How to Fix Cannot Select Multiple Files in Windows 10/11

Many users are suffering from not being able to select multiple files, and here you can see a true example:

I am in an incredibly frustrating predicament. I have Windows 10 installed - and I've only had this issue after I installed Windows 10 (for some reason it was never with Windows 7 I had before). On occasions (at random) my PC decides not to allow me to select multiple files - as in no Ctrl and Shift (all files between), No Ctrl Alt (specific files). This occurs on the whole PC, as in Explorer, browser, etc. It won't work.

answers.microsoft.com

Many ways can be used to select multiple files, such as using keyboard shortcuts (like Shift) and use the Select all feature in File Explorer. However, sometimes you cannot select multiple files like Shift selecting multiple files not working. Now you can keep reading to learn about several feasible solutions to this problem.

How to Fix Cannot Select Multiple Files in Windows 10/11

Before trying advanced solutions, you can do the following general troubleshooting methods as it might just be some simple glitch preventing multiple files from being selected.

• Restart your computer.
• Rule out keyboard problems. Sometimes your keyboard may suffer from some issues like the keyboard keeps automatically typing. A keyboard glitch may prevent multiple files from being selected, because you may be using the Shift key or the Ctrl key to select multiple files.

Fix 1. Enable Check Boxes

If you cannot select multiple files with the Shift key or the Ctrl key, you can try to use the folders check boxes. To enable this feature, please follow the steps below.

Step 1. In File Explorer, click View > Options to open Folder Options.

Step 2. Move on to the View tab, and scroll down to check the option of “Use check boxes to select items”. Then click OK.

Now when you move the mouse to a file or folder in File Explorer, check boxes will appear in front of them, and you can select multiple files through the check boxes.

4 Ways to Bookmark Favorite Folders in Windows 10

Do you know how to bookmark favorite folders? This post provides you with several methods to help you bookmark folders in Windows 10.

Read More

Fix 2. Run File and Folder Troubleshooter

In addition to changing Folder Options, you can also try to run File and Folder Troubleshooter to troubleshoot and fix common issues with file and folder operations on Windows. File and Folder Troubleshooter is not a Windows built-in program, and you need to download it and run it manually.

To download it and know more information about this tool, you can refer to: Automatically diagnose and repair Windows file and folder problems.

How to Enable/Disable Folder Merge Conflicts in Windows 10/11

This post tells you how to enable and disable Folder Merge Conflicts and recover accidentally merged folders in Windows 10/11.

Read More

Fix 3. Delete Temporary Files

Temporary files store temporary data generated by Windows itself or by installed programs. Sometimes temporary files may prevent the multi-selection of files. So, you can try to delete temporary files.

Step 1. Press Windows + R key combinations to open Run.

Step 2. In the run window, type %temp% and click OK.

Step 3. Press Ctrl + A to select all files and right-click them to choose Delete (If you cannot select all files at once, you may need to delete them one by one).

Bonus Tip

It is safe to delete your temporary files. And if you want to recover some temporary files after deleting them, you can try professional data recovery software – MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery supports scanning and recovering various files including pictures, videos, audio, documents, and more from all file storage devices such as internal hard drives, external hard drives, USB flash drives, and so on.

The free edition of MiniTool Power Data Recovery can help you recover 1GB of data for free. You can click the button below to download it and try it out.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

For detailed usage of this data restore tool and more information about temporary files, you can refer to this post: 7 Ways to Fix Make Sure Your Temp Folder Is Valid.

Wrapping Things Up

In a word, this article talks about what should do if you cannot select multiple files. What’s more, if you want to recover any lost files, you can run MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free Edition to have a try.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Should you have any questions about this post or the MiniTool data restore tool, please feel free to leave your comments below.