File Explorer hangs trying to access Downloads folder

StephenC 5 Reputation points
2023-07-04T17:50:57.9466667+00:00

On occasion, File Explorer hangs indefinitely when trying to access the Downloads folder, displaying "working on it" until I kill the process. During this period, Task Manager reports very high CPU usage by File Manager, with its memory usage steadily increasing by 20MB to 30MB each second. If I let it run long enough, I assume it would use all of the 32GB of memory.

When File Manager has this problem with the Downloads folder, third-party apps do not. They can freely read files in the folder and write new files to the folder.

Killing all instances of File Manager doesn't help. Turning off the computer and turning it on again doesn't help. I found a thread about this issue with various suggestions for fixing the problem. None of them worked for me. But if I just wait 2 to 3 days, the problem resolves itself, and File Explorer can again access the Downloads folder.

The problem sometimes appears after downloading a file from a file-sharing site using a browser (usually Chrome). The browser has some sort of built-in download management. It creates the main download file and a temp file in the same folder, then deletes the temp file after successful completion. On one occasion, the Downloads folder was open in File Manager. When the browser said the download was complete, the temp file still appeared in the File Manager window. When I tried to refresh the view (F5), File Manager did not respond, and I could see that it was hanging again.

This behavior seems like it could be related to another problem I have observed deleting files. Starting about July of 2020, when I bulk-delete a batch of files from inside a third-party app, often the deletion is in some sense not complete, leaving behind what I call "zombie files." Suppose among the files deleted in a batch is one called abc.jpg. After being supposedly deleted, the file still shows up in File Manager. If I scan the folder with an image viewer, the viewer also reports that abc.jpg is there, but it cannot open the file. If I try to delete this zombie file from within File Manager, I get a pop-up saying I don't have privileges to delete the file. I acquire Administrator privileges, but still can't delete the file. In addition, I cannot delete or even rename the folder containing abc.jpg, suggesting that the zombie file looks like it is locked. Turning off the computer and turning it on again does not help. If I wait 2 to 3 days, the zombie file disappears by itself, and I can then rename or delete the folder it was in.

This problem with zombie files never happens when I delete a batch of files using File Manager.

These two issues seem to me like they could be related: After a file is deleted by a third-party app, something sometimes goes wrong with the folder. The problem resists obvious solutions, but goes away by itself after 2 to 3 days. One difference: I have never seen File Explorer hang accessing a folder containing zombie files other than Downloads.

Windows 11
Windows 11
A Microsoft operating system designed for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.
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  1. Karlie Weng 19,121 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2024-01-10T09:14:34.3433333+00:00

    Hello,

    Try to re-boot system in clean boot and safe mode with network, to determine whether a background program is interfering with your file.

    How to perform a clean boot in Windows:

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows-da2f9573-6eec-00ad-2f8a-a97a1807f3dd

    Start your PC in safe mode in Windows:

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode-in-windows-92c27cff-db89-8644-1ce4-b3e5e56fe234

    Besides, once the problem happens, you can use monitor tools such as Process Monitor to capture process details and it may provide more detailed information for troubleshooting.

    Process Monitor v3.96:

    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon

    Kind Regards,
    Karlie Weng


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