How to Fix Item Checkboxes Cannot be Disabled in Windows 11

Many Windows users have recently encountered an issue in which they are unable to disable the item checkboxes in the File Explorer / Folder, which is very inconvenient for those who prefer not to utilise item checkboxes when selecting files or folders on their system.

They have tried restarting the file explorer or their Windows system multiple times, but the problem persists. The following are some possible explanations:

• The system's tablet mode
• Modifications to the Registry
• Checkbox settings in the folder options
• During the upgrading to Windows 11, something went wrong.

We've come up with a few remedies after evaluating these causes in this post.

 / fixes with a simple steps that can solve your problem easily.

Fix 1: Make Changes in the Registry File

NOTE: Please ensure that you have exported the registry file so that you can revert it at any point before going with this step. Because even a small adjustment gone wrong might completely destroy your system.

Registry file is a data file where all the informations about the system is stored such as installed softwares, files or settings or any other options related to the windows operating system. Therefore, any user can tweak the information by adding, deleting or editing the registry key using registry editor tool on their windows system.

Please ensure that you have exported the registry file so that you can revert it at any point before going with this step. Because even a small adjustment gone wrong might completely destroy your system.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys together on your keyboard to open Run command box.

Step 2: Then, type regedit in the run box and press the Enter key to open Registry Editor.

Step 3: Accept the UAC prompt by clicking Yes to continue.

Step 4: Copy and Paste the below given path in the empty and clear address bar of registry editor and then, press the Enter key.

"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced"

Step 5: Once done, make sure Advanced registry key is selected on the left side panel of the registry editor.

Step 6: Then, on the right side of the window, double click AutoCheckSelect DWORD value to open it.

 Step 7: Once it is opened, Enter 0 in the value data field and click OK as shown in the below screenshot.

 Step 8: After it is done, Close the registry editor and restart your system.

Check to see whether the problem has been resolved. If that doesn't work, try the alternative solutions listed below.

Fix 2: In the Folder Options Settings, disable the check boxes for selecting objects.

There are various customization choices in the File Explorer where you can adjust the appearances or preferences of files or folders. You can disable the check boxes to select items on your system in the folder options, which is one of them.

Let us see how this can be done using steps given below.

Step 1: Open Run Command box by pressing Windows + R keys together on your keyboard.

Step 2:Then, type  control.exe folders in the run box and hit the Enter key to open the Folder Options window as shown below.

Step 3: In the Folder Options window, Go to View tab and Scroll down the list of Advanced settings.

Step 4: Uncheck the Use check boxes to select items checkbox, then click Apply and OK to save your changes and dismiss the Folder settings window.

Check to see whether the problem has been resolved.

I hope this solution fixed the issue.

Fix 3: On your machine, try creating a new user account.

If the problem persists after attempting all of the aforementioned fixes, it indicates that something has gone wrong that is difficult to notice or debug on the system. As a result, creating a new user account and then signing on to the system with it may resolve the problem because everything will be set to default without any issues while creating a new user account.

A few steps on how to achieve it are listed below.

Step 1: Press Windows + I keys together to open Settings app on your system.

Step 2: Click Accounts on the left side menu of the Settings app.

Step 3: On the right side of Settings window, Select Family & other users option as shown in the below screenshot.

Step 4:  In the Family & other users page, Click Add account button under Other users section as shown below.

Step 5: Follow and perform the on screen instructions to create a new user account on your system.

Step 6: Then, Log out of your system and log in again with the newly created user account credentials.

Check to see if the issue persists or has been rectified.

I'm hoping it gets resolved.

That is all there is to it.

I hope you found this post to be educational and useful. Please let us know which solution worked for you in the comments area below.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.