Win 11 File Explorer Hangs Freezes Not Working

I open file explorer by opening windows tools right click and then right click open it to Classic View it has been working (new Computer about Mth Old) and the past couple of days it has been not working it will just open some files or on at all if I have nothing in the search bar all the files appear then if I type in the search bar for the file type I want the search goes on forever it was instant. I have to restart File Explorer all the time and as I work that is every file I am working. How do I fix this and is there a replacement program that would work instead of the File Explorer - Win 11 seems to have issues

 

Has this problem been increasingly slow as you were adding files to that folder?

You have nearly 60000 files in that folder shown in your images and Windows Explorer will need significant resources to index all these (and the other folders and files on the disk) for search to function.

One thing you should try is run the Windows Search and Indexing Troubleshooter:
1. Right-click on the Start menu and select Settings from the list.
2. In the System tab, scroll down to click on Troubleshoot.
3. Select Other troubleshooters.
4. Click on the Run button next to ‘Search and Indexing.’
From there, follow the on-screen prompts to finish the troubleshooting process.

Also, as your system is about "a month old", it is unlikely that Windows has fully indexed all your files on the disk drive, it will be catching up.

Another possibility is customising the Windows Indexing Options, for example exclude some folders from being indexed and hence searched. Generally, you won't want to exclude disks or folders, but the possibility exists.

Finally, you can force a re-index of the disk drive(s):
1. Press the Windows key + S to open Windows search, type in indexing options, and press Enter.
2. Next, click on Advanced.
3. Lastly, hit the Rebuild button under Troubleshooting.
However, it would be expected that the earlier troubleshooter would do this.

 

1/ System Config - Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core Processor 3.80 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor - Is it big enough quite happy to make it bigger if I know what to get
2/ Search and Indexing Does not appear in the above search config
3/ Rebuild Commenced - pausing constantly very very slow so it might take a long time --its now 9 pm and it is still rebuilding
Computer was handling it all well no problems Explorer was instant I have it open side by side with program as I need to name the files its chaos if I don't one can't find anything so it is important to have it working fast. Something has happened and I don't know what. Previously it had no problems with handling the large Ancestry File its been about 58ooo odd files for while and no problems also once I restart it it works fast but then something happens and it stops working hangs or freezes if I scroll down like named files it will state say 1000 files of that name but only show 500 odd
C Drive only has System and Program Files
All Data is on D Drive E Drive is Backup Drive for Ancestry Files Only also external Drive for both Personal Data and Ancestry Files 1 Drive for each

 

1. Right-click on the Start menu and select "Terminal (Admin)"
2. Then paste in this command and press Enter:

msdt.exe -ep WindowsHelp id SearchDiagnostic

That will open the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter
3. Click next then select all the options that you wish to troubleshoot.

 

I did everything because nothing came up said it could not identify the problem. The problem is constant and repetitive, So today I attempted to open Doc Folder and it file explorer would not allow anything everthing was frozen CtrlAlt Del Restart Explorer and it opens, in the search bar I typed in the file type i wanted and it declines to do anything if I grab the scroll bar I can find all the files they are all there but it does not matter what I put in the search bar it will not show the file I want, the blue circle is busy all the time.

Rebuild - I left the computer on all night and all day for indexing and it completed but nothing seems to have changed still locked into this scenario.

In all the years I have never had this problem with doing this I really don't know what has happened. I have today tried several times to get into the file folder I want and it just will not allow it it says working on it. I am ready to chuck this is there another program that can replace windows file explorer that works. I am having to repeatedly restart explorer to try and get it to work. and it now appears it is more often than not not going to work at all. Very frustrated

 

You've mentioned 3 drives, which drive is having the issues: C, D or E and what are their specifications (use Windows Device Manager)? Are C and D internal drives and E an external drive? Do you have anti-virus and/or anti-malware scanners or other disk intensive utilities that may interfere with Window ssearch function? External drives would be noticably slower than internal drives due to the line of communication between them and the operating system.

In terms of other File Explorers there are many at: https://www.majorgeeks.com/mg/sortname/file_managers_41d9.html

I suggest trying one of these, for example:
Free Commander at: https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/freecommander.html
Double Commander at: https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/double_commander.html

The thing is, if it's a data communication issue between the hard drives and the operating system and memory (or these devices themselves) then it may be that no drive file explorer would be performant.
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Currently, I'm experimenting with AI (ChatGPT) and for eample the following is its response:

Here is a summary of the steps from various web pages for "Win 11 File Explorer Hangs Freezes Not Working" problem:

- Restart File Explorer in Task Manager³:
- Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
- Find Windows Explorer under the Processes tab and right-click on it.
- Select Restart from the context menu.
- Wait for File Explorer to restart and check if the issue is resolved.

- Clear File Explorer cache⁴:
- Press Windows key+R to open Run then type: %temp%
- Press Enter and select all the files and folders in the resulting window.
- Press Shift+Delete to permanently delete them.
- Repeat the same steps for the following paths: temp and prefetch
- Restart your computer and see if File Explorer works normally.

