Microsoft is currently in the process of testing a new feature aimed at enhancing the performance of Windows 11’s File Explorer. This initiative, which involves preloading the application in the background, seeks to address long-standing user complaints regarding the sluggishness of File Explorer, particularly in comparison to its predecessor, Windows 10. Despite the intention behind this update, reactions from users have been mixed, with some expressing skepticism about the effectiveness of this approach.
What is File Explorer background preloading?
The concept of preloading, as confirmed by Microsoft, involves the pre-caching of File Explorer to facilitate quicker launches. Essentially, this means that the system will load necessary data in advance, allowing for a more immediate response when the user decides to access the application.
Preloading is not a novel concept for Microsoft; it has been utilized in various forms since the days of Office 95. However, the challenge with File Explorer lies in the fact that its performance issues extend beyond mere launch times, as demonstrated in recent tests.
Testing the File Explorer before and after the preload update
In an effort to gauge the impact of the preloading feature, a virtual machine equipped with 4GB of RAM was employed for testing. Initial observations revealed that File Explorer consumed approximately 32.4MB of RAM prior to the implementation of preloading. After enabling the feature, the RAM usage increased to around 35MB, resulting in a total of 67.4MB during background preloading.
While this increase in memory usage is relatively minor and unlikely to impede performance, the critical question remains: does preloading significantly enhance the launch speed of File Explorer? To investigate, the system was restarted, and various applications were opened before accessing File Explorer. The results indicated that while there was a slight improvement in launch times with preloading enabled, the difference was not immediately apparent without slowing down the footage for closer examination.
When subjected to a full load scenario, with multiple tabs open in Edge, the advantages of preloading became more pronounced. The preloaded version of File Explorer demonstrated a clear advantage in launch speed, validating the additional RAM usage as worthwhile.
Preloading the File Explorer isn’t enough
Despite the improvements in launch speed, the preloading feature does not address the overall sluggishness of File Explorer. Users still experience delays when interacting with the context menu, particularly under full load conditions. The context menu’s slow response time remains a point of frustration, especially for those accustomed to the more responsive File Explorer in Windows 10.
For users seeking to optimize their experience further, there are adjustments that can be made to enhance the speed of File Explorer. Disabling transparency and animation effects in the accessibility settings can lead to a more responsive interface, albeit at the cost of visual fluidity.
Additionally, users can modify their default folder settings to bypass the slower-loading Home page, opting instead for “This PC” as the starting point for File Explorer. This simple change can lead to noticeably faster launches, although the context menu issues persist.
Why is Windows 10 File Explorer faster than Windows 11’s?
The disparity in performance between Windows 10 and Windows 11 File Explorers can be attributed to their underlying architectures. Both versions utilize the same core file-management engine; however, Windows 11 overlays this foundation with modern WinUI/XAML elements, which introduces additional rendering layers that can contribute to a perception of sluggishness.
Comparative tests reveal that even with the preloading feature, File Explorer in Windows 11 does not match the speed of its Windows 10 counterpart. Observations of context menu performance further highlight this gap, with Windows 10 demonstrating quicker response times.
While the introduction of preloading is a step in the right direction, it is evident that more comprehensive optimizations are necessary for File Explorer to reach its full potential. As users await further updates, the preloading feature is currently available for testing through the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7271 (KB5070307), with a broader rollout expected in early 2026. However, the timeline for addressing the existing performance issues remains uncertain.
