How To Restore the Missing Navigation Pane in File Explorer on Windows 10 & 11

When the navigation pane in File Explorer suddenly vanishes, it’s super annoying because browsing around gets way more frustrating. Usually, this kind of weird glitch pops up after a system update, a misclick, or some system files getting corrupted. Sometimes, Windows just decides to bug out temporarily, and a quick fix can bring the pane back. The goal here is to get that navigation pane visible again without reinstalling Windows or doing anything drastic.

Below are some tested methods that usually do the trick — these are fixes that have worked for others, even if sometimes it feels like Windows is making things unnecessarily complicated.

1. Enable and Configure the Navigation Pane

Sometimes, the navigation pane just gets disabled by accident or after a system tweak. Checking if it’s turned off, then toggling it back on, can fix the issue. It’s simple — you might’ve missed the checkmark or a setting got reset during an update. Doing this helps Windows re-engage with the navigation pane and hopefully makes it reappear.

1. Open File Explorer by pressing Win + E.
2. Click on the View tab, then hover over Show.
3. Make sure Navigation pane is checked in the dropdown menu. If it isn’t, click to enable it.(On some machines, it can be unchecked after a Windows update or accidental click.)
4. Close and reopen File Explorer to see if the pane comes back.

2. Restart the File Explorer Process

If the navigation pane is enabled but still not visible, File Explorer might be stuck or acting weird. Restarting its process is usually enough to refresh everything and fix the display glitches.

1. Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager.
2. Look for Windows Explorer in the list under Processes.
3. Right-click Windows Explorer and choose Restart. Yep, it will close and reopen — kinda like a soft reset.
4. Give it a moment to reload and then check if the navigation pane pops back up.

3. Repair Corrupted System Files Using SFC

If restarting Explorer didn’t help, maybe some system files got corrupted, which can mess with File Explorer’s features. Running the System File Checker (SFC) is a good way to scan for and fix corrupted files.

1. Press the Start menu, type cmd.
2. Right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator. This is important to get proper access.
3. Type the command: sfc /scannow and hit Enter.
4. Let the scan do its thing — it might take a few minutes. If it finds issues, it’ll try to fix them automatically.
5. Once it’s done, restart your PC and see if the navigation pane shows up.

4. Use System Restore or Reset if Nothing Else Works

Sometimes the above fixes aren’t enough because Windows is pretty deep in the weeds with system issues. If you’re willing to try, System Restore can roll back your system to a previous healthy state — assuming you’ve got a restore point from when everything was working. If that’s not an option or it doesn’t fix it, a full system reset (keeping your personal files) might be needed to wipe away whatever’s causing the problem. Just be aware this last resort can be a bit of a pain, but it’s sometimes the only way to fix stubborn glitches.

Hopefully, these methods get that navigation pane back. It’s kind of weird how often Windows bugs out with such simple features, but at least there are ways to fix it without tearing everything apart.