Windows 11’s “fast” File Explorer is slower than ever and hogs more RAM

What’s happened? Microsoft rolled out a background-preloading update for File Explorer in Windows 11 Insider builds, hoping to make it open faster and feel smoother. The idea here was to keep parts of Explorer loaded in memory, so it pops up instantly when you click it. While that sounds smart, the reality is quite the opposite. As revealed in testing by Windows Latest, Explorer still lags compared to Windows 10, and preloading ends up using more system RAM.

• In side-by-side tests, Windows 11’s “preloaded” File Explorer opened slower than Windows 10’s regular Explorer, even on lightweight hardware.
• The new version consumes extra memory in the background, meaning systems with modest RAM (e.g., 4-8 GB) may feel sluggish when multitasking.
• The context menu and folder navigation remain noticeably slower, despite the new changes.
• Despite preloading being enabled by default in the Insider build, Microsoft hasn’t yet committed to rolling it out widely.

Why this is important: File Explorer isn’t a niche app; it’s the core of how you browse files, move folders, open documents, manage downloads, and more. If it doesn’t feel snappy, everything else on your PC can feel sluggish too. Worse: when the “fix” itself eats RAM and still underperforms, it feels like a downgrade. As such, for people on lower-spec machines (like budget laptops, tablets, or older desktops), this could reduce usable RAM for web browsers, development tools, or other apps. Even for power users who juggle heavy workloads, the extra overhead might just add up to enough lag to interfere with responsiveness.

Also, because this update crosses fundamental UI boundaries (mixing old Win32 components with newer WinUI), it suggests that Windows 11’s core design choices are still compromising on performance. If File Explorer, which is literally one of the most basic Windows tools, can’t run smoothly, other UI-dependent tasks might suffer too.

Why should I care? If you’ve ever clicked File Explorer in Windows 11 and wondered why it feels a bit… sticky, you’re not imagining it. The app has long carried the reputation of being slower and heavier than it should be, and Microsoft’s new “preloading” trick was supposed to fix exactly that. Instead, WindowsLatest’s testing shows the opposite, that it loads slower and eats more RAM. So what was meant to smooth out the experience is actually adding more weight to an already sluggish UI.

For everyday users, that means Explorer may feel even more inconsistent: context menus taking that extra beat, folder navigation hanging longer than expected, and the redesigned interface struggling under its own modern visuals. And if your laptop isn’t running loads of RAM to begin with, preloading just steals resources for a feature that isn’t delivering its promised speed at all. In short, the one part of Windows you open dozens of times a day still isn’t getting the improvement it deserves.

Okay, so what’s next? For now, it’s worth keeping an eye on upcoming Insider builds to see whether Microsoft admits this preload experiment needs a rethink. Explorer is too essential to stay this clunky, so expect more tweaks, rollbacks, or full-on redesign attempts in the coming months. Alternatively, if you’re already feeling the slowdown, try disabling preloading or trimming visual effects. It won’t fix everything, but it may make Windows 11 feel less sticky while Microsoft figures out how to stop tripping over its own UI.