Microsoft has taken a significant step toward addressing the slow File Explorer opening issue, a long-standing complaint among Windows 11 users. Many users, particularly those migrating from Windows 10 to Windows 11, were frustrated by the slow File Explorer performance.

File Explorer performance will improve

Users reported that although File Explorer appears quickly when opened from the taskbar, it can take over a second for the interface to load, leaving the screen with the message “Working on…” during this process.

Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and is currently testing a solution to this issue with Windows 11 Insider Build 26220.7271. According to reports, with this new feature, File Explorer will be preloaded into memory by default, making it much faster to open.

This speed-up change will occur in the background without any visible changes to the user interface. Microsoft also offers the option to disable this preloading behavior. The company anticipates that most users, except those with memory or other resource constraints, will not disable this pre-load option.

While this performance boost in File Explorer won’t solve all the problems on its own, it is considered a significant improvement because it directly impacts the daily user experience of Windows 11.

Microsoft’s chief Windows officer recently acknowledged that Windows still needs many improvements in line with its goal of becoming an “agentic OS” (more interactive operating system) in the future. This File Explorer improvement is seen as part of efforts to address performance shortcomings in core components of the operating system.