Windows has changed significantly over time and also greatly improved, from Windows 7 to Windows 10, in the management of files and in the opening of folders, with several more options to customize the exploration of the computer. Sometimes, however, even on faster and newer computers, slowdowns can occur when you open a Windows folder because there are too many files inside it or because, in the folders with photos and images, Windows loads the previews. Slow folders can depend on several factors related to computer maintenance, but they can also be caused by some default Windows settings that must be changed depending on how you use the PC. This article provides some of the most useful tips and tricks to get the most out of File Explorer, especially to eliminate the problem of slow folders and move files faster between the various directories . Some of these suggestions may require changes to the registry so if you are not sure, before doing them, it is better to create a restore point to go back if something should go wrong.
READ ALSO: 10 Tricks for File Explorer in Windows 10 and folder options to modify
First of all, for the problem of slow folders, there are basically 3 tips for optimizing File Explorer, two of which refer to other articles:
- Defragment and clean the hard disk to optimize the computer
- Scan for disk errors
- Perform the optimization of the folder that loads slowly .
Then right-click on the slow folder to upload the files, select Properties, go to the Customize tab and check the " optimize folder for " item. Depending on the type of files it contains, you can optimize that folder for Documents (like Office files), Pictures and photos, Music and videos. If, on the other hand, the folder had mixed content, then the general setting must be chosen, which however will not give any benefit. For this reason it is better to keep the files organized and arranged separately according to the type.
In another article I mentioned two small tools that move files automatically according to the format .
Another reason why Windows slowly uploads files may be the indexing service, which is the functionality to quickly search for files. This service is quite useful so it should not be disabled but in Windows you can decide to exclude some folders from indexing. From the Control Panel, open the indexing options and press the Modify key. In the window that appears, all the folders of the computer are indicated, expandable using the +. Instead of choosing a general path that includes a thousand different things, it is better to remove the cross from everything and then individually choose the only folders in which new personal files such as documents, music and photos are usually saved and created. All the rest can therefore be excluded from indexing, saving Windows a lot of work that can slow down your computer and folders.
If a folder is very slow, you can disable the previews from the Tools> Folder Options> Display menu, enabling the item: Show only icons, never the previews . In another post, the trick to prevent Windows from emptying the preview cache to decrease the loading time of image folders .
Among the most interesting tricks for managing files and folders on Windows, there are:
1) If you want, you can add in Windows the key that allows you to go up one folder, that is to open the upper folder, which contains the current one. To do this you need to download a small program called HTGBack which adds the arrow down to the top left, where there are arrows back and forth. Alternatively, just remember to use the ALT-Arrow key combination
2) Display the preview pane for files .
To see the preview of the files without opening them, you can change the view by selecting the large icons but in this way the loading of the folder would become very slow. You can then use the preview pane activated from the organize menu or by pressing the button at the top right, next to the question mark of the guide. You can also press ALT + P to activate the preview pane quickly. the preview pane works with text files, photos, pdfs and Office files.
3) Changing the size of the icons can be done very quickly by holding down the CTRL key and then moving the mouse wheel.
4) Change the initial folder of File Explorer
By default, Windows 7 opens the collections when you click on File Explorer. To change this initial folder and immediately view, for example, the documents, you must right-click on File Explorer (it can be the folder in the application bar or the program in the Start menu) and change the path where Destination is written, which is the default is % windir% \ explorer.exe . If you want to put the Documents as the initial folder, you have to write on the Destination: % SystemRoot% \ explorer.exe / n, :: {450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
If you want to open the Computer folder immediately instead the destination is % SystemRoot% \ explorer.exe / E, :: {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
5) How to take ownership (Ownership) of a folder is explained in another article and allows you to have all the rights to write and modify the system files without receiving "Access Denied" warnings
6) Disable the sounds when clicking on the folders
I don't remember if the click sounds are disabled or enabled by default however, to disable them, just enter the Windows Audio configuration screen from the control panel, go to the Sounds tab, search for " Start Exploration " in File Explorer and, from the menu drop down, choose "None".
7) Add applications to the Favorites List in File Explorer
Windows allows you to add any folder in the Favorites list and just right-click on "Favorites" to select the " Add current location to favorites " option. You can also add quick links to the most used programs for quick access. To do this, just open the path C: \ Users \ [username] \ Links and drag, perhaps from the desktop, into this folder, the links to your favorite programs to see them in the list on the left.
8) To open the DOS command prompt from any folder just hold down the CTRL-Miusc (or Shift) keys, right-click on a folder and select " Open command window from here ".
9) Add the Move to folder and Copy to folder button from the right-click menu of files and folders.
To make this change you need to go to the registry keys by opening the editor from the Start -> Run or Search menu and writing the regedit command. Look for the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ AllFilesystemObjects \ shellex \ ContextMenuHandlers key, right click> New > Key and give the name {C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13} for the Copy. Then create another key with the name {C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13} for the Move key.
10) To add different paths to the Send to option that appears by pressing the right button on a folder or on a file, just write the shell path : sendto on the top address bar of Windows folder and then drag the folders you want with the mouse want to use the Send To button. Send To allows you to quickly create shortcuts to folders on the desktop or in the chosen locations.
Finally, I remember the best programs to explore resources and folders with tabbed browsing
In another article, 10 more tricks to navigate folders and browse files on Windows.
READ ALSO: If desktop icons load slowly, increase the cache
