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
    2023-09-26T06:17:32+00:00

    aww you must have missed my post that says 23H2 pretty much is expected to fix this issue back in June 15, 2023

    Was back on Page 21 I think, pretty buried now ;-)

    Normal people usually only read first and last page, sometimes 2 and 3.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-09-28T06:40:53+00:00

    The OP and most comments here are about an already-open File Explorer window coming from the background to the foreground. But in my case, I don't even use File Explorer (I have Directory Opus Pro) - at random, something (Windows?) will actually launch File Explorer. Is that the same bug or something different? It seems to do it in spurts - one day it will do it several times, and then not do it at all for days or even weeks. No, I'm not hitting any hotkeys - when it happened just now, I was watching a YouTube video in Firefox and not even touching the computer.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-09-28T07:23:59+00:00

    The OP and most comments here are about an already-open File Explorer window coming from the background to the foreground. But in my case, I don't even use File Explorer (I have Directory Opus Pro) - at random, something (Windows?) will actually launch File Explorer. Is that the same bug or something different? It seems to do it in spurts - one day it will do it several times, and then not do it at all for days or even weeks. No, I'm not hitting any hotkeys - when it happened just now, I was watching a YouTube video in Firefox and not even touching the computer.

    I am not aware of File Explorer being opened as part of this issue. Our issue is specifically an existing File Explorer window (or windows) being granted unwanted focus.

    The issues might still be related - perhaps Directory Opus Pro uses File Explorer under the hood - but given you're not using File Explorer and your symptoms are different, you would be best to report your issue separately. Possibly to GPSoftware, too.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-09-28T09:09:36+00:00

    Directory Opus does call the same underlying functions as File Explorer, which could be described as using File Explorer under the hood in a sense. But when the random event happens, my always-open DOpus window does not come to the front - Microsoft's File Explorer GUI launches separately, with "Home" as the path showing.

    Yes, I can ask GP Software about it. But since it is not their program that is doing anything, I thought I should ask the Microsoft forum first. Thanks for the clarification about the bug you guys are dealing with.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-09-28T19:54:07+00:00

    I'm having a similar issue to this, but with the new Photos update that just installed for me in the last couple days. Any time I open a new image from Explorer, it opens all the image windows that I have and brings them to the foreground, even if they're minimized or behind other windows.

    Obnoxious and extremely intrusive. I often need multiple images open in the background and to open new ones here and there without everything coming to the front and getting completely in the way.

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