Windows 11 promised a sleeker, smarter File Explorer, yet for many users the reality is a shell that still hesitates on basic tasks while quietly consuming more memory than its predecessor. The result is a jarring mismatch between modern hardware and an interface that can feel stuck in molasses, even as RAM usage climbs.
I see the same pattern across user reports, benchmarks, and troubleshooting guides: File Explorer in Windows 11 often opens slowly, stalls on context menus, and lags under load, and recent attempts to speed it up by preloading the app have effectively doubled memory use without delivering the snappy responsiveness people expect.
File Explorer’s speed problem is now a pattern, not an outlier
Complaints about Windows 11’s shell performance are no longer isolated anecdotes, they form a consistent pattern of users describing File Explorer as “very slow” or even “unusable” for everyday navigation. People report delays when opening folders, switching between drives, or simply launching a new window, even on systems with solid state drives and plenty of RAM. The frustration is not just about a minor delay, it is about a core part of the operating system feeling less responsive than older versions that ran on weaker hardware.
On Microsoft’s own forums, one thread titled around a “Windows 11 Explorer VERY slow” experience shows users being advised to Check for system updates in Open Settings for Windows, a reminder that even basic navigation issues are now common enough to warrant canned troubleshooting steps. Elsewhere, a separate discussion of Explorer unusable due to extremely slow behavior in Windows File Explorer frames the lag as severe enough to break normal workflows, not just annoy power users. Taken together, these reports show that the performance drag is a recurring theme across different setups and use cases.
Preloading File Explorer: double the RAM, marginal gains
Microsoft’s most visible attempt to fix this has been a change that preloads File Explorer in the background so it is theoretically ready the moment you click the folder icon. In practice, that optimization has turned into a tradeoff where the shell process occupies significantly more memory all the time, while the actual speed boost is modest at best. The idea is simple enough, keep the app warm in RAM so it can appear instantly, but the execution has not matched the promise.
Independent testing shows that preloading can effectively double the memory footprint of the shell, with Just keeping File Explorer preloaded in Windows 11 using Microsoft’s new approach results in roughly 2x RAM usage while offering only a minimal speed boost in side by side comparisons. Another analysis notes that Microsoft’s plan to fix the lag in Windows File Explorer by preloading it still leaves the interface slow for accessing files and folders, even as memory use climbs. I read those numbers as a warning sign: the operating system is leaning on brute force RAM consumption instead of addressing deeper architectural bottlenecks.
Benchmarks show Windows 10 still feels faster
For users who upgraded from Windows 10, the most galling part is that File Explorer often feels slower on the newer system despite running on the same hardware. Side by side tests highlight that the older shell can still open folders, populate file lists, and render context menus more quickly, especially when the system is under pressure from other apps. That perception is not just nostalgia, it is backed by measured differences in how long each version takes to respond.
One detailed comparison of the new preloaded shell found that tested Windows 11’s faster File Explorer in an Insider Build and still saw it lag behind Windows 10 while using additional RAM, even though the context menu had received a massive upgrade in the same Insider Build. Another report notes that the real difference kicks in when Edge has 16 tabs open and File Explorer in Windows 11 still takes a few seconds to appear, underscoring how the newer shell struggles once the system is under heavy load. In other words, the more you use your PC like a modern multitasking machine, the more obvious the gap becomes.
Quick Access, Office hooks, and other design choices that slow things down
Beyond the core shell, several design decisions in Windows 11 add friction every time File Explorer opens. The default landing page is often set to Quick Access, which tries to surface recent files and frequently used folders, but that convenience comes at a cost when the system has to scan and populate those lists on every launch. For users with large libraries, network paths, or external drives, that extra work can translate into a noticeable pause before anything appears on screen.Community advice reflects this reality, with one Member recommending that people Disable Quick Access in File Explorer so it no longer opens to Quick Access by default, a simple tweak that can shave seconds off launch times. Video guides go further, suggesting that users Fix slow Windows File Explorer by unchecking Show files from Office in the File Explorer options, which removes another cloud connected hook that can stall the interface. In my view, these workarounds highlight a deeper tension: features meant to make the shell smarter are quietly making it slower for the very people they are supposed to help.
