Slow File Explorer Fixed (I hope)

If explorer became slow and it takes long time to open folders - your indexing file is corrupt.
Quick solution:
go to "Indexing Options" (type it in Search to quick access it), click "Advanced" and click "Rebuild"
Enjoy :)

Save .reg and run it. Enables mixed content for folders. Speeds up Explorer.

I have something similar happening to me.

Here is an example.
If I open then close an image or video file, or any other file, the first two open immediately, but the third one takes about 25 seconds to respond.

Here is a very long thread very similar or the same as my issue.
Windows 11 file explorer is slow, lagging, hangs! | Microsoft Community

geobrick said:

During install, I moved the Users folder to

Click to expand...

If any folks are reading this before an install, especially noobs, I would strongly advise you to do a DEFAULT install, and then try to modify things if you must. In this case, so many things, and things that do not exist yet, rely on the users/<user> folder to be in a specific place and if it is not it literally does not know what to do. For example, I install, creating a local (non MS) login, to completion. Then, among other things, I use the built-in find/move option to put the Documents folder on another partition. (the why in this case is because the My Documents gets stuff put into it pertaining to games etc and I do not want that size and volatility affecting my C: partition).

I also made a change in my approach between 23H2 and 24H2 (win 11) in that, with the exception of startallback and removing Edge, I have chosen to try to live with win 11 as is - OTB - out of the box. The forums are filled with "I use this, this, and this mod and my opsys is slow or doesn't work".

Opinion: never turn off indexing. the overhead is trivial and many things simple fail without it.

Just a thought!

krism said:

Opinion: never turn off indexing. the overhead is trivial and many things simple fail without it.

Click to expand...

What can go wrong without it? Someone else in this thread suggested turning indexing off. I've always turned it off in every OS I've owned except this one. Searching has always been painfully slow with win11. So slow that it's probably faster to remove the drive and install it in my win7 pc to search. I wonder if turning indexing off will help, but I may have tried it before and forgot.

Maybe a 3rd party file explorer is the best solution. Searching is so bad that a lot of times it's easier to find an app on the internet and download it again than to find it on my own drives.

For one thing Personalize Background and Lock screen depend on it.

I have no problems w windows explorer - works fine for me.

krism said:

For one thing Personalize Background and Lock screen depend on it.

I have no problems w windows explorer - works fine for me.

Click to expand...

What's personalize background? I don't use lock screen.

My explorer works fine, but searching is incredibly slow. Can't believe I'm the only one who noticed. Also search doesn't remember the last file I searched for, although that may have been a Shut up 10 setting. I'll have to look.

I have used Agent Ransack for searches for at least a decade. YMMV. Nite.

I installed this Files • Announcing General Availability of Files v3.9 and it found 7 instances of avidemux instantly, as in zero time.

Windows 11 file explorer took 30 seconds to find the same 7 files and it was still searching when I aborted it. Something is very wrong with windows file explorer.

Stigg said:

I have something similar happening to me.

Here is an example.
If I open then close an image or video file, or any other file, the first two open immediately, but the third one takes about 25 seconds to respond.

Here is a very long thread very similar or the same as my issue.
Windows 11 file explorer is slow, lagging, hangs! | Microsoft Community

Click to expand...

Hi, @antspants
I know you're a Start11 user, so I thought I'd ask whether you have noticed this problem.
I'm slowly trying to identify the culprit.

Stigg said:

Hi, @antspants
I know you're a Start11 user, so I thought I'd ask whether you have noticed this problem.
I'm slowly trying to identify the culprit.

Click to expand...

Hi mate.

Not that I have noticed but the problem with the reliability of anything I can add is that my PC is so old, it lags at the best of time. Simply opening a folder is a problem sometimes.
I keep putting off a new build because of new hardware coming out all the time. I don’t think I can use that as an excuse anymore.

dacrone said:

Save .reg and run it. Enables mixed content for folders. Speeds up Explorer.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell]
"FolderType"="NotSpecified"

Click to expand...

that is the fix. thank you so much. PHEW!

dacrone said:

Save .reg and run it. Enables mixed content for folders. Speeds up Explorer.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell]
"FolderType"="NotSpecified"

Click to expand...

This seems to have fixed my issue also, FINALLY! Thank you.

I also found this webpage regarding this, it also has the .reg file that you can use directly:
How to Speed Up File Explorer in Windows 11

For searching the filesystem, don't skip checking out Search Everything.
Either the latest Alpha or the older production version.
Everything 1.5 Alpha - voidtools