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

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-07-26T16:46:13+00:00

    While I feel your pain, Going back to Win 7 is an extreme call. Windows 10 doesn't exhibit the issue, so you could go to 10.

    I'm 100% onboard with everyone else though. File explorer randomly coming into focus is a huge risk. So many things could go wrong. Especially if you are gaming and mashing buttons.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-07-26T15:43:25+00:00

    Well it's not about defiance. It's about having a functioning operating system so people can do their jobs without the risk of accidentally deleting / removing files. This is untenable. Organizations who have bought in to the MS platform don't have the option to switch to Macs. And Chromebook should never be considered a serious option.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-07-26T15:32:27+00:00

    Fixed. I've downgraded to Windows 7.

    Microsoft is not very interested in this kind of defiance, but you are endangering your own PC by missing security updates. If this is so annoying for you, then a suitable act of defiance would be to switch to a Mac or Chromebook.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-07-26T06:24:44+00:00

    Fixed. I've downgraded to Windows 7.

    I would recommend going back to windows 10 instead, since 7 is out of support and not receiving any security updates while 10 is still in support.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-07-26T04:37:39+00:00

    What can be confirmed: This is a Windows 11 Bug. Unfortunately nothing can be done from your end. This is strictly something Windows needs to fix. The strange part about it is that Windows refuses to address it.
    Even after an update this still happens to not just you and I but every windows 11 user.

    As of right now all you can do is close Windows Explorer when you are using any other application.

    During a live presentation today - not on my own win 11 laptop (which I get this pop-up happening every day), but on a desktop win 11 desktop -- this exact thing happened. The windows explorer background popped to the foreground! During a live presentation. So that happened too - and it wasn't even my own computer.

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