Background apps, startup clutter, and network drives quietly drag Explorer down
Not every slowdown is the shell’s fault, but the way Windows 11 interacts with background processes and network resources can amplify the problem. When File Explorer opens, it does not just draw icons, it also queries drives, shell extensions, and context menu handlers, any of which can hang or misbehave. On a clean system that overhead is small, yet on a typical PC with years of software installed, it can add up to a noticeable delay.One support thread points out that the most common cause of Windows File Explorer lags is an app running in the background, which is why users are told to Disable Startup Programs until they find the culprit. Another answer from Mib explains that Some network drives that are not connected can be another possible cause of slow File Explorer in Feb and Aug discussions, because the shell waits for timeouts when it tries to reach them. In practice, that means a mapped share from an old NAS or a VPN drive from a previous job can silently stall every folder view, even if you never click on it.
Thirteen fixes, countless tweaks, and still no clean solution
The sheer volume of advice on how to speed up File Explorer is a story in itself. Users are told to clear history, change startup locations, disable indexing, and reset settings, all in the hope of shaving a second or two off launch times. The fact that there are entire multi step guides dedicated to making a core system component usable again speaks to how far expectations have drifted from the out of box experience.One popular walkthrough lists 13 solutions to fix slow File Explorer in Windows, including clearing history, changing the startup location, disabling Windows Searc, updating Windows, running a system scan, and even resetting the PC. Another video guide recommends a more targeted approach, advising users to Fix slow Windows File Explorer by closing unnecessary programs, turning off full screen mode, and running an SFC scan to repair system files. I read these sprawling checklists as a symptom of a deeper issue: when a basic file manager needs a dozen tweaks to feel responsive, the underlying defaults are not serving users well.
Context menus and modern UI layers add friction instead of polish
Windows 11’s visual refresh brought rounded corners, new icons, and a reworked context menu that hides many options behind a “Show more options” entry. While the design looks cleaner, the extra abstraction layers between the user and the classic shell can introduce latency, especially when right clicking on files or folders. For people who live in context menus, such as developers or power users, that delay is one of the most visible signs that the new shell is heavier than the old one.
Performance testing of the updated interface notes that Note that the context menu received a massive upgrade in the same Insider Build that tried to make the File Explorer load faster, yet the right click menu still opens more sluggishly than in Windows 10. Another analysis of Microsoft’s preload strategy observes that the update has no effect on right click context menu opening, which remains sluggish compared to Windows 10, even after the shell is kept resident in memory. In my view, that disconnect shows how hard it is to bolt modern UI layers on top of legacy components without paying a performance tax.
Why doubling RAM use for Explorer matters in the real world
On a high end desktop with 64 GB of memory, doubling the RAM footprint of File Explorer might sound trivial, but the impact is more visible on mainstream laptops and older machines that are still common in offices and homes. When the shell reserves more memory by default, less is available for browsers, creative tools, or games, and the system can hit swap sooner under heavy multitasking. That is especially true when users keep multiple Explorer windows and tabs open alongside apps like Microsoft Edge, Adobe Photoshop, or Visual Studio Code.One report highlights that the real difference kicks in when Edge has 16 tabs open and preloading File Explorer still leaves it taking a few seconds to appear, a scenario that mirrors how many people actually use their PCs. Another benchmark driven piece notes that Just enabling Microsoft’s new preload feature for File Explorer in Windows 11 doubles RAM usage while offering minimal speed gains, which means the tradeoff is not theoretical. I see that as a warning for anyone running 8 GB or even 16 GB systems: the shell is quietly eating into the same memory pool your apps rely on, without delivering the instant responsiveness that would justify the cost.
What Microsoft needs to fix next
From my perspective, the story of Windows 11’s File Explorer is not just about a slow app, it is about a platform that has layered modern features and visual polish on top of legacy code without fully rethinking performance. Preloading the shell, expanding Quick Access, and integrating cloud hooks like Office files all aim to make the experience richer, yet they collectively leave users staring at blank windows and spinning cursors. The fact that community threads, from Mar Replies sorted by Newest that tell people to Check for updates in Open Settings on Windows to Feb answers from Mib in Aug that blame Some shell extensions and network drives, are filled with workarounds rather than root cause fixes shows how much ground there is left to cover.
To restore confidence, Microsoft will need to treat File Explorer not as a solved problem but as a flagship experience that deserves the same optimization effort as the Edge browser or the Start menu. That means addressing context menu latency, reducing dependence on background preload tricks, and giving users more control over features like Quick Access and Office integration that can slow things down. Until then, Windows 11 users are stuck with a paradox: a modern operating system where the basic act of opening a folder can feel slower than it did years ago, even while the shell quietly uses twice as much RAM to get there.
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