In some cases, explorerframe.dll errors could indicate a registry problem, a virus or malware issue, or even a hardware failure. Sometimes, these errors occur because of a program used to install or customize Windows themes. In an effort to change Windows settings, it had to manipulate the original explorerframe.dll file, which eventually caused the DLL error.
Explorerframe.dll Errors
There are several ways explorerframe.dll error messages might be phrased, depending on the cause of the problem:
Explorerframe.dll Not FoundThe file explorerframe.dll is missing.This application failed to start because explorerframe.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.Cannot find [PATH]\explorerframe.dllCannot start [APPLICATION]. A required component is missing: explorerframe.dll. Please install [APPLICATION] again.
These error messages might appear while using or installing certain programs, or when Windows starts or shuts down. Noting at what point your error shows up is an important piece of information that will be helpful during troubleshooting. The error could apply to any program or system that might utilize the file on any of Microsoft’s operating systems, including Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000.
How to Fix Explorerframe.dll Errors
Follow these steps in the order they’re given below to try the more likely fixes first.
Need More Help?
If you’re not interested in fixing this problem yourself, see How Do I Get My Computer Fixed? for a full list of your support options, plus help with everything along the way like figuring out repair costs, getting your files off, choosing a repair service, and a lot more. If you suspect this, but you’ve already emptied the Recycle Bin, you may be able to recover the file with a free file recovery program. It’s even possible that the explorerframe.dll error you’re seeing is related to a hostile program that’s masquerading as the file. Fortunately, the explorerframe.dll file is provided by Microsoft in at least some versions of Windows, so the System File Checker tool (the sfc command) should restore it. This step is most useful for replacing DLL files that are not supplied by Microsoft, but it could help with your explorerframe.dll problem if this program also provides a copy of the file and the previous troubleshooting ideas weren’t successful.
%windir%\WinSxS\amd64…\explorerframe.dll can be copied to %windir%\SysWOW64%windir%\WinSxS\x86…\explorerframe.dll can be copied to %windir%\System32\
Once inside one of those folders, say the “amd64” one, find and copy the DLL file and then paste it into the “SysWOW64” folder. The same is true for the “x86” and System32 folder. If the hardware fails any of your tests, replace the memory or replace the hard drive as soon as possible. A clean installation of Windows is a fresh start on the software-side of the troubleshooting. So unfortunately, if that didn’t work, your DLL problem must be hardware related.