- Perform an SFC scan using the Command Prompt³:
- Press Windows key+X and select Windows Terminal (Admin) from the menu.
- Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
- Wait for the scan to complete and fix any corrupted system files.
- Restart your computer and check if File Explorer is still freezing.
- Change the File Explorer options⁴:
- Search for control panel from Start and open it.
- Type file explorer options into the top right search box and click File Explorer Options.
- Select This PC from the drop-down menu of Open File Explorer to.
- Click Apply and OK.
- Restart File Explorer and see if the issue is fixed.

- Delete the AutomaticDestinations and CustomDestinations folders²:
- Press Windows key+R to open Run then paste this and press Enter: shell:recent\\AutomaticDestinations
- Delete all the contents in the resulting folder.
- Do the same in the path below: shell:recent\\CustomDestinations
- Restart your computer and try to open File Explorer again.

- Update your drivers⁴:
- Press Windows key+X and select Device Manager from the menu.
- Expand the categories and look for any devices with a yellow exclamation mark.
- Right-click on them and select Update driver.
- Choose Search automatically for drivers and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Restart your computer and see if File Explorer is working properly.

- Run the System Restore⁴:
- Press Windows key+I to open Settings and click System.
- Click Recovery on the left pane and click Open System Restore under Advanced recovery tools.
- Click Next and select a restore point from the list.
- Click Next and confirm your choice.
- Wait for the process to complete and check if File Explorer is functioning normally.

- Create Local Administrator Account:
- Follow instructions in reference (5).
- Then check if the issue is not profile specific.

Source:
(1) Windows 11 file explorer is very slow, hangs, freezes. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...ow-hangs/10456830-df07-4c71-835c-cd472f9b9432.
(2) File Explorer Freezing in Windows 11? 7 Ways to Troubleshoot. https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/file-explorer-freezing-windows-11.
(3) Solved: Windows 11 File Explorer Is Not Responding/Crashing. https://www.minitool.com/news/file-explorer-not-responding-windows-11-solved.html.
(4) How to stop win 11 file explorer home from freezing ( Not responding .... https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...ome-from/e94ee6e6-81c6-4d8f-9d49-b2de08719aa8.
(5) Create a local user or admiistrator account in Windows. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...2-a866-32915af2a34d#WindowsVersion=Windows_11

 

Some of these suggestion I have already tried before I came here for more direction however I will attempt to follow through them all. I am constantly restarting explorer using Task Manager When it decides to work it is fast and responsive however it will stop as after a couple of mins if that. The whole computer will freeze and nothing works you cannot click select anything the only way to get moving is CAltDel I can then restart explorer using task manager
Looking at Event Viewer there are 77 events of the attached error relating to the problem attached a copy of what near on all say

Internal - C - 1 TB - Operating System and Programs
Internal - D - 4 TB - Data - No Data is in C Drive
Internal - E - 4 TB - Backup Drive for Ancestry Files External Drive N - 4 TB - Total Backup
anti-virus and/or anti-malware scanners - Malwarebytes Premium

I downloaded and tried Double Commander and it did not fall over it worked does not appear to be affected but its a mind bender I need the files to be appear in order and they don't and I couldn't work out how to make it do so attached is how I want the files to appear instead of numbered all over the place and also the drop down is window is very handy as I work to just click on them. Also the name can be abbreviated in Windows but not in DC I would have tried the other one but I couldn't see a 64bit version.
Thank you

 

Well I have finally given up it took awhile to get through all the suggestions but nothing makes it work like it used to I can get say 10 mins worth of normal behaviour before it falls over. However I went and did some more research and found that I could install Free Commander (I assumed I couldn't as 64 bit computer and program is 32 bit) and it suits me in that I have worked out how to work it it is fast, never falls over, so whatever is going on is still there but related to Windows side of things, but I can work with out it so...As long as I don't use File Explorer then the computer never hangs or freezes like it will when File Explorer malfunctions as an aside I would like to get the Windows side of things working like it should as I don't understand why it doesn't I only just recently upgraded to his computer and the old computer was handling this file size, with regards to file explorer however due to file size I needed bigger drives hence new computer and it was really fast before whatever went wrong.
Thanks for your help

 

It sounds like you have found a workaround by using Free Commander, but I understand that you would prefer to fix the problem with Windows.

Typically, when an application is running OK for a short time and then hangs or crashes, its memory usage is a likely culprit in that it accumulates information as it is processing that then exceeds the system capability.

Searching the internet, yields:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...e/4ae71356-0640-4254-b594-78bc3cb66d9f?page=1

Initially suggesting an external process has been attached to File Explorer and then the follow through is inconclusive to an issue within File Explorer itself.

Also found:
https://www.techradar.com/news/windows-11-memory-leak-problem-causes-file-explorer-to-eat-ram

and then:
https://allthings.how/how-to-fix-windows-11-high-memory-usage/
https://www.elevenforum.com/t/increase-folder-view-settings-cache-memory-size-in-windows-11.1277/
https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-11/how-to-manage-virtual-memory-on-windows-11

If you decide to try any of the links above, please do so at your own risk and discretion. I would advise you to backup your important files and data before making any changes to your system settings or registry.