Middle Click to open new instance broken by July updates - Fix?

I just installed the 23H2 July updates yesterday. (yes July)

Now when I middle click on the explorer icon pinned to my start bar after one instance of explorer is already open, it resizes the running instance instead of opening a new instance like it has always done.

FYI In system multitasking I have 'snap windows' on but all the options below that turned off. I tried changing all those settings and it doesn't make any difference.

Does someone know a fix to get middle click to open a new instance again?

Use X-Mouse button control which works with all mice (or your mouse software if it has any. ie" Logi-Options in the case of Logitech mice) and program middle click to shortcut key Win Key+E to open second instance of file explorer.

glasskuter said:

Use X-Mouse button control which works with all mice (or your mouse software if it has any. ie" Logi-Options in the case of Logitech mice) and program middle click to shortcut key Win Key+E to open second instance of file explorer.

Click to expand...

That would break middle click for everything else forcing me to make an X-Mouse profile for every program on the PC

I use X-Mouse for gaming. Most often to bind mouse 3, 4, and 5 to keystrokes because quite often, changing a keybind to a mouse button within the game only changes it for one action and your left with several others still bound to the old key.

I don't have much on the start bar but there's also 3 different browsers and middle click still opens a new instance of those, it's just explorer that doesn't work anymore, so there must be something in the reg that M.$ changed.

Honestly, I don't use k/b shortcuts enough. I didn't even know win+e opened explorer. I have a list of the shortcuts somewhere, I'm just mouse lazy like many people I guess. Thanks for that tip, I'll use that until I can figure out what M.$ F'd up.

I just discovered a few more details of this misbehaviour.

Note: I have file explorer set to open to "This PC"

If, the last explorer.exe that was opened still has "This PC" selected, middle clicking the file explorer icon on the start bar resizes it.

If, the last explorer.exe that was opened has any other location then "This PC" selected, middle clicking in the file explorer icon on the start bar opens a new instance.

I say last because I can open any number of file explorer instances and only the current state of the last one opened effects what happens when I middle click the shortcut on the start bar.

That's also how Windows Explorer behaves on my system (Windows 11, 24H2).

Hi

I had the same issue, just fixed it :

Open File Explorer.
In the top menu bar, click "File" and then select "Options" from the drop-down menu.
In the File Explorer Options window, select the "View" tab.
Scroll down to the "Advanced Settings" section and find the "Open folders in new window" option.
Check the box next to "Launch folder windows in a separate process".
Click "Apply" and then "OK" to save the changes.