SOLVED: File Explorer Not Loading or Loading Slowly After Windows 10 Upgrade

By Kevin ArrowsUpdated on November 9, 2024

Kevin is a certified Network Engineer

When File Explorer fails to load or loads slowly after a Windows 10 upgrade, it usually displays a green loading bar at the top, leaving users waiting and unable to access their files. This problem often indicates that the system is struggling to load important files or folders. The main reasons are usually corrupted system files or conflicts from older Windows installations.

File Explorer Not Loading or Loading Slowly

Outdated drivers or incompatible apps can also contribute.

In this article, we will discuss several ways to solve this issue.

1. Run SFC/DISM Scans

Running SFC and DISM scans helps fix problems in Windows that might slow down File Explorer. The SFC (System File Checker) checks and replaces missing or damaged Windows files, while DISM (Deployment Imaging Service and Management) fixes deeper issues that SFC might not catch. Using both scans can help make File Explorer work better by fixing any outdated or broken files.

Open the Search menu, type Command Prompt, right-click it, and select Run as Administrator.

In the Command Prompt, enter the command:

sfc /scannow
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Restart your PC after the scan is complete.

2. Disable Windows Search

Turning off Windows Search can improve File Explorer’s performance by stopping the indexing service, which can consume system resources and slow down File Explorer, especially on older computers. Disabling it can help determine if search issues are causing the slowdown.

Press Windows Logo key + R to open the Run dialog box.
Type msconfig and press Enter.
Go to the Services tab in the System Configuration window.
Scroll down and locate the Windows Search service.
Uncheck the checkbox next to Windows Search to disable it.
Click Apply and then OK.
Close the System Configuration window.
When prompted, choose Restart to apply the changes immediately.
After restarting, the Windows Search service will be disabled, and File Explorer should perform better.

3. Disable OneDrive

File Explorer can slow down due to OneDrive’s background syncing, especially with many files. Turning off OneDrive can remove these delays, helping File Explorer run faster without the extra load from syncing files.

OneDrive

Here, you can Disable OneDrive and then try loading the File Explorer after power cycling your computer.

Note: You will be required to enter your credentials again after you log back in, so make sure you have them at hand.

4. Change Optimization

Adjusting folder settings can make File Explorer faster by optimizing it for specific file types, reducing unnecessary processing and fixing delays.

Press Windows + E to open File Explorer. If it’s slow, let it load fully.
Find and open the problematic folder.
Right-click on empty space and select Customize this folder.
Customize this folder – Folder options
Under Optimize this folder, select General. Optionally, apply changes to all subfolders.
Changing Optimize settings
Save changes and exit. Restart your computer to see if the problem is resolved.

5. Replace Date Created Column

Improving File Explorer’s speed can often be done by changing the “Date Created” column. This column makes Windows find and show the exact creation date for each file, which can slow things down in folders with lots of items. Removing or replacing it can reduce the processing load, resulting in faster and smoother navigation.

Press Windows + E to open File Explorer.
Right-click a column heading and choose More.
Additional options – File Explorer
Uncheck Date and check Date Modified. Save changes and exit.
Disabling Date Column – File Explorer
Restart your computer to see if the issue is fixed.

6. Run Search and Index Troubleshooter

If File Explorer is slow, running the Search and Index Troubleshooter can help find and fix problems with the Windows search service. This service is often linked to slow loading times. The troubleshooter checks for errors or interruptions that might be causing the delay and helps restore normal performance.

Right-click the Start button and select Settings.
Go to Update & Security, then click on Troubleshoot.
Scroll down and select Search and Indexing, then run the troubleshooter.
Search and Indexing Troubleshooter
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

By Kevin ArrowsUpdated on November 9, 2024

Kevin is a certified Network Engineer

Comments

Justin Mack Jul 27, 2017

After trying many suggestions to fix this problem, I finally stumbled upon the culprit–OneDrive. After I disabled it, Search ran normally and scrolling worked fine.

Franklin Apr 16, 2018

Just spent the past week trying to figure out how to fix this and this did it. Thanks a bunch!

mor0314 May 3, 2018

Worked like a charm for me! Thank you so much.

Graham O'Keeffe May 17, 2018

Worked like a charm for me. Thank you very much.

Soumya Sep 17, 2018

Thanks a lot !!! This worked great.

