From there, enter the Customize tab and select Optimize this folder for. To change this, all you need to do is right click on the folder and select Properties. It will do this every time you click on the folder, sometimes taking entire minutes to do so.
If Windows automatically treats a large, diverse folder as a picture or video folder, it will try to look through every single file in the folder and create easy-access thumbnails for each one. However, when it comes to folders that contain multiple different file types – like the Downloads folder – Windows may default to a picture or video file-type display. This is why your Music folder automatically has a file display suitable for music files, and your Pictures folder automatically creates thumbnails of all the images it contains. This feature, first introduced in 2007, attempts to optimize folders based on the files they contain. To understand Windows’ problem with slow-loading folders, you have to understand a feature called Automatic Folder Type Discovery. Fortunately, the solution is very simple. In particular, your Downloads folder is unusually susceptible to this problem. You may have noticed that even with a powerful computer, certain folders take an extraordinarily long time just to open. One of the most common and frustrating issues that Windows users have concerns opening folders. An Easy Fix for Slow-Loading Folders in Windows In a few minutes, you can optimize your Windows files and folders for speed and get the most out of your system. Additionally, some file structures aren’t well-suited to fast and easy transfer.įortunately, none of these issues are intractable.
Windows is the most popular operating system for desktop and laptop computers, but few people would claim it is the fastest.Īlthough it is a powerful and robust operating system, some of Microsoft’s otherwise-helpful features have unintended consequences.