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on a new computer i have again troubles with the explorer, this time i think it is due to a wrong/old account which is no longer active: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
    2023-06-12T13:38:53+00:00

    Thank you! This worked for me. Has been very frustrating with slow loading folders.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-06-11T15:03:42+00:00

    Please simplify your life with a very good alternative to File Explorer. After days of bad work experience and frustration with the slow Windows 11 file explorer, I finally decided to move on with installing another lightning-fast alternative. You can download it here: https://freecommander.com/en/downloads/

    Unfortunately, the freecommander seems to be just as slow and laggy as the Windows File Explorer.

    It's almost like it's downloading (from somewhere else) every freaking file I click on, or asking for permission, before showing me the details or preview. If it is only 50MB (like a RAW image file), it can take a second or two. But if it is 50GB (4K/8K video files), it can take a minute of "not responding" and annoying. And I don't even need the RAW file preview on thumbnails, I need them for JPEGs only, but it simply doesn't have the turn off button. The only RAW file preview I want to see is in the side bar with metadata, like it used to be in the good old win7. And I don't want to see the damn folder loading before I can see its content. I mean, really!? Folders show loading bars now? Ridiculous! My 2012 win7 machine doesn't do that and it feels 100 times faster. WTH? How is it even possible? Oh, and the latest update brings a new "feature" .. now if I want to play a game, I click to launch it, but it takes a minute or two for it just to begin loading the game. So maybe it's not just the File Explorer?

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-06-11T12:37:47+00:00

    This worked PERFECTLY for me:

    Disable Third-Party Explorer Extensions Using ShellExView

    Windows File Explorer is customizable, thanks to third-party extensions that extend its functionality.

    For instance, if you install an app like 7-Zip, you’ll be able to use the app to perform tasks (such as compressing a file) in Explorer itself. If you install VLC, you’ll be able to add files to a playlist, directly from a File Explorer window.

    These options are usually visible when you right-click a file. However, should a third-party extension become unstable (or should you have too many extensions installed), it could crash the explorer.exe process. You’ll need to disable the problematic extension to fix the issue.

    The best way to quickly disable some (or all) Explorer extensions is to use a third-party app called ShellExView. This allows you to quickly see what extensions are installed and disable or remove them. To start, download the ShellExView app and install it.

    Once installed, run the app and allow it to scan for any extensions. The list will include Microsoft’s own extensions, so press Options > Hide All Microsoft Extensions to ensure you don’t disable these, as this could break File Explorer.

    Hiding Microsoft extensions from the list will display any third-party extensions installed. To disable an individual extension, right-click it, then press Disable Selected Items.

    To disable all the third-party extensions, press Edit > Select All or press Ctrl + Aon your keyboard. With the items selected, right-click the entries, then press Disable Selected Items.

    With the items disabled, close ShellExView and restart your PC. You should no longer see them when you right-click files in File Explorer, but you may need to restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-06-11T11:04:20+00:00

    Please simplify your life with a very good alternative to File Explorer. After days of bad work experience and frustration with the slow Windows 11 file explorer, I finally decided to move on with installing another lightning-fast alternative. You can download it here: https://freecommander.com/en/downloads/

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments