Microsoft finally fixed File Explorer — but only if you disable this manually

Microsoft finally fixed File Explorer — but only if you disable this manually

By Yadullah Abidi
Publication Date: 2026-01-30 20:01:00

If you’ve been using Windows 11, you know the frustration. You click on File Explorer, expecting it to pop open instantly as it did back in the Windows 10 days. Instead, you wait and watch that spinning cursor mock you while the app slowly crawls to life.

Well, just like you can make your Start menu instant with a registry fix, there’s a similar manual tweak to make File Explorer faster.

File Explorer’s speed fix was hiding in plain sight

Why Microsoft’s “preloading” never quite delivers in the real world