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
    2023-10-17T14:49:51+00:00

    The bug originally surfaced around September 2022. It is scheduled to be "mostly mitigated" in the upcoming 23H2 release, where instead of a popping up a window permanently and stealing focus, it will pop up a window for 1 frame without stealing focus.

    But as a special treat to you, here's my Twitch video clip of the problem from September 2022, where I reported the issue as a Windows Insider. Watch the whole thing. Laugh, if you can. Enjoy :) https://clips.twitch.tv/DrabBoldPizzaVoHiYo-C3prGGlpvipemTHa

    Thanks for sharing. Despite having experienced the issue many times, I think that's the first time I've seen a recording of it.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-10-17T14:32:10+00:00

    I have also lived with this for months now, thought i was imagining things until searched for this very useful thread. Very frustrating getting my excel work interrupted every 10-15 mins.

    Plsss MS ......................fix this ASAP :(

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-10-09T22:18:19+00:00

    Where, oh where has Microsoft gone?

    Oh where, oh where can it be?

    With its support cut short

    And fix times so long

    Oh where, oh where can it be?

    It definitely surprises me that such a significant issue hasn't been removed/fixed yet. An interesting and surprising and unexpected situation.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-10-06T22:40:29+00:00

    Just to provide a little more detail that I feel I have found out today.

    This is on Windows 11 Enterprise 22621.2361 (22H2) which may or may not be the final October Cumulative Update.

    We all know that Group Policy is at the core of this, but by putting a computer into an OU with the absolute minimum polies applies I was able to find that an open File Explorer is brought to the front by a Group Policy refresh IF either of these two causes is true:

    1. You are using any aspect of Group Policy Preference (I tested Files, Folders, Registry - I suspect Drives and Shortcuts would be the same)
    2. There is any change to the applied policies since they were last applied.

    I do note that Microsoft Intune doesn’t ‘do’ Preferences, which I think is partly why Microsoft have been SO unbelievably slow to fix this. Why rush to fix a ‘legacy’ system?

    We can only hope that the final 23H2 build, due sometime before Christmas (maybe?) finally fixes this, but I’m not holding my breath.

    My workaround that I have chosen to go with for my users is to set the refresh rate to 5 hours. Whilst this does not stop the issue it does at least minimise it for them by as much as I feel I can.

    Sam

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-10-02T22:08:05+00:00

    Last touched Explorer windows popup up is happening my Microsoft Surface Studio laptop, my Intel i9 gaming rig at home, and with a brand new, 15 minutes ago clean Windows 11 install on a Lenovo P16. Most annoying. Hoping a new build fixes it.

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