Windows 11 not refreshing


Sanju

New member
Local time
7:53 PM
Posts
5
OS
Windows 11
Dear Sir/Madam,

Recently I installed Windows 11 and hence then my windows doesn't refresh automatically. Every time I have to refresh manually to see any chances both in desktop and in folders.

Tried everything found in the net. Nothing working.

I run windows update, does some tweaks in the registry, run certain commands in the command prompt... nothing working.

Please help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Sometimes pressing F5 or on some Notebooks Fn + F5 will refresh the view.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Welcome to the forum. Try this. Right click on desktop-select personalize-themes-desktop icon settings-restore default.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
So
Welcome to the forum. Try this. Right click on desktop-select personalize-themes-desktop icon settings-restore default.
Thanks. But sorry, no use! It didn't changed anything....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Sometimes pressing F5 or on some Notebooks Fn + F5 will refresh the view.
That is not the issue here. See, how annoying it is to refresh every time.
Why can' it refresh like normal Windows?? That's exactly what I want...
Any help?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
I'm curious what "normal version" of Windows you refer to?

I believe that the behavior was the same under Windows 10.

I looked at some fixes online. None of the ones I tried worked. I didn't try reverting to a default desktop scheme.

I've become accustomed to hitting F5 (the refresh key).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) Kingston DDR5 5200 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1600 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps
  • Operating System
    windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8 TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
Dear Sir/Madam,

Recently I installed Windows 11 and hence then my windows doesn't refresh automatically. Every time I have to refresh manually to see any chances both in desktop and in folders.

Tried everything found in the net. Nothing working.

I run windows update, does some tweaks in the registry, run certain commands in the command prompt... nothing working.

Please help.

Hello Sanju,

The File Explorer stops refreshing automatically; copying, renaming, deleting, moving, and other operations both in the desktop and folders even the files aren't reflected until it is manually refreshed.

The error 'windows doesn't refresh automatically' can be resolved by changing some View settings and resetting them. You must follow the steps below to troubleshoot the issue,

  • Navigate for the 'command prompt' using Windows Search.
  • Now, right-click on Command Prompt and run with administrator rights.
  • Type the sfc /scannow command and press Enter.
  • Let the command finish, and then reboot the device.
If the issue persists, reset the File Explorer process:

  • Press Windows Key logo+ R and type SYSDM.CPL. Hit Enter.
  • Under the System Properties window, go to the Advanced tab > Performance > Settings.
  • Next, in Performance Options, under Processor scheduling, ensure that Adjust for best performance of: is set to Programs.
  • Now, under Virtual memory, click the Settings button.
  • On the Virtual Memory page, ensure that all drives option is checked in automatically managed paging file sizes.
  • Then, click OK > Apply & OK on all windows.
  • Lastly, Reboot the device to check if the issue is resolved now.

If the issue is not fixed, then you can follow the below steps,

  • Open Run Command by Pressing the Windows key + R
  • Now, copy, paste, and click OK on the below file path:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations
  • Lastly, Delete everything inside the AutomaticDestinations folder
  • Restart the PC and check for the issue

I hope the fixes above help you resolve the error. However, if the issue persists, let me know will be glad to help you.

---------------------------
Regards,
Rex M
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Keyboard
    TVS Gold
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    162 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Recently I installed Windows 11 and hence then my windows doesn't refresh automatically. Every time I have to refresh manually to see any chances both in desktop and in folders.
This has been an intermittent problem for many people for over twenty years.
There is no permanent solution or even a satisfactory explanation.
We just have to grin & bear it.

I reboot daily in the hope that this reduces the frequency of the Refresh problem occurring.
I wasted a whole month of my life a few years ago trying to find a permanent solution. There were lots of claimed solutions but no real ones.


In his post above, Rex accidentally omitted the words sometimes & temporarily.


All the best,
Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
Hello Sanju,

The File Explorer stops refreshing automatically; copying, renaming, deleting, moving, and other operations both in the desktop and folders even the files aren't reflected until it is manually refreshed.

The error 'windows doesn't refresh automatically' can be resolved by changing some View settings and resetting them. You must follow the steps below to troubleshoot the issue,

  • Navigate for the 'command prompt' using Windows Search.
  • Now, right-click on Command Prompt and run with administrator rights.
  • Type the sfc /scannow command and press Enter.
  • Let the command finish, and then reboot the device.
If the issue persists, reset the File Explorer process:

  • Press Windows Key logo+ R and type SYSDM.CPL. Hit Enter.
  • Under the System Properties window, go to the Advanced tab > Performance > Settings.
  • Next, in Performance Options, under Processor scheduling, ensure that Adjust for best performance of: is set to Programs.
  • Now, under Virtual memory, click the Settings button.
  • On the Virtual Memory page, ensure that all drives option is checked in automatically managed paging file sizes.
  • Then, click OK > Apply & OK on all windows.
  • Lastly, Reboot the device to check if the issue is resolved now.

If the issue is not fixed, then you can follow the below steps,

  • Open Run Command by Pressing the Windows key + R
  • Now, copy, paste, and click OK on the below file path:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations
  • Lastly, Delete everything inside the AutomaticDestinations folder
  • Restart the PC and check for the issue

I hope the fixes above help you resolve the error. However, if the issue persists, let me know will be glad to help you.

---------------------------
Regards,
Rex M

Thank you so much for writing this.
I did exactly as you suggested. But, still my Windows issue is there. Not refreshing automatically after moving, pasting, deleting.... If I move anything from one folder to another, I have to refresh both folders manually to see the changes. If I download anything from the net, it won't show in the folder, until I refresh it. Extracting from a zip file does the same. It is too frustrating.
Please help me to fix it, thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
FINALLY I got the solution to this problem.
Uninstalled Onedrive and everything worked like a charm!

