How to Fix Windows 11 File Explorer Slow or Not Responding

Is File Explorer in Windows 11 crawling or freezing on you? You’re not alone. A sluggish or unresponsive File Explorer can ruin your workflow. Thankfully, you don’t have to live with it. Here’s a straight-to-the-point guide on how to fix the problem.

1. Restart File Explorer the Right Way

Sometimes, a simple reset does the trick.

Steps:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Find Windows Explorer in the list.
3. Right-click it and select Restart.

If File Explorer was glitching due to a temporary hiccup, this should clear it up instantly.

2. Clear File Explorer History

Corrupted history files can slow things down.

Steps:

1. Press Win + R, type control folders, and hit Enter.
2. Under the General tab, click Clear next to “Clear File Explorer history.”

Then close and reopen File Explorer.

3. Disable Quick Access

Quick Access can cause slow loading if there are too many pinned or recent files.

Steps:

1. Open Folder Options (Win + R > control folders).
2. Under the General tab:
   • Set “Open File Explorer to” This PC instead of Quick Access.
   • Uncheck both recent files and frequent folders.
3. Click Apply > OK.

4. Check for Windows Updates

File Explorer bugs are common after updates—but they’re also often fixed in later ones.

Steps:

1. Go to Settings > Windows Update.
2. Click Check for updates.
3. Install everything available and restart your PC.

5. Run System File Checker and DISM

Corrupted system files might be to blame.

Steps:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run these commands one by one: sfc /scannow DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Let them finish, then restart your PC.

6. Disable Windows Search Indexing (Temporary Test)

Search indexing can slow down File Explorer if it’s stuck or overloaded.

Steps:

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, hit Enter.
2. Scroll down to Windows Search, right-click it, and choose Stop.
3. Test File Explorer.

If it speeds up, consider tweaking what gets indexed later in Settings > Privacy & Security > Searching Windows.

7. Check for Problematic Context Menu Extensions

Third-party apps sometimes add context menu items that slow File Explorer.

Fix:

1. Download ShellExView (a free utility from NirSoft).
2. Disable non-Microsoft context menu items one by one.
3. Restart File Explorer and test.

8. Try a Clean Boot

Too many startup apps can bog down system performance.

Steps:

1. Press Win + R, type msconfig, hit Enter.
2. Go to the Services tab > check Hide all Microsoft services > click Disable all.
3. Go to Startup tab > Open Task Manager > disable unnecessary items.
4. Restart.

Final Thoughts

A slow File Explorer is frustrating, but in most cases, the fix is simple. Start with the basic steps and work your way down. Still having trouble after trying all this? It might be time for a fresh Windows install—or at least creating a new user profile.

Let us know in the comments which fix worked for you, or if you’ve got another solution worth adding.