Share via

Files are no longer visible after a while in Explorer.exe

Alexandro Di Nicola 0 Reputation points
2025-02-12T13:02:39.7466667+00:00

Hi all,

I have a problem that I can't figure out the cause of, and I'm not sure how to solve it.

A customer called me and mentioned that, when he has a few folders open (using Explorer.exe, the default program for viewing folders in Windows 11), after a while, the folders appear to have no files inside, even though they haven't been touched or modified. If he refreshes the view, the files reappear.

This issue occurs even if you enable the option to show hidden files, or adjust other settings like the checkbox. After refreshing the folder, no files are visible, but they come back once you refresh the view again.

This doesn't happen every time, but I've noticed it happens most frequently when I have one or more tabs open for a folder on a shared drive.

I opened a ticket in Microsoft Answers but the solutions given did not work.
I'm not sure what else I can test or how to resolve this issue.

Thank you!

Windows
Windows
A family of Microsoft operating systems that run across personal computers, tablets, laptops, phones, internet of things devices, self-contained mixed reality headsets, large collaboration screens, and other devices.
5,818 questions
Windows Network
Windows Network
Windows: A family of Microsoft operating systems that run across personal computers, tablets, laptops, phones, internet of things devices, self-contained mixed reality headsets, large collaboration screens, and other devices.Network: A group of devices that communicate either wirelessly or via a physical connection.
842 questions
Windows 11
Windows 11
A Microsoft operating system designed for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.
10,983 questions
0 comments

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Zunhui Han 3,650 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff
    2025-03-07T06:05:01.68+00:00

    Hello,

    Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

    Based on my understanding of this problem, I suggest you try the following methods to see if it can be solved:

    1. In Registry Editor, locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ System
    2. Right-click Configuration, select New, and then select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
    3. Name the new registry entry as EnableLinkedConnections.
    4. Double-click the EnableLinkedConnections registry entry.
    5. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, type 1 in the Value data field, and then select OK.
    6. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

    Note If you modify the registry incorrectly, you can cause serious problems. Therefore, follow these steps carefully. For additional protection, back up the registry before you modify it. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, see How to back up and restore the registry in Windows.

    I hope the information above is helpful.

    Best regards

    Zunhui

    0 comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as Accepted Answers by the question author, which helps users to know the answer solved the author's problem.