Looking for a particular file among thousands on your PC can be annoying in itself. We don’t want to experience a lagging File Explorer in addition to that task! With Windows 11, users are reportedly facing many issues with stability, including lags and freezes while using File Explorer. You may run into issues with File Explorer if your PC’s storage/drives are filled up to the brim or almost full. You may also face lags because of Windows 11’s instability. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of such lags, but we can certainly help you improve the situation. Keep reading this article to know how to fix a lagging File Explorer in Windows 11.
Windows File Explorer is a built-in application for accessing data on your Windows PC. It was first seen in Windows 95, but has received major makeovers since then, making it more user-friendly. The introduction of a ribbon menu to Windows 8’s File Explorer made file access and manipulation extremely easy. However, Microsoft decided to remove the ribbon menu/toolbar from File Explorer in Windows 11 in an attempt to “make it better”. As expected, not many users liked the “renovation”. On top of that, we have come across several reports suggesting a laggy user interface of the File Explorer in Windows 11. Keep reading to know how to fix such lags.
Windows 11 File Explorer Lagging: How to fix it?
As reported by officials, the presence of a memory leak bug was triggering the lags in File Explorer. However, it was fixed with the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22454. If you are still facing issues with the File Explorer on Windows 11, try the following troubleshooting tips:
1) Update Windows 11: We cannot emphasize this enough! As mentioned earlier, Microsoft has addressed the memory leak bug (supposedly behind the annoying lags!) through a new Preview Build, 22454. Check for updates from the Windows Settings and make sure you update Windows 11 to the latest available version for your PC.
2) Use the F11 hotkey to use File Explorer in full-screen mode: Use File Explorer in full-screen mode to avoid lags. F11 key not working? Hold the Function (Fn) key + F11 key to make it work.
3) Try switching to the classic Windows Explorer (Windows 8 and 10 version): Follow this guide to recall your favorite ribbon menu/toolbar in File Explorer.
4) Close background applications: Make sure you close heavy background applications that can cause memory clogging.
You will have to join the Windows Insider Program and the Dev Channel to receive Preview Builds as soon as they are released. Note that Preview Builds include fixes for most-reported issues but can be a bit unstable, unlike the Release Builds. Open Windows Update settings and look for the Windows Insider Program option. Click on it – if you aren’t a part of it already, you will see on-screen instructions to join the program. Follow them and choose Dev Channel, when prompted to choose a channel for Windows Insider Program.
Updating Windows 11 to the latest build will (most) probably do the trick for you! For more articles, stay tuned to Androidgram.
