Slow copy and paste

Question

Slow copy and paste, was working fine, now all of a sudden very very slow

Answer 1

Hello, I’m Virginia a fellow Windows user.

Let’s try with a simple fix first - please fully restart your pc, if you have fast startup enabled then please disable this.

Check for any Windows updates.

If those don’t fix the problem:

Please try these cmds:

Right click on start & choose powershell/terminal with admin & type/copy & paste these cmds one at a time then click Enter:

SFC /SCANNOW

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

SFC /SCANNOW

Yes the Sfc cmd is run twice.

Are you running any third party antivirus which may be scanning in the background?

Answer 2

On Windows 11, a sudden slowdown in copy and paste operations (especially for files) is commonly related to slow file copying behavior. Use these checks to narrow it down and improve performance:

1. Test whether storage is the bottleneck
   • On the machine where the files are stored, copy a file from the shared folder (or source location) to a local drive on that same machine.
   • If this local copy is also unusually slow, update the storage (disk / controller) drivers. If the issue persists, further storage troubleshooting is required.
2. Check if the issue is client-specific
   • From another Windows client, copy the same files from the same source.
   • If the copy is still slow from the second client, focus on server-side or network causes.
   • If the second client is fast, focus on client-side configuration of the slow machine.
3. Consider the type and number of files
   • Copying hundreds or thousands of small files (under 1 MB) is inherently slower than copying a single large file of the same total size when using File Explorer or other single-threaded tools.
   • This is expected because each small file creation incurs SMB and file system overhead, plus any antivirus scanning, which repeats per file and can reduce throughput to under 1 MB/s.
   • If the slowdown appears mainly when copying many small files, this behavior may be normal; consider consolidating files into archives (for example, ZIP) before copying, or using multi-threaded tools if available.
4. Client-side network configuration checks On the slow Windows 11 machine:
   • Remove third-party network providers:
     • Open the Network Provider order settings and remove any non-default providers. The default entries should be only RDPNP, LanmanWorkstation, and webclient.
   • Verify registry provider order:
     • In Registry Editor, check these keys:
       • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\NetworkProvider\HwOrder
       • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\NetworkProvider\Order
     • Ensure the ProviderOrder values contain only RDPNP, LanmanWorkstation, and webclient.
   • Compare advanced NIC settings:
     • In the network adapter’s Advanced properties, compare Jumbo Frames and Large send offload with a working machine and align the settings (if disabled, try enabling and test again).
   • Confirm services and bindings:
     • Ensure the Workstation service is running.
     • In the network connection properties, verify Client for Microsoft Networks is checked.
5. If copying from a network share using DFS
   • Open the shared folder properties and check if there is a DFS tab (indicates a DFS share).
   • If DFS is used, try accessing the share via its direct UNC path (from the DFS tab’s Referral list) instead of the DFS path and test copy speed.
   • If the UNC path is fast but DFS path is slow, review DFS referrals and remove unreachable or inactive targets, and ensure the client is referred to a local site DFS server.

If these checks show that only certain file types (for example, many small files) are slow while single large files are fast, the behavior may be due to the inherent overhead described above rather than a fault.

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References:

• Troubleshooting slow file copying in Windows
• Slow SMB files transfer speed