File Explorer Gallery won't open

AJ_Jonesy15 · May 23, 2026

This may be irrelevant but my Gallery won't open. I keep clicking the gallery and nothing happens. I can open it in the Photos app but not in File Explorer.

Brink · May 23, 2026

AJ_Jonesy15 said:
This may be irrelevant but my Gallery won't open. I keep clicking the gallery and nothing happens. I can open it in the Photos app but not in File Explorer.

Hello,

Just to confirm, do you have indexing enabled? File Explorer Gallery will not work if indexing is turned off or disabled.

Enable or Disable Search Indexing in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable search indexing for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Indexing the content of your PC helps you get faster results when your searching it for files, emails, or other local content. The search index only includes your selected locations...

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AJ_Jonesy15 · May 23, 2026

Brink said:
Hello,

Just to confirm, do you have indexing enabled? File Explorer Gallery will not work if indexing is turned off or disabled.

Enable or Disable Search Indexing in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable search indexing for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Indexing the content of your PC helps you get faster results when your searching it for files, emails, or other local content. The search index only includes your selected locations...

www.elevenforum.com

Hi,

I haven't touched the indexing, and i checked and it's in the default setting.

AJ_Jonesy15 · May 24, 2026

AJ_Jonesy15 said:
Hi,

I haven't touched the indexing, and i checked and it's in the default setting.

Update: I disabled and re-enabled the search indexing, and the Gallery still won't open.

Brink · May 24, 2026

Since Gallery is tied to the Pictures library, you can see if restoring the defaults for this library like below may allow Gallery to open from File Explorer afterwards.

Reset and Restore Default Folders for File Explorer Gallery in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to clear, reset, and restore the default folders and save locations for the File Explorer Gallery for your account in Windows 11. Starting with Windows 11 version 22H2 KB5030310 Build 22621.2361, Microsoft is introducing Gallery, a new feature in File Explorer...

www.elevenforum.com

AJ_Jonesy15 · May 24, 2026

Nope, still not working. I haven't accessed it since yesterday as I unlinked my OneDrive and OneDrive was inaccessible. Now that I have successfully relinked my OneDrive, the File Explorer Gallery won't open. I downloaded the Show Gallery and the Enable/Disable Gallery registry keys, but to no avail on both keys. I'm currently rebuilding the index. I thought the Gallery was corrupted, since it was loading indefinitely.

Brink · May 24, 2026

Since this only started since relinking your OneDrive, check to see if the Pictures folder may be synced with OneDrive online only to see if that may be the issue.

It seems like it could be an access issue. Double check each folder in the Gallery (aka: Pictures library) to see if you can directly view the contents in each separate folder in File Explorer.

AJ_Jonesy15 · May 24, 2026

Everything is synced and can be opened in the OneDrive folder and online. I keep clicking the Gallery in the File Explorer navigation pane, but it just won't open. I can't attach the screen recording to show you.

Brink · May 24, 2026

As a test, does running the shell command below in Run (Win+R) open Gallery for you?

shell:::{E88865EA-0E1C-4E20-9AA6-EDCD0212C87C}

If not, then you can see if running the SFC /SCANNOW command like in option 1 below may help if a corrupted file may be at fault.

Use System File Checker (SFC) to Repair System Files in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to run the System File Checker (SFC) tool to repair missing, corrupted, and modified system files in Windows 10 and Windows 11. System File Checker (SFC) is a tool built into Windows that will check for system file corruption. The SFC /SCANNOW command scans and...

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AJ_Jonesy15 · May 24, 2026

The shell command didn't do anything and I ran SFC /ScanNow, and they didn't find any integrity violations. The way I relinked my OneDrive is that I changed the original registry key to OneDrive.old, and it created a new OneDrive registry key, where it successfully synced and logged in.

Brink · May 24, 2026

Since this happened after resyncing OneDrive, you could try doing a System Restore using a restore point (if available) dated before this when Gallery worked.

Use System Restore in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to use System Restore to go back to a restore point in Windows 11. Turning on system protection for a drive allows System Restore to include the drive when restore points are created so you can undo undesired system changes by reverting to a previous point in...

www.elevenforum.com

AJ_Jonesy15 · May 25, 2026

Is there another way? Like identifying the error using regedit?

dalchina · May 26, 2026

The sensible approach would be as Brink suggested to revert to a state when Gallery worked normally.
Do you have such a restore point available?

Once you have it working normally, created a 3rd party disk image to consolidate that state and a new restore point, then consider what you want to do and how.

Note: many longstanding members of tenforums and elevenforum have chosen to disable and uninstall Onedrive as being intrusive, difficult to anticipate and problematic. Your view of course may differ.

AJ_Jonesy15 · May 26, 2026

Won't system restore just use up drive space?

dalchina · May 26, 2026

And thank you for your reply.

1. System Restore uses a space you define by size. Therefore it won't use more than that- when creating a restore point.

2. In this case you would be using a previously created restore point. Therefore the question as to whether additional space would be used is irrelevant.

So again:

Do you have such a restore point available?

And as you seem unfamilar with it- it does NOT affect personal files or documents- one exception being certain types of scripts if you've written any.
I.e. it's specific to certain file types.

AJ_Jonesy15 · May 26, 2026

No, I don't. The only thing affected is the Gallery after the OneDrive relinking screw-up, so it must be from the registry. Last Sunday, I repaired using Windows Update, and that's where we end up now.

dalchina · May 26, 2026

again, thank you for your reply.

My conclusion:
- you haven't taken the precaution of guarding against untoward effects of registry modification.
- this is a trivial (even if annoying) problem - i.e. 'Gallery' isn't vital (it was added as a frill by MS)
- you could spend a lot of time attempting to fix it - yours and others' - you need to work out whether that's worth your time and effort.
- you could simply hide 'Gallery' as an option and move on.

Options (lacking a restore point now we know you don't have one) and lacking an appropriate disk image (I'm going to assume):

a. revert the registry change you know you made and see where that gets you.
b. create a new user for test purposes. See if you have the same problem with that user. You can then delete that new user account.
If you don't, you know the problem is specific to your present user account, and generalised Windows repairs will not help you.

If you do, there's an outside chance that an in-place upgrade repair might help.

And note my comments about OneDrive above.

Edwin · May 26, 2026

As @dalchina stated, Gallery is not necessary.
Gallery is just an elaborate and useless virtual version of the Pictures folder...,
just like Home is an elaborate and useless virtual version of Quick Access.

If you have access to your Pictures folder and a viewer app, you should be good.

File Explorer Gallery won't open

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