Thanks for everyone who answered!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
FINALLY I got the solution to this problem.
Uninstalled Onedrive and everything worked like a charm!

Thanks for everyone who answered!
Interesting.

I think I have Onedrive uninstalled, but my refresh behavior remains.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) Kingston DDR5 5200 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1600 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps
  • Operating System
    windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8 TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
And my Desktop Refresh started working correctly this afternoon when I hung an unhappy rabbit's foot over my computer.

Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
FINALLY I got the solution to this problem.
Uninstalled Onedrive and everything worked like a charm!

Thanks for everyone who answered!

Interesting. I use OneDrive and have never had your refresh problem. :unsure:
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED
    CPU
    11th Gen i9 -11900H
    Memory
    32 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    16:10 Aspect Ratio (3456 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™)
    1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB Type-C™)
    SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    LastPass Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
Interesting that removing OneDrive solved the problem. I too had an issue where during windows 11 bootup, the desktop icon images loaded, then images went away showing the blank page default image. I had to manually refresh the desktop for the desktop icon images to load again. I noticed it happened right when DropBox showed up in the system tray icons during the login sequence. I disabled DropBox in the Task Manager > Startup Apps, then rebooted and voila, the problem was solved. Interesting that in both cases it was a cloud service that caused the problem, albeit completely separate companies.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Dang, that makes me feel so Blessed that I absolutely will have Nothing to do with the 'Cloud'.
I wish more folks would get smart and dump that Turkey!!!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-11/Pro/64, Optimum 11 V3, 23H2 22631.3085
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Made w/Gigabyte mobo/DX-10
    CPU
    AMD FX 6350 Six Core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte, DX-10, GA-78LMT-USB3
    Memory
    Crucial, 16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Onboard, ATI Radeon HD 3000; NVIDEA GeForce 210, 1GB DDR3 Ram.
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Acer
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Crucial SSD 500GB, SanDisk 126GB SSD, Toshiba 1TB HD
    PSU
    EVGA 500 W.
    Case
    Pac Man, Mid Tower
    Cooling
    AMD/OEM
    Keyboard
    101 key, Backlit/ Mechanical Switches/
    Mouse
    Logitech USB Wireless M310
    Internet Speed
    Hughes Net speed varies with the weather
    Browser
    Firefox 64x
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Super Anti Spyware
    Other Info
    Given to me as DEAD, and irreparable.
    Rebuilt with Gigabyte mobo, AMD cpu, 16GB ram and 500GB Crucial SSD.
Here's a list of suggestions from Bard. The first one worked for me, although I had to create \Backgound\Refresh before creating the DWORD AlwaysRefresh:

There are a few things you can try to restore automatic refresh functionality in File Explorer on Windows 11:
1. Enable Background Refresh:
  • Open Registry Editor by pressing Win + R and typing regedit.
  • Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Background\Refresh.
  • Look for a DWORD value named AlwaysRefresh. If it exists and is set to 0, double-click it and change the value to 1. If it doesn't exist, right-click in the empty space on the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, name it AlwaysRefresh, and set the value to 1.
  • Close Registry Editor and restart File Explorer (right-click Taskbar, select Task Manager, find File Explorer, right-click and choose Restart).
2. Clear File Explorer History and Cache:
  • Open File Explorer.
  • Click the three dots in the top right corner and select Options.
  • Go to the Privacy tab.
  • Click the button Clear File Explorer history.
  • Check the boxes for Clear history and Clear recently used folders in Quick access and click Clear.
  • Restart File Explorer.
3. Check Group Policy (if applicable):
  • Press Win + R and type gpedit.msc.
  • Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.
  • Look for the setting Disable background refresh of recently changed items and make sure it's set to Disabled.
  • Restart File Explorer.
4. Run System File Checker:
  • Open Command Prompt as administrator.
  • Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
  • Wait for the scan to complete and restart your computer.
5. Update Windows:
  • Make sure you have the latest Windows updates installed. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates.
If none of these suggestions work, you can try creating a new user profile on your computer and see if the issue persists. This will help rule out any corrupted settings in your current profile.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2022, Kali Linux
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus/G733QS, Asus/TUF706IU, Asus/GL552VW, Asus/K501UX, et. al.
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
    Memory
    64GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX3080 Laptop GPU
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Mouse
    Razer Naga Pro
    Internet Speed
    1Gb
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
to others still having this issue this is what fixed it for me:


Desktop does not refresh automatically


Open Registry Editor and navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID
64-Bit users may have to look in:

HKCR\Wow6432Node\CLSID\
Here right-click on CLSID and select Find to search for dontrefresh. If you find it, and if it has a value set to 1, change its value to 0.

You will probably find it at one of these locations depending on whether your Windows is 32-bit or Windows 64-bit:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{BDEADE7F-C265-11D0-BCED-00A0C90AB50F}\Instance
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{BDEADE7F-C265-11D0-BCED-00A0C90AB50F}\Instance
If you do not see it, you will have to create the path

{BDEADE7F-C265-11D0-BCED-00A0C90AB50F}\Instance\dontrefresh
by right-clicking and selecting New > DWORD at each level as follows:
  • Right-click > New > Key > Name it {BDEADE7F-C265-11D0-BCED-00A0C90AB50F}
  • Right-click > New > Key > Name it Instance
  • Right-click Instance > New > DWORD for 32-bit systems -OR- QWORD for 64-bit systems.
  • Then again right-click this WORD, rename it to dontrefresh and give it a value 0.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    self built
this is what fixed it for me
Lots of people have found fixes but the problem is that they do not last.
I've never found a permanent fix.


Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296

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