explorer window keeps popping up into the foreground

Anonymous
2023-01-01T17:15:47+00:00

About a month ago Windows Explorer started the annoying habit of routinely moving its most recently opened window into the foreground. Is there a way to stop it from doing this?

For example, I'll open an Explorer window to open a file into another application, and a few minutes later, for no apparent reason, Windows Explorer will interrupt the application by popping its Explorer window into the foreground. The same thing will happen when watching a video: a minute or two into watching the video and the most recently opened Explorer window will move into the foreground interrupting the video.

The only way to stop this behavior is to close all Explorer windows while watching a video or working in another application. Annoying as heck. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Microsoft Windows 11 Home Version 10.0.22621 Build 22621

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-01-15T16:18:20+00:00

    My Onedrive was turned off long before this problem began, so I don't think it is related.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-01-16T01:18:53+00:00

    Hi Pauliiine,

    Have you tried the solution I offered to repair the system using ISO image files?

    Best regards,

    Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-01-16T03:44:47+00:00

    Hi!

    No, I haven't tried your solution. Too complicated for me to try on my own and Microsoft no longer has live help available by phone. I guess I'll have to wait until Microsoft fixes it with an update.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-01-16T06:49:13+00:00

    I'll try that and will report back

    Edit: After following the advice and letting it sit idle for three hours (Brave Browser full screen in the foreground and Explorer in the background), it DIDN'T pop to the foreground. Now I'll work on my Computer and we'll see what happens 🤞

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-01-16T17:36:34+00:00

    I have 2 computers, one desktop at home running windows 11 22H2 and one laptop at work running win 11 22H2 (clean install).

    This one issue happens on both of my computers at completely random times, so i am unable to get any video out of it when it happens.

    I can be working on my laptop and then suddenly explorer is in the foreground and breaks my concentration.

    I can be at home gaming and stalking a few other people and then the explorer goes into the foreground and minimizes my game and gets me killed.

    This is a problem i have had ever since i installed 22H2 on my computers.

    My desktop is an custom built (pretty old now) i7 9900k, GTX 1080, 64GB RAM.

    My laptop is an Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 2 20X100HLMX (16GB RAM).

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    10+ people found this answer helpful.
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