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

After upgrading from an older version of Windows to Windows 10, many users began experiencing issues with File Explorer. File Explorer would either fail to load anything or load data at an incredibly slow pace, often resulting in only a small portion of the data being loaded. This problem affected numerous Windows users who upgraded to Windows 10 from older versions of the Operating System.

Microsoft didn’t officially respond to the File Explorer issues. Even in forums, the moderators were suggesting general methods, which included resetting Windows. However, according to our research, there are numerous other techniques that you can use to bypass the error message.

Solution 1: Disable Windows Search

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of a few Windows 10 users who were affected by this problem in the past, the culprit was found to be the Windows Search service that would start automatically every time affected users’ computers booted up and they logged into them. That being the case, the simple solution to this problem is to disable the Windows Search service. However, disabling the Windows Search service can have a couple of pretty serious consequences – even though the Search feature in File Explorer works perfectly fine following the disabling of the Windows Search service, the Search bar in the Taskbar no longer works, along with a few Cortana features.

To inhibit the Windows Search service from starting up every time you boot your computer and log in to it so that you can ultimately resolve this problem, follow these steps:

1. Hold the Windows Logo key + R to open a Run dialog.
2. Type msconfig into the Run dialog and press Enter.
3. In the System Configuration window, navigate to the Services tab.
4. Scroll down the list of services, looking for a service named Windows Search with hawk-like eyes.
5. Once you locate the Windows Search service, simply uncheck the checkbox beside it, which will effectively disable it.
6. Click Apply.
7. Click OK.
8. Close the System Configuration window.
9. When prompted with the option to restart your computer now or later to have the changes take effect, click Restart to restart your computer immediately.
10. Once your computer boots up, the Windows Search service will not start automatically, and you should no longer experience any issues with File Explorer loading very slowly or not loading at all.

Solution 2: Disable OneDrive

OneDrive is a cloud platform owned by Microsoft and is usually integrated from the start in Windows operating systems. It offers users the ability to store their files directly on the cloud by placing files/folders in the OneDrive folder present in the File Explorer.

Since the File Explorer indexes the OneDrive folders as well, there is a possibility that OneDrive is bottlenecking the process. This was the case in numerous workstations of different users. Here, you can Disable OneDrive and then try loading the File Explorer after power cycling your computer. If this helps, you can keep OneDrive disabled.

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

Solution 3: Change Optimization

Windows offers users the ability to optimize their folders’ population speed and search activity by optimizing the fetching process of different types of files and folders. This helps the File Explorer in loading up and also speeds up the access process. However, if the wrong optimization is set, you will experience issues with a lot of loading time. In this solution, we will navigate to the problematic folder and change its optimization.

1. Press Windows + E to launch File Explorer. If it’s slow, let it load once even if it takes several minutes.
2. Locate the problematic folder and open it.
3. Right-click on any empty space and select Customize this folder.

   

4. Underneath the heading of Optimize this folder, select General. You may also check the option to make the changes to all subfolders.

   

5. Save changes and exit. Restart your computer and check if the problem is solved.

Solution 4: Replace Date Created Column

Windows File Explorer has several different columns available, which are listed whenever you launch the application. This includes name, date, size, etc. However, numerous users have the column of Date. The Date is not present in the file system’s metadata but has to be extracted from each individual file, which in turn slows down the File Explorer. Here, we will replace the column of Date with Date Modified and see if this fixes the problem.

1. Press Windows + E to launch File Explorer.
2. Right-click on any column heading and select More.

   

3. Uncheck the option of Date and check the option of Date Modified. Save changes and exit.

   

4. Restart your computer and check if the problem is resolved for good.

Solution 5: Run Search and Index Troubleshooter

If the above workarounds don’t work, it probably means that there is some issue with the search and indexing module on your computer. The search and indexing module is responsible for populating Windows Explorer with files and folders. If it itself is not working properly, it will take a lot of time for File Explorer to populate.

Windows has a set of different troubleshooters that automatically assess all the relevant processes in your computer and reset them if needed. We will run the search and indexing troubleshooter in this solution.

1. Press Windows + I to launch Settings and then click on Update and Security.
2. Select Troubleshoot from the left navigation bar, scroll down, and click on Search and Indexing.

   

3. Follow the steps listed in the wizard and see if the problem is resolved for good.

Solution 6: Run SFC/DISM Scans

If none of the above methods work, there might be a possibility that your system has corrupt files or modules which are causing issues with File Explorer and forcing it to load very slowly. System File Checker is an in-built utility in Windows 10 that allows users to scan their system files and replace all corrupt files (if any).

Run an SFC scan followed by DISM. You may need to run the SFC scan multiple times until all the errors are eradicated from the system. Restart your computer after this is done and check if the problem is solved.