Windows 11 file explorer is slow, lagging, hangs!

Anonymous
2022-11-06T07:07:24+00:00

Hi,

I have a very strong PC with Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe, Intel i7-9700K, 32GB Memory and ASUS ROG Strix Z390-H Gaming.
When my PC was on Windows 10 there was no problem with File Explorer but after upgrading to Windows 11 I am facing a problem with file explorer slow, lagging, hangs even when just renaming a file.
Only full PC restart is solving the problem for a short time.

How to solve this problem on windows 11 please?

Thanks,
AG

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2022-11-28T14:17:19+00:00

I also experienced Lags with the Explorer:

  1. On Windows 10, i could solve them by removing external file-drives (SMB) from Quick-Access. I created a folder with Links to the drives instead and explorer was fast again. Probably the explorer tried to connect to these drives and for some reason failed, even though the connection was up and working.
  2. On Windows 11 on a new computer i have again troubles with the explorer, this time i think it is due to a wrong/old account which is no longer active:
    Image The problems came with the "Home"-Button, which was added at some point. Also the "Please sign in" only shows when selecting the "Home"-Button.

This might also be related to an account i am unable to remove:
Image
Clicking on 'Manage' opens the login-page for the first account and i can not find the old account in the first account to remove it.

Can your problem also be associated with one of the issues above?

Does anyone know how to solve the second issue by e.g. disabling the "Home" button, changing the account in the explorer or removing a no longer existing old account?

Updated Info / what i use:

  1. Don't use mapped Drives oder External Folders in Quick-Access. Keep all pinned-directories pointing to local files / folders. Instead, save them as files / links:

Image

  1. Disable OneDrive.exe in StartUp-Apps. If this still does not help, completely disable or remove onedrive: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/turn-off-disable-or-uninstall-onedrive-f32a17ce-3336-40fe-9c38-6efb09f944b0 
  2. 'Home' as startup-folder seems to also be slow, change it: https://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-set-start-location-file-explorer-windows-10/
    Image

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-10-02T23:09:17+00:00

    I was able to fix Explorer from opening super slow (almost minutes) by ending all tasks of Google Drive and then re-launching it. It seems to happen after a long sleep / suspension on the PC. Obviously rebooting fixes these cases as well, unless the app never recovers when booting (ie. if you have an issue with your account instead of the app itself).

    If you have any other file sync'ing tools like Mega. Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud, it might help to try restarting it or you may try to remove those temporarily and see if it helps. All of these tools interact with Explorer and could make it slow.

    Also, make sure all your apps are not cracked, since cracks usually come with malicious tools built-in. try an antivirus / malware scan to discard anything hiding there.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-09-28T18:38:45+00:00

    My problem went away after Microsoft tech fixed the problem that resulted from a Microsoft update... had to reload clean Windows 11 plus all new update..

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  3. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-09-28T18:01:40+00:00

    I doubt it's something else. Look how many people are complaining about this issue. Also, keep in mind this is brand new clean installation of windows 11.

    I understand and am aware of all that, but there should have been a night and day difference between the Windows 10 Explorer (via Control Panel) and the new Explorer. The fact that there wasn't, raises questions.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-09-28T16:49:52+00:00

    I doubt it's something else. Look how many people are complaining about this issue. Also, keep in mind this is brand new clean installation of windows 11.

    Thanks for the help.

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