How to Fix Slow File Explorer When Mapped Drives Are Unavailable in Windows 10

Revamp Your Windows Experience: Fixing Slow File Explorer When Mapped Drives Are Unavailable

Over time, Windows can develop quirks that hinder productivity. One common issue is slow File Explorer performance when mapped network drives are unavailable. This problem frequently crops up when switching between networks and can bring your workflow to a grinding halt.

Luckily, with a few simple tweaks, you can breathe new life into File Explorer and your Windows experience. In this guide, we’ll walk you through several actionable solutions to speed up File Explorer, drawing on insights from IT professionals and Windows power users. Bid goodbye to sluggish mapped drive scanning and say hello to buttery-smooth file browsing.

Temporarily Disconnect Bothersome Mapped Drives

Mapped drives refer to network shares you connect to for easy access in File Explorer. The catch? If a mapped drive from another location is unavailable on your current network, Windows insists on scanning for it first before opening File Explorer.

Why is File Explorer loading slow?

Using too many PC programs simultaneously could affect File Explorer’s performance. In fact, this could slow down your entire PC. To resolve the “File Explorer is loading slow” issue, reduce the number of programs that are running on your PC. Here are the steps you should follow: Open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

What can I do to speed up File Explorer on Windows 10?

So, to speed up File Explorer, disable Quick Access by following these steps: Open File Explorer and click the File option in the top-left corner of the screen. Select Change folder and search options. Click the Open File Explorer to drop-down menu and select This PC.

This constant scanning bogs down performance substantially. The simplest fix? Temporarily disconnect problematic mapped drives when not needed.

To do so, right-click the mapped drive in File Explorer and select "Disconnect." When ready to reconnect, right-click "This PC" and choose "Map network drive" to remap it. This forces Windows to skip scanning drives irrelevant to your present location.

Tweak the DirectoryCacheLifetime Value

You can also adjust how aggressively Windows tries maintaining mapped drives. This is controlled by a registry value called DirectoryCacheLifetime.

Launch Registry Editor and navigate toHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters. Right-click the empty area on the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name itDirectoryCacheLifetime. Double click it, set the Value Data to0, and click OK to save.

This prevents Windows from caching mapped drive info, eliminating delays when drives are unreachable. Just remember to reboot afterwards for the change to take effect.

Disable Thumbnails and Quick Access

Two File Explorer features that can magnify mapped drive slowness are Thumbnails and Quick Access.

How do I speed up File Explorer on Windows 10?

So if you want to speed up File Explorer, disable Quick Access through these steps: Open File Explorer and click the File option in the top-left corner of the screen. Select Change folder and search options. Click the Open File Explorer to drop-down menu and select This PC.

Is there a way to fix the instability of File Explorer on Windows 10?

Restarting File Explorer can help resolve the “Windows File Explorer is slow” issue. To get started, follow these easy steps: Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager from the options. Finally, right-click on the Windows Explorer option and select Restart.

Disabling Thumbnails prevents Windows from generating photo previews. To turn this off, open File Explorer, click the "View" tab, and uncheck "Show thumbnails."

Quick Access displays frequent and recent files. To disable, right-click its icon in the left pane of File Explorer and select "Remove from Quick access."

With less to process on startup, your PC can open File Explorer faster.

Reset Networking Components

If your network configuration itself is problematic, resetting key components may help.

Open the Start menu and search for "Network Reset." Click the result, then "Reset Now." This will reconfigure Windows services related to networking and connectivity.

Once completed, restart your PC and set up any custom network settings again like static IP addresses. With settings refreshed, mapped drive performance issues could resolve.

Roll Back Problematic Windows Updates

Some Windows 10 updates inadvertently introduce bugs like slow mapped drive scanning. If updating Windows preceded your File Explorer woes, rolling back may help.

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click "View update history." Click "Uninstall updates" on the problem update, then "Yes" to confirm.

What can I do to improve File Explorer performance on Windows 10?

Restarting File Explorer can help resolve the “Windows File Explorer is slow” issue. To get started, follow these easy steps: Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager from the options. Finally, right-click on the Windows Explorer option and select Restart.

How do I fix Windows Explorer is slow?

Restarting File Explorer can help resolve the “Windows File Explorer is slow” issue. To get started, follow these easy steps: Open the Task Manager on Windows. Finally, right-click on the Windows Explorer option and select Restart. Still running into issues? Close File Explorer using the Task Manager and then reopen the tool manually.

How to fix File Explorer not working Windows 10?

Here are the steps you need to follow: Open the Task Manager as per the previous steps. Right-click on Windows Explorer and select End task. Open File Explorer manually and check if this resolves the issue. 2. Reduce the Number of Active PC Programs Using too many PC programs simultaneously could affect File Explorer’s performance.

Reverting to a previous Windows version eliminates any newer buggy code. Make sure to reboot afterwards for changes to fully apply.

Conclusion

With a bit of tweaking, you can have a Zippy File Explorer again even with mapped drives not available on your present network. Try the above fixes like disabling Quick Access and Thumbnails or resetting networking components. And don’t hesitate to disconnect problematic mapped drives temporarily when switching locations.

Have your own tips for speeding up File Explorer? Share in the comments! We’d love to hear your hard-won Windows wisdom.

References

1. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1167740/windows-file-explorer-keeps-loading-due-to-mapped
2. https://www.thewindowsclub.com/explorer-crashes-accessing-mapped-network-drives

Why is my Windows 10 File Explorer not working?

File explorer is a core file of Windows and does a lot more behind the scene. If the issue persists after performing a clean install, we suggest that you disable Quick Access in File Explorer as most users reported that doing this resolves the issue for them.

Why is my Windows 10 File Explorer so slow?

Running too many PC programs simultaneously could affect File Explorer’s speed. In fact, this could slow down your entire PC. To resolve the “File Explorer is loading slow” issue, try minimizing the number of programs running on your PC. To get started, open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

How to speed up Windows 10 Explorer?

Open File Explorer again and navigate to the problematic folder location. It should load way faster than before. If a huge number of files or folders are listed in the Quick Access section then it can increase the overall loading time. 1. Press Windows key + E to open the File Explorer window.