Recently (maybe 1-2 months ago), whenever I connect a second monitor to my Windows 11 Notebook via USB-C or HDMI, explorer.exe crashes and (eventually) restarts. The second monitor is detected and set up properly, but just after connecting, the shell crashes. This happens every time.
Setup:
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Windows 11 25H2
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AMD Radeon 780M
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Lenovo Thinkpad T14 Gen 5 (Type 21MD)
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Second monitor: ThinkVision (different models)
What I’ve tried so far:
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Updating Chipset / GPU drivers / display drivers / Windows
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Trying different monitors / cables / ports
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Adjusting display settings (e.g. DPI scaling 100%, native resolution) on both screens
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Run
sfc /verifyonlyandDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth /LogPath:"C:tmpDISM_CheckHealth.log" /LogLevel:2(including/ScanHealth) – no errors or warnings have been reported
Additional details:
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The crash happens immediately after connecting, and repeats periodically within serveral minutes to serveral hours
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Error messages in Event Viewer (under Windows Logs > Application):
Log Name: Application
Source: Application Error
Date: 07/17/2026 04:09:27
Event ID: 1000
Task Category: Application Crash Events
Level: Error
Keywords: User: ***
Computer: ***Description:
Faulting application name: Explorer.EXE, version: 10.0.26100.8655, time stamp: 0x28f35f49
Faulting module name: Windows.UI.Xaml.dll, version: 10.0.26100.8521, time stamp: 0xe70b2ca6
Exception code: 0xc000027b
Fault offset: 0x00000000008fa853
Faulting process ID: 0xDCCC
Faulting application start time: 0x1DD1590737C9541
Faulting application path: C:WindowsExplorer.EXE
Faulting module path: C:WindowsSystem32Windows.UI.Xaml.dll
Report ID: fa02f231-1ced-46c7-b1a7-824c76162af7
I suspect an issue with a Windows update. Any advice/ideas on additional troubleshooting steps would be appreciated! Did anyone have/read about similar experiences?
