- Windows 11 has been affected by a bug that blocks Explorer.exe
- This means that the main interface essentially disappears.
- Fortunately, Microsoft has implemented a fix, but you will need to install the latest optional update to benefit from it.
Windows 11 has a bug that blocks key parts of the interface for some people, but the good news is that Microsoft has released a fix.
Windows Latest reports that the issue occurred in the January update, but also in previous monthly updates, and causes Explorer.exe, which is the central pillar of the Windows 11 interface, to crash.
If Windows Explorer crashes, this can cause your entire desktop interface to disappear, meaning the taskbar will disappear and you won’t be able to access the Start menu or system tray (or desktop folders).
Restarting Explorer (in Task Manager) is a possible solution, as is restarting the PC, but this is clearly an inconvenient and rather unpleasant error.
This only affects PCs that have certain apps installed, as Microsoft explains in a support document: “This update fixes an issue where Explorer.exe might stop responding (hang) the first time you log in to your PC if certain apps were set as startup apps. This could cause the taskbar to not appear.”
However, the company does not elaborate on which apps could be problematic here.
Analysis: There is a solution, and it should be the first of many
As noted, if you have been suffering from mysterious crashes where the Windows 11 interface has essentially been disappearing, there is now a cure available for this error.
Microsoft has provided a fix in a new optional update that was released a couple of days ago, namely patch KB5074105. You’ll find this in Windows Update (under Settings), just check for updates and it should appear.
I wouldn’t normally recommend installing a preview update, but if you’ve suffered a particularly annoying bug, like this one, and an optional update will resolve it, then it’s probably worth the risk involved. By which I mean, preview updates can fail by their very nature since they’re still in testing, but if you’re already suffering at the hands of something frustrating, there’s a good chance you’ll get a favorable payoff. That is certainly the case here.
Please note that as the fix is still being rolled out, you may not get it right away, although the wait shouldn’t be long at this time.
Microsoft is already working to perfect Windows 11 in terms of removing bugs and addressing performance issues, and has promised that this year will be a period to fix the desktop operating system. Hopefully, that means there will be fewer issues with Windows 11 updates as 2026 progresses, but we’ll have to see if that becomes a reality for the operating system over time.
Of course, it can’t be worse than January, since the first month of 2026 turned out to be something of a nightmare for Microsoft and, more specifically, a disaster for some of its customers using Windows 11.
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