Minuteman Mar 27, 2019

Why would you want to disable the search service on your computer thus making your files harder to find (and take longer too)? This is like a core feature of Windows. If it’s slow then you’ve got some other issue like a super old hard drive that reads slow, or some other processes that are slowing down your machine, or it’s indexing locations on your drive that don’t need to be indexed (i.e. windows and program files). My two cents…

Shane Warren Author Sep 14, 2019

Yes it is an important feature, but users who don’t require it can speed up their computer if they can’t afford an SSD or a new hard drive.

Juan David Rey Reina May 3, 2019

I have a pc with windows 10 mini OS v2017.09 and it doesnt have windows search installed but it has that problem, windows search doesnt exist, what I can do?

Shane Warren Author May 8, 2019

Right-click on your taskbar and hover the pointer over to the “Search” option and select “Show Search Bar”.
the Windows Search option is integrated into every version of the Windows.
If the above solutions don’t work press the “Windows” + “S” Key on your keyboard to navigate directly to the search bar.

Chairo-chan <3 Jun 4, 2019

Finally! It worked! I’ve been searching through different kinds of solution and this is the only one that works for me! Thank you! ^^)

Fathonie Fatahuddinn Jul 15, 2019

OMG.. Many thanks to youu

Dan Votra Aug 3, 2019

my issue is specific to google chrome and file manager.
when trying to upload an image from google chrome the folders are very slow to open.
no issue using IE or firefox. any suggestions?

Shane Warren Author Sep 8, 2019

Go into settings>Advanced> scroll down and disable the “Use Hardware Acceleration Where Available” option.

Melanie Radjewski Oct 5, 2019

I have been trying to find a solution to this problem for a long time. Every time Windows 10 does an update I have had this issue. Thank you so much!

Albino_Gorilla 93 Nov 25, 2019

Thank you so much! I was really close to losing my mind.

eret Sep 27, 2020

Ive got problem with File Explorer whenever i start it at first it works than all images and videos lose their image when i restart explorer it starts loading slowly

Muhammad Zubyan Author Sep 28, 2020

Hey there, Ok so can you try doing these steps?1. Open your File, Explorer. Click This PC.
2. Right-click the drive where your Windows is installed.
3. Select Properties. Then select Disk Cleanup.
4. Check the box next to Thumbnails and press Ok. Make sure all other options are uncheckedIf that doesn’t fix the problem for you, You can try rebuilding Thumbnail’s cache by doing the following steps:-1. Open CMD as an Administrator
2. Put this command “taskkill /f /im explorer.exe” and press enter. This command will make Windows UI disappear for some time but don’t worry about that it’s temporary.
3. Once you enter this command and UI disappears put this command “del /f /s /q /a %LocalAppData%MicrosoftWindowsExplorerthumbcache_*.db” and press enter. This command will delete and force Windows to rebuild Thumbnail’s cache.
4. Finally put this command to make Windows UI appear again “start explorer.exe”Make sure to reboot your computer afterward.Still not fixed? Don’t worry there is still one more method left.1. Right Click on “This PC” and go to Properties
2. Once opened check on your left side for the option named “Advanced system settings” and click on it.
3. A window will pop-up now in this new window click on the “settings” under the performance section.
4. Now in these settings make sure that the “Show Thumbnails instead of icons” option is enabled. Enable it if it isn’t enabled already and restart your computer.If none of these methods fixes your problem unfortunately you have to disable thumbnails for your explorer in order to make it work faster again so for doing that you have to search “File explorer options” In the search bar and open it. Once opened find the option ” Always show icons, never thumbnails.” and Uncheck it.

2020_X-Ray_Vision Feb 26, 2021

In solution 3, after letting explorer load slowly, you have this instruction:
“locate the problematic folder and open it.”

How do you locate the problematic folder? Do you just go through every one and look for one with a Date column? I have at least a hundred folders, all with sub-folders.

Thanks.

Muhammad Zubyan Author Feb 27, 2021

That solution is for users who are facing this issue with few folders. If you have a lot of folders try the other solutions provided. Let me know how it goes!

Malik Gibbons Mar 29, 2022

We fixed the problem by re-profiling the user. We tried this because we noticed that if you logged into the same computer with a different user, the problem did not occur.