Windows 11 File Explorer multiple issues

Question

I downloaded 12,000 photos from my phone on an external hard drive. I am trying to move the photos to subfolders by category. I have had multiple issues with File Explorer and have tried some of the online fix suggestions, but to no avail.

1. The sort function does not seem to work (at least not reliably, and if it does sort, say by date. it is EXTREMELY slow.....like take a coffee break or come back in the morning.) I'm not just sorting then 12,000 images, it's slow on folders with MANY fewer images. The sort does not work in a timely fashion in either Large Icons or Details.
2. When attempting to move groups of images to another folder by highlighting and dragging, the images move, but the thumbnails usually remain visible in the original folder. If you try and move them again because you aren't sure they moved, you get an error dialog box that says the file is not found, even though the thumbnail is still visible. Usually the first two images of the group are highlighted in blue after the move.
3. When moving images one by one, sometimes you get a notice that the image was moved, but often you don't. Sometimes the thumbnail is removed when the file is moved, sometimes it is not.
4. The address bar is constantly doing something.... searching or indexing or something.

I have tried rebooting, udating Windows, inactivating Quick Access, and other non-drastic solutions suggested on the web, but nothing make much difference. If I 'start fresh' after a restart and move one file at a time, things go more or less smoothly. If try more than one file, or continue for a while, things start to degrade.

The good thing (I suppose) is that the images are actually moved, but the performance of the program is really poor and it's impossible to tell where you are at and moving 12,000 images one at at time is time consuming.

Is there some setting I'm missing? It seems as if moving files is a basic operation that should not be this difficult.

Answer 1

Hi ，JillJohnson8

 

Welcome to Microsoft Community and thank you for sharing your concern with us today.

Because you have too many files, it is not surprising that the file explorer is abnormal.

I will try my best to provide you with a solution to see if I can effectively fix this problem. If it is not resolved, it is recommended to upload a small number of times.

You can try the following steps to see if it helps with this issue。

  1. Adjust the file explorer options.

Open the control panel.

In the search bar in the upper right corner, type the file explorer option and open it.

Select the General tab.

Next to Open File Explorer: drop-down menu, then select this computer option.

Click Apply, then click OK.

2. Use Windows PowerShell to execute certain commands.

Right-click the start icon and select Windows Terminal (admin).

In PowerShell, type the following command, and then execute it: Repair-WindowsImage -Online -RestoreHealth.

Wait for the process to complete.

Restart your computer.

3. Use the command to check:

Click the Start button, type Command Prompt, then right-click it and select Run as administrator.

In the pop-up window, enter the following command, and then press Enter: sfc /scannow

Wait for the process to complete.

Restart your computer.

This command is also called System File Checker and allows you to scan and recover damages in Windows system files. 

Hope this helps, and have a nice day.

 

Best Regards,

 

Hinata

 

Microsoft Community Support Specialist

 

 

Thanks. I performed these tasks as you suggested. There were no error messages returned, but they seemed to make little difference in performance.

I tried smaller numbers of files in a folder.
880 files took 4 minutes to sort on date.

1300 files took 5 minutes to sort on date.

Thanks for responding,

Jill

Answer 2

Hi ，JillJohnson8

Welcome to Microsoft Community and thank you for sharing your concern with us today.

I will try my best to provide you with a solution to see if I can effectively fix this problem. If it is not resolved, it is recommended to upload a small number of times.

You can try the following steps to see if it helps with this issue。

  1. Adjust the file explorer options.

Open the control panel.

In the search bar in the upper right corner, type the file explorer option and open it.

Select the General tab.

Next to Open File Explorer: drop-down menu, then select this computer option.

Click Apply, then click OK.

2. Use Windows PowerShell to execute certain commands.

Right-click the start icon and select Windows Terminal (admin).

In PowerShell, type the following command, and then execute it: Repair-WindowsImage -Online -RestoreHealth.

Wait for the process to complete.

Restart your computer.

3. Use the command to check:

Click the Start button, type Command Prompt, then right-click it and select Run as administrator.

In the pop-up window, enter the following command, and then press Enter: sfc /scannow

Wait for the process to complete.

Restart your computer.

This command is also called System File Checker and allows you to scan and recover damages in Windows system files. 

Hope this helps, and have a nice day.

Best Regards,

Hinata

Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 3

Try a clean boot to make the computer a cleaner state and eliminate third-party software interference.

1. Uninstall third-party security software and system optimization software in the device.
2. Simultaneously press [Windows logo key + R], enter [msconfig], and press Enter (Enter).
3. Click [Services]>[Hide All Microsoft Services]>[Disable All].
4. Start the [Task Manager], click the [Start] tab, disable all startup items, and restart the device.

For details, please refer to: How to perform a clean boot in Windows (microsoft.com)

Try again after clean boot.

(Disclaimer: A “clean boot” starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem. 

These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by step so that it will help you get you back on track.)

Best Regards,

Hinata