Fix File Explorer Slow or Stuck on "Working on it..." in Windows 11

•
By My Technician Editorial Team · Edited by Ankit Kumar
Windows 11ShellPerformanceFix
On this page

The Problem

You open a folder and File Explorer shows a green bar crawling across the address bar with "Working on it...". Files appear seconds later, or a few at a time. Sometimes it happens in every folder, sometimes only in Downloads or a folder full of photos.

File Explorer is waiting for something before it can draw the folder: reading file details, making thumbnails, reaching a network drive that is not there, or running an add-on from another program. Find which, and the delay goes away.

Symptoms

  • "Working on it..." for several seconds in a folder with many files.
  • Downloads or a media folder is slow while other folders are instant.
  • File Explorer takes a long time to open, or Home loads slowly.
  • Right-clicking a file takes seconds before the menu appears.
  • It is slow for a minute after startup, then fine.

Quick Checks

  1. Note whether it is one folder or every folder. One folder points to Step 1 or Step 3. Every folder points to Steps 2, 4, and 5.
  2. Disconnect from VPNs and unplug external drives, then try again.
  3. Restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager (right-click it → Restart).

The Fix: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Optimize the Folder for General Items

Windows guesses what is in each folder. When it decides a folder holds pictures, music, or videos, it reads extra details from every file (dimensions, length, artist) before showing anything. In a folder with thousands of files, that is the "Working on it..." delay.

  1. Right-click the slow folder → Properties → Customize tab.
  2. Set Optimize this folder for to General items.
  3. Tick Also apply this template to all subfolders.
  4. Click OK and reopen the folder.

This is the most effective single fix for a slow Downloads folder.

Step 2: Disconnect Dead Network Drives

A mapped network drive or shortcut to a NAS that is offline makes File Explorer wait for it to time out, which can take 20 seconds or more.

  1. Open This PC and look under Network locations for drives with a red X.
  2. Right-click each one you do not use → Disconnect.
  3. Remove pinned network folders from Quick access that point to offline PCs.

Step 3: Turn Off Thumbnails for Big Media Folders

Generating thumbnails for thousands of photos or large videos is slow the first time.

  • For one folder, switch to Details or List view (View in the toolbar).
  • To turn thumbnails off everywhere: ⋯ → Options → View, tick Always show icons, never thumbnails.
  • Turn off the Preview pane and Details pane (Alt + P and Alt + Shift + P) while testing. Some previewers are slow.

Step 4: Clear File Explorer History

Home loads your recent files list on every launch. A long or broken list slows it down.

  1. ⋯ → Options → General tab.
  2. Under Privacy, click Clear next to Clear File Explorer history.
  3. To stop Home from listing recent files, untick Show recently used files and Show frequently used folders.
  4. Optionally, set Open File Explorer to This PC instead of Home.

Step 5: Find a Slow Shell Extension

Shell extensions are add-ons from other programs (archivers, cloud storage apps, antivirus, Git tools, and media codecs) that run whenever you browse or right-click. One slow extension delays every folder.

  1. Download ShellExView from NirSoft's website.
  2. Run it, click Options → Filter by Extension Type → Context Menu, and sort by Company.
  3. Select all non-Microsoft entries, right-click → Disable Selected Items.
  4. Restart Explorer and test. If it is fast, re-enable a few at a time until the slow one returns, then leave that one disabled or update its program.

Step 6: Check Cloud Sync Folders

OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox check sync status for every file you browse. With Files On-Demand, opening a folder of online-only files can be slow on a poor connection.

  • Pause sync and test the folder again.
  • Right-click a folder you use often → Always keep on this device to keep it local.
  • For sync errors, see fix OneDrive sync issues.

Step 7: Reset Folder Views

Damaged view settings can slow Explorer down everywhere.

  1. ⋯ → Options → View tab.
  2. Click Reset Folders, then Restore Defaults.
  3. Click OK and restart Explorer.

Step 8: Check the Drive Itself

If every folder on one drive is slow (especially a hard drive rather than an SSD) the drive may be struggling.

  1. Open Task Manager → Performance → select the disk. If Active time is near 100% while you browse, see fix 100% disk usage.
  2. Check the drive's health with check SSD or hard drive health.

What Not to Do

  • Don't turn off Windows Search to speed up File Explorer. Search does not slow down folder browsing, and turning it off breaks search in Start and Explorer.
  • Don't install a "File Explorer booster". The settings above cover what they do.
  • Don't disable Microsoft shell extensions in ShellExView. Stick to third-party entries.

FAQ

Why does File Explorer say "Working on it..."?

It is still reading information about the files in the folder before showing them. In most cases this is because Windows treats the folder as a picture, music, or video folder and reads details from every file (Step 1).

Why is only my Downloads folder slow?

Downloads collects thousands of mixed files, so Windows often marks it as a media folder. Set Optimize this folder for to General items (Step 1), and clear out old downloads.

Does clearing File Explorer history delete files?

No. It only clears the list of recently opened files and folders shown in Home. Your files are not touched.

Still Slow?

If File Explorer freezes or crashes instead of just being slow, follow fix File Explorer crashing. If the whole PC is slow, not just Explorer, start with speed up a slow Windows PC. If search inside File Explorer is the slow part, see fix Windows 11 search not working.

Related guides