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

Back up the comments a ways, there is a post that will walk you through replicating the process. It is related to a Group Policy update that happens every so often. It is the most common cause amongst the people in here.

Thanks, James. I haven't sorted through to look for it yet, but is there a solution, or is it just that the reason has been identified and we are all waiting for the solution?

In short: Newly created explorer windows is affected, if a explorer window already have popped to the front it is then "safe".

Issue happens on gpupdate, which runs automatically every x minutes (think it was 90, or so), can be executed with command gpupdate /force.

Even though it is an group policy update issue, it works on AD and non AD computers.

Current solution: Close all explorer windows you are not using.

Glad to see you all found the group policy trigger - I came here and read through all of this to see if it had been reported yet. I've been dealing with this across multiple computers on 3 different AD domains for months now and only discovered that cause this morning. 23H2 can't come soon enough.

I was going crazy dealing with this issue until I did a search and stumbled here to find it's a known bug. It happens often. Any possibility of a fix? (◔_◔)

I also have this problem since about one month. Two colleagues of mine have it too.

It really suprises me how old this thread is. This bug can mess up my stuff pretty bad. That is unacceptable...

True. Whenever I need to use Zoom or online video conferencing applications, I need to remember to close all explorer windows - just to avoid them popping up during zoom etc meets. This is especially necessary if we're hosting running through a presentation.

First, I have to CLOSE (get rid of) all EXISTING windows explorer windows. So absolutely NO explorer windows running at all.

Once every single explorer window is removed (closed) - ie. no windows explorer windows in the background at all, I then start up an explorer window (fresh one). It is only then - a "gpupdate /force" will consistently bring the explorer window to the foreground.

Excellent work everybody. You have nailed it.

The procedure of closing all existing windows explorer windows was conveyed by Diplocaulus already.

If not already added, then I will just add that the multiple explorer pop-up situation can be reproduced using the same method. The only extra thing to do is to close all windows explorer windows to start with. Then open one explorer window to start with. Then right-click on any existing directory in that explorer window, and choose 'open in new window'. Do that a few times to get multiple different explorer windows open. And then go into the command window and do the 'gpupdate /force' thing. All of those background explorer windows will pop to the foreground.

FWIW (almost nothing if MSFT isn't even reading these posts), I tried this specific method and am unable to make multiple "File Explorer" windows pop-over with these instructions. Only the first window instance steals foreground/focus during "gpupdate /force."

Thank you