Microsoft is putting effort into enhancing File Explorer’s performance as part of its ongoing Windows 11 updates. The latest Insider build is testing a preloading feature designed to load File Explorer faster by caching it in memory ahead of time. However, early results indicate that while the load times have slightly improved, they still lag behind the efficiency achieved in Windows 10.

Preloading was tested on a virtual machine equipped with 4 GB of RAM, where it was found that enabling the feature nearly doubled RAM usage—from 32.4 MB to 67.4 MB. Despite this increase, the real-world loading times didn’t show significant improvement, particularly under heavy system loads.

To maximize efficiency, users are advised to adjust their settings by disabling transparency and animation effects. Until significant improvements are documented, it seems that many users might prefer sticking with the older version, given its smoother experience with less resource consumption.

Microsoft File Explorer Update

Above: Microsoft’s updates have not yet matched the performance benchmarks set by Windows 10.