Why Window manager stopped working and was closed suddenly? After analyzing extensive references, we find the issue can be triggered by many different reasons, including disabled Desktop Window Manager service, corrupted system files, hard drive errors, incompatible graphics card drivers, and even malware infection. Here we provide corresponding solutions. Let’s start trying.
Solution 1. Check the Desktop Window Manager Service
The first step you need to do is to make sure that the Desktop Window Manager service is running properly. For that:
Step 1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing Win + R keys, and then type services.msc in the box and hit Enter.
Step 2. Navigate to the Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager service, and then right-click it and select Properties.
Step 3. In the pop-up window, change Startup type to Automatic. If the service is not running, click on Start.
Step 4. Click on Apply and OK.
Solutions 2. Rotate the Second Screen
Some users reported that the Windows Desktop Manager crashing issue happens after they made changes on their multiple graphics cards. In this scenario, you can try rotating the second screen.
Step 1. Right-click the empty area on your desktop and select Display settings.
Step 2. Select Display 2 under the Rearrange your displays section to rotate the second screen.
Step 3. Scroll down to the Orientation section and select Landscape from the drop-down menu, and click on Keep changes.
Solution 3. Run an SFC Scan
If some important system files get corrupted, you may receive the “Desktop Windows Manager stopped working and was closed” error. In this case, you can run an SFC scan to repair corrupted system files.
Step 1. Open the Run box again, and then type cmd in it and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to grant admin right to the Command Prompt window.
Step 2. In the elevated Command Prompt, type sfc /scannow command and hit Enter. Then this utility will scan and repair the corrupted system files automatically.
Solution 4. Defrag Your Hard Disk
As you know, the files on a hard disk will get fragmented after using a computer for a long time and you may encounter various issues like “Desktop Manager has stopped working”. So, we recommend you defragment your hard disk.
Note: If you are using an SSD, don’t perform the defragment.
Step 1. Type dfrgui in the Run dialog box and hit Enter.
Step 2. Select the drive that you want to defrag from the list and click on Optimize.
Step 3. Wait for the defragment to complete. Then restart your computer and see if the issue gets resolved.
Solution 5. Roll Back or Update Graphics Card Driver
Sometimes the “Desktop Window Manager stopped working and was closed” problem happens if your graphics card driver gets corrupted or outdated. Here you can try rolling back or updating the driver.
Step 1. Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
Step 2. Expand the Display adapters category, and then right-click the graphics card driver and select Properties.
Step 3. In the Driver tab, click on Roll Back Driver and follow on-screen prompts to complete this process.
If rolling back can’t help fix the issue, you can select Update Driver in the Properties window to update the driver.
Solution 6. Disable Aero Peek
Some users reported that they fixed the “Desktop Windows Manager stopped working and was closed” error by disabling Aero Peek. Let’s have a try.
Step 1. Right-click empty space on your taskbar and select Task settings.
Step 2. Scroll down to the Use Peek to preview the desktop when you move your mouse to the Show desktop button at the end of the taskbar section and turn it off.
Solution 7. Check for Windows Updates
Microsoft releases some updated features and bug fixes regularly, which can help some common issues. Let’s check for Windows updates and install them.
Step 1. Press Win + I to open Settings and select Update & Security.
Step 2. Click on Check for updates to start downloading and installing all available Windows updates.
Solution 8. Perform a Virus Scan
Sometimes Desktop Windows Manager stopped working and was closed suddenly due to a virus infection. To exclude the situation, you can run a virus scan.
Step 1. Type virus in the search box and select Virus & threat protection from the top result.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, select Run a new advanced scan from the right panel.
Step 3. Select Full scan from the list of options and click Scan now. Then wait for the process to complete.
