How to speed up File Explorer on Windows 11?

File Explorer is not just a simple application; it's deeply integrated into the Windows operating system's architecture, running the screen and many other system components. File Explorer can become slow for various reasons, making it difficult to use. Below are some settings to speed up File Explorer in Windows.

 

Clear File Explorer cache and history.

A simple way to improve File Explorer's performance without much effort is to clear the cache and history.

Click the three-dot icon in File Explorer and select Options . In the General tab , click the Clear button to proceed.

• How to delete search history for folders and files in File Explorer

Disable Quick Access

Quick Access makes accessing content more convenient, but it can also slow down File Explorer.

In File Explorer's Options interface, uncheck the boxes for "Show recently used files" and "Show frequently used folders" .

 

Slow down File Explorer indexing speed.

Windows 11 File Explorer indexes files in the background, allowing for much faster file and folder searches when using Windows Search or when searching directly from the File Explorer search bar.

Fast indexing is quite resource-intensive and also affects File Explorer's performance.

Open File Explorer and access drive C or any other drive you want to improve indexing. Next, right-click on the drive and select Properties .

 

In the General tab , uncheck the box next to "Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed in addition to file properties." Finally, tap or click Apply, then click OK.

Disable folder type detection in File Explorer.

Automatic Folder Type Discovery is a feature that automatically detects the type of folder—documents, images, or videos—based on the data within that folder. If an MP3 file is detected, it will switch the viewing mode to Music mode; if a JPEG file is found, it will switch to Pictures mode to prioritize thumbnails.

This also affects File Explorer's performance and causes it to lag. Please refer to the article below to disable this feature in the Registry.

• How to fix File Explorer lag on Windows 11

Switch to a different file manager.

Finally, if you're still not satisfied with the performance of Windows' default File Explorer on your computer, you can switch to a different file manager.

• 7 best file management software options for Windows to replace File Explorer