File Explorer Slow to Open in Windows 11? Make It Open to This PC and Speed It Up

File Explorer takes many seconds to open, hangs on the green loading bar, or shows a spinning circle before folders appear.

Why: by default File Explorer opens to Quick access, which rebuilds a list of your recent files and frequent folders every time — and if any of those point to a slow or disconnected network drive, Explorer waits on each one before it draws the window. A bloated or corrupt thumbnail cache adds to the stall. Pointing Explorer at This PC and clearing the history skips that scan entirely.

Fix 1: Open File Explorer to This PC and clear the history

1. Open File Explorer, click the … (See more) button on the toolbar → Options (this is File Explorer Options).
2. On the General tab, set Open File Explorer to → This PC.
3. Under Privacy, untick Show recently used files in Quick access and Show frequently used folders in Quick access.
4. Click Clear next to Clear File Explorer history, then OK.

Now Explorer opens straight to your drives instead of scanning recent/network items.

Fix 2: Remove dead network pins from Quick access

A pinned folder on a NAS or mapped drive that’s offline makes Explorer wait until it times out:

1. In the Quick access / navigation pane, right-click any pinned folder that lives on a network share or a drive you no longer have.
2. Choose Unpin from Quick access.
3. Also disconnect dead mapped drives: right-click This PC → … → Disconnect network drive and remove any showing a red X.

Fix 3: Clear the thumbnail cache with Disk Cleanup

If Explorer stalls while drawing previews, the thumbnail cache may be bloated or corrupt. Let Windows rebuild it:

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup and open it.
2. Select your Windows drive (usually C:) → OK.
3. Tick Thumbnails (it’s selected by default), then OK → Delete files.

Windows recreates the cache the next time you browse, which clears a corrupt one.

Fix 4: Install updates and repair system files

1. Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates, install everything, and restart — several Explorer slowdowns have been fixed in cumulative updates.
2. If it’s still slow, repair system files: right-click Start → Terminal (Admin) and run sfc /scannow, then restart.

FAQ

Will opening to “This PC” lose my pinned folders? No. Your Quick access pins stay; Explorer just lands on This PC first instead of building the recent-files list on every open.

Where is “Folder Options” in Windows 11? It’s now called File Explorer Options — open it from the … menu in File Explorer, or search “File Explorer Options” in the taskbar.

Sources: Microsoft Support — Fix File Explorer if it won’t open or start · Microsoft Support — Disk Cleanup in Windows