Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-29

How to Fix: File Explorer Crash when Accessing Folders with Shortcuts (from Network Loc

Indefinite hang when accessing network folders with shortcuts, requiring Explorer restart.

Quick Answer: Check for corrupted or malicious shortcuts and consider using a shortcut repair tool to fix the issue.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. ✅ Best Solutions to Fix It
  2. 💡 Conclusion

File Explorer Crash when Accessing Folders with Shortcuts from Network Locations can be frustrating for users. The issue occurs due to a recursive shortcut or a shortcut pointing to the same folder it was in, causing File Explorer to hang indefinitely and display 'Working on it...'. To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

✅ Best Solutions to Fix It

Method 1: Disable SymLinks

  1. Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type the command 'icacls /set linkprincipals:r' and press Enter.

Method 2: Remove Symbolic Links

  1. Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type the command 'rmdir /S /Q ' and press Enter.

💡 Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the issue with File Explorer crashing when accessing folders with shortcuts from network locations.

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