Are you tired of waiting for your Windows 11 File Explorer to load files and folders? A new trick has been discovered that can significantly speed up the tool, making it more efficient and responsive.
The Problem with Windows 11 File Explorer
Windows 11 users are all too familiar with the slow loading times of the File Explorer. Whether you’re trying to open a file or search for a specific document, the tool often takes its time to think, leaving you waiting.
The Solution: A Simple Trick
An observant Windows user known as Vivy discovered a trick, or rather a bug, that can make File Explorer on Windows 11 work much faster. The process is simple: all you need is the F11 key.
To speed up your File Explorer, simply press the F11 key to bring it to full-screen mode, then press the F11 key again.
You’ll notice that folders open faster and even thumbnails load faster. It’s currently unclear why this happens, but many users have confirmed.
This may seem like a strange way to speed up File Explorer, but it actually works. In fact, many users have reported that this trick makes File Explorer up to 10 times faster.
You can also conveniently access an AutoHotkey script from GitHub.
Here are the steps in more detail:
- Open File Explorer.
- Press the F11 key.
- File Explorer will go into full-screen mode.
- Press the F11 key again.
- File Explorer will exit full-screen mode.
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User Reactions
The discovery of this trick has sparked various reactions on social media and Reddit. According to posts on the r/Windows 11 subreddit, a File Explorer glitch is actually improving loading times.
One Redditor mentioned,
“I tested it on a music folder with 1800+ sub-folders and 25,000+ files: Everything opens instantly, amazing. It feels like the performance we had in Windows 7 Explorer.”
Another user commented,
“I just tried it on an i7-7700HQ on 22H2… And it works. It’s surprisingly snappy now. Not sure if I should be thrilled or skeptical.”
Conclusion
This bug affects all versions of Windows 11, from the early releases to the latest Canary Insider builds. While it does make File Explorer faster, having this level of performance by default would be better.