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

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
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on a new computer i have again troubles with the explorer, this time i think it is due to a wrong/old account which is no longer active: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

Was this answer helpful?

80+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

276 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-08-05T19:05:21+00:00

    MY problem was fixed by a Microsoft Tech which required a compete deletion of windows 11 and reloading with new operating system with fixes.

    The problem was caused by a Microsoft update which infected thousands of computers....happy my is working now.

    I'm skeptical of that explanation. It's unlikely that an update was the root cause. It's more likely that it was an issue like others have provided in this thread (e.g. recent items that need to be cleared out). A complete reinstall was probably just easier for the tech than finding the root cause.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2023-08-05T18:53:21+00:00

    MY problem was fixed by a Microsoft Tech which required a compete deletion of windows 11 and reloading with new operating system with fixes.

    The problem was caused by a Microsoft update which infected thousands of computers....happy my is working now.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2023-07-26T19:58:28+00:00

    I really hope you are correct about the Explorer overahall coming soon. I have a somewhat different issue than everyone else. Explorere is somewhat slow on my end but I mainly find that I cannot delete or move files. I get a message saying I cannot delete or even move a file because it is in use. It's not. I haven't seen anyone else on here mention this problem but myself so far. We have tried everything. I have the correct permissions, etc.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2023-07-26T18:34:46+00:00

    I tried remove a shared network drive which was not accessible at the moment.
    File Explorer where looking for this "not accessible" network drive every time I launched file explorer.

    Now my file explorer runs quick again. Thanks Microsoft !!!
    Link to where I found my solution: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/this-pc-explorer-window-being-slow-to-show-contents.15366/

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments