Windows Explorer & Phone Link toolbar not registering clicks? How to fix?

A Windows clean boot is the best next test because the click failure affects both File Explorer and Phone Link, returns after Windows has been running for a while, and was not corrected by SFC, DISM, or malware scans.

1. Test in a clean-boot environment

A clean boot loads Windows with essential drivers and startup components, allowing a third-party service, overlay, mouse utility, shell extension, or other background application to be isolated. ^1^

1. Sign in with an administrator account.
2. Press Windows+R, enter msconfig, and press Enter.
3. Open Services.
4. Select Hide all Microsoft services first. This is important—do not disable Microsoft services.
5. Select Disable all, then Apply.
6. Open Startup → Open Task Manager.
7. Under Startup apps, record which items are enabled, then disable every enabled item.
8. Close Task Manager, select OK in System Configuration, and restart.
9. Use File Explorer and Phone Link long enough to cover the normal one-hour recurrence period.

A clean boot temporarily disables functionality supplied by background applications.

If the clicks work normally

One of the disabled items is interfering with mouse input or the Windows UI:

1. In msconfig, keep Hide all Microsoft services selected.
2. Enable half of the disabled non-Microsoft services and restart.
3. Test again for the usual recurrence period.
4. If the problem returns, the responsible item is in the enabled half; otherwise, it is in the disabled half.
5. Repeat by halves until one service is identified.
6. Perform the same half-at-a-time test with Task Manager → Startup apps.

Update, uninstall, or leave the identified component disabled. Pay particular attention to utilities that add overlays, customize Explorer, remap mouse input, manage windows, capture the screen, or alter the desktop.

After testing, return to msconfig → General → Normal startup and restore the startup items you intend to keep.

If the clicks still fail

The clean boot indicates that ordinary third-party startup software is unlikely to be responsible. Continue with profile isolation.

2. Test a separate Windows user profile

Create a temporary local account:

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Other users.
2. Under Add other user, select Add account.
3. Select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
4. Select Add a user without a Microsoft account and complete the setup. ^2^
5. Sign out, sign in to the new account, and test File Explorer for the normal recurrence period. Phone Link does not need to be fully configured to determine whether Explorer’s command bar remains clickable.

If Explorer works in the new account, the problem is confined to the original profile. Move personal files to the new profile rather than resetting Windows. Microsoft’s profile-recovery instructions cover copying files from the old user folder and note that some applications may need reconfiguration. ^3^

3. Apply app-specific repair only if Explorer is fixed

If File Explorer now works but Phone Link alone remains affected:

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
2. Find Phone Link and select More options → Advanced options.
3. Select Repair.
4. Test Phone Link.
5. Use Reset only if Repair fails; resetting removes the app’s local data and requires setup again. ^4^

Because the original symptom spans two applications, resetting Phone Link is not the primary fix.

4. Repair Windows without removing apps or files

If the failure occurs in a clean boot and in a new account, reinstall the current Windows version through Windows Update:

1. Connect the computer to power and the internet.
2. Open Settings → System → Recovery.
3. Under Fix problems using Windows Update, select Reinstall now.
4. Complete the installation and restart.

This reinstalls the same Windows version and repairs Windows files and components while preserving apps, files, and settings. The option requires Windows 11 22H2 or later with the applicable updates and might be unavailable on a work- or school-managed PC. ^5^

For temporary recovery when the toolbar stops responding, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, select Windows Explorer under Processes, and choose Restart. This avoids restarting the entire computer but does not identify or remove the underlying interference.

There is no official documented known issue in the supplied Windows release information matching the exact combination of enabled controls ignoring mouse clicks while keyboard navigation continues to work. That makes the clean-boot and separate-profile results the most useful evidence for distinguishing background interference from user-profile or Windows-component damage.

References

1. [Windows 11](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/experience/startup-boot/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows)
2. Manage User Accounts in Windows | Microsoft Support
3. Fix a corrupted user profile | Microsoft Support
4. [Windows 11](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/apps/repair-apps-and-programs-in-windows#summary)
5. Fix issues by reinstalling the current version of Windows | Microsoft Support