File Explorer crawls with a green loading bar
Why does File Explorer open very slowly with a green loading bar saying working on it?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
Explorer tries to work out what kind of folder you opened and prepares a preview for every item. If a folder is set to the Pictures or Videos type, or is full of thumbnails, or points at a network or cloud location that is slow to answer, Explorer waits before it draws anything. Changing the folder type and clearing the thumbnail cache usually removes the wait completely. The quickest thing to try first: set the folder type to general items — Right click the slow folder, choose Properties, open the Customize tab, set Optimize this folder for to General items, tick Also apply this template to all subfolders, then click OK. Folders set to Pictures or Videos scan every file before showing you anything, and one large download folder can take a minute. Most people are done in about 10 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 6 steps for Windows, rated easy.
Sounds like this
- •A green bar creeps across the address bar
- •Working on it appears for many seconds in one folder
- •Other folders open instantly
Why it happens
Explorer tries to work out what kind of folder you opened and prepares a preview for every item. If a folder is set to the Pictures or Videos type, or is full of thumbnails, or points at a network or cloud location that is slow to answer, Explorer waits before it draws anything. Changing the folder type and clearing the thumbnail cache usually removes the wait completely.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Set the folder type to General items
Right click the slow folder, choose Properties, open the Customize tab, set Optimize this folder for to General items, tick Also apply this template to all subfolders, then click OK. Folders set to Pictures or Videos scan every file before showing you anything, and one large download folder can take a minute.
- 2
Open This PC instead of Home
In Explorer click the three dots, Options, and set Open File Explorer to This PC. The Home view gathers recent files, cloud items and Office suggestions every time, which is often the whole delay.
- 3
Turn off Quick access history
In the same Options window, under Privacy, untick Show recently used files and Show frequently used folders, then click Clear. A stale list pointing at a disconnected drive makes Explorer wait for a timeout on every launch.
- 4
Clear the thumbnail cache
Press the Windows key, type Disk Cleanup and open it, choose your Windows drive, tick Thumbnails and click OK. A corrupted thumbnail database is a classic cause of the green bar and it rebuilds itself harmlessly.
- 5
Switch off automatic folder discovery
If the folder type keeps resetting, disable previews as well. In Explorer options, View tab, tick Always show icons, never thumbnails, and untick Display file icon on thumbnails. Apply. The folder loses its pictures but opens instantly.
- 6
Check for a slow network or cloud path
Mapped drives that no longer exist, and OneDrive or Google Drive folders with files that are online only, both make Explorer pause. Disconnect dead mapped drives, and right click cloud folders you use often and choose Always keep on this device.
If none of that worked
If every folder is slow, including local ones, check the drive health with wmic diskdrive get model,status in Terminal, and look at Task Manager to see whether the disk sits at one hundred percent while an antivirus scan runs.
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This guide was last updated on 15 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
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