Can't Open Folders on Double Click in Windows 11/10/8/7

"Please help, I'm not sure what happened. I can't open any of my folders that are on my desktop by double-clicking on them. Folders in my drive, external drive, and file explorer also couldn't be opened by double-clicking. Any solution?"

We've seen many issues that users can't open a folder, with error messages like this folder is empty, file explorer won't open, etc. Other than the mentioned incidents, double click won't open folders in Windows 10 becomes another hot problem that waits for troubleshooting. 

Workable Solutions Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Recover Files with Software Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, hover on the partition where you lost data...Full steps
Fix 2. Change Mouse Settings Type Folder Options in Search and click on "General" Tab. Choose "Double click to open an item"..Full steps
Fix 3. Adjust Double-Click Speed Go to "Control Panel", find and click "Mouse". Adjust the speed by dragging..Full steps
Fix 4. Check the Registry Entries Click on Start, type Run, and input regedit. The registry will open...Full steps
Fix 5. Adjust the Display Settings Right-click on the desktop and select "Display settings". Drag the toolbar leftwards...Full steps

In this article, we cover all the possible solutions to fix folders not opening in Windows 10/8/7. But before this, we highly recommend you try professionalEaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to recover files in the inaccessible folder first to avoid unexpected data loss. After all, data security is the most important thing.

Recover Files from Folder Not Opening on Double Click

As said before, you should give priority to recovering files from inaccessible folders before trying any fix. To do so, you can use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. With this tool, you can quickly scan and recover deleted data, formatted, hidden, and existing files on HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, pen drive, external hard drive, SD card, and so on with ease.

To recover deleted/hidden/existing files from a specific folder, you can run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, and scan the folder that won't open. Then, recover and save the files inside to another location. 

 Download for Win Recovery Rate 99.7%
 Download for Mac Trustpilot Rating 4.7

Step 1. Select a drive and start scanning

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard and hover over the partition where you lost data. This could be an internal hard disk, external disk, USB, or SD card. Then, click "Scan".

select a location to scan

Step 2. Check and preview scanned files

Use the file format filter on the left or upper right corner to narrow the scan results until you find the files you need. Then, you can click the "Preview" button or double-click a file to preview its content, if you'd like. 

Choose files to recover

Step 3. Recover lost data to a secure location

Click the checkbox next to the file and click "Recover" to restore the lost data to a secure place. We recommend that you do not store the recovered data on the disk where you lost it earlier.

Recover lost data

Change Incorrect Mouse Settings to Fix Can't Open Folders Windows 10

  • Type "Folder Options" in Search and click on the "General" Tab.
  • Choose "Double click to open an item" under "Click items as follows". Then, click "OK".

fix for double click won't open files in Windows 10 - 1

Adjust Double-Click Speed to Solve Double Click Not Opening Files

If you have adjusted double-click speed on your mouse to 'fastest,' but you can't click it fast enough to make it work. You need to change the speed.

  • Go to "Control Panel", find and click "Mouse".
  • In the middle area named "Double-Click Speed", adjust the speed by dragging. Then, click "OK".

fix for double click won't open files in Windows 10 - 2

Check the Registry Entries to Fix Folder Not Opening on Double Click

  • Click on Start, type Run, and input regedit. The registry will open.
  • Go to HKEY CURRENT USER > Control Panel > Mouse.
  • Find and open the "Double Click Height key" & "Double Click Width key". Then change the value to 4.
  • Restart the computer now, after restarting your problem must be resolved.

fix for double click won't open files in Windows 10 - 3

Adjust the Desktop Display Settings for Double Click Won't Open Files 

Perhaps, each incremental system update/patch may cause the desktop display DPI scale of 100%, 120%, or 150% to be incompatible with opening folders, File Explorer or This PC, etc. So, reverting the display settings to the earlier default should tackle the problem.

  • Right-click on the desktop and select "Display settings". 
  • Under 'Change the size of text, apps, and other items: 100% (Recommended)', drag the toolbar leftwards or rightwards to the most suitable scale. 
  • Go back to the desktop and see if the folders can be properly opened. If not, try a second time to adjust the display settings to a different scale.

fix for double click won't open files in Windows 10 - 4

Run Antivirus Software for Virus Scan 

Install and run powerful antivirus software to scan and remove the virus, you can use Bitdefender, Norton, Kaspersky, or Avast to do it. Besides, remember to update the antivirus software timely. 

Double Click to Open Folder Now

There are five effective methods to resolve double click won't open files issue on Windows 10 or new Windows 11. You can refer to the specific operation steps above. In order to avoid the loss of important data while solving the problem, we recommend that you restore your data first using the competent EaseUS data recovery software.

This software not only has a high data recovery rate but also can help you fix damaged files. It can repair damaged photos, videos, and documents after data recovery. 

 Download for Win Recovery Rate 99.7%
 Download for Mac Trustpilot Rating 4.7

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Updated by Cedric

Cedric Grantham is a senior editor and data recovery specialist of EaseUS. He mainly writes articles and how-to tips about data recovery on PC and Mac. He has handled 10,000+ data recovery cases and is good at data recovery of NTFS, FAT (FAT32 and ExFAT) file systems, and RAID structure reorganization.

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Written by Jean

Jean is recognized as one of the most professional writers in EaseUS. She has kept improving her writing skills over the past 10 years and helped millions of her readers solve their tech problems on PC, Mac, and iOS devices.

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