How to Fix File Explorer Green Loading Bar Very Slow or Stuck in Windows 10 & 11

IMPORTANT NOTE: ITEM 12 WAS ADDED AFTER THIS VIDEO WAS PUBLISHED AND I THINK IT IS THE BEST FIRST CHOICE AT THIS TIME.

File Explorer Green Loading Bar Stuck
Accumulated notes for fixing file explorer slow loading, sluggish, buffering, not responding
1. Update Windows:
a. Go to Settings - Update & Security - Windows Update to ensure your system is up to date. Restart computer before proceeding.
2. Restart Explorer:
a. Close all File Explorer windows , Right-click on the Taskbar, select Task Manager, go to the Processes tab, Click the column heading for name to ensure the column is sorted alphabetically, find Windows Explorer near the bottom of the list, right-click on it, and select Restart. This is a temporary fix and may be useful when trying to find a more permanent fix. Skip this if you want to be able to test that the following actions fix the issue.
3. Clear File Explorer History:
a. Open File Explorer, go to the View tab, click on Options, and under the General tab, click on Clear under Privacy.
4. Reset File Explorer:
a. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
b. Navigate to the Local Explorer directory by typing:
cd %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
c. If this does not work, try:
cd %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
d. Delete the contents by typing:
del /f /s /q *
5. Restart Windows Search:
a. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type "net stop wsearch" followed by "net start wsearch" without the quotes. You can copy those commands from here and paste them into your elevated command prompt.
6. Rebuild Search Index:
a. Open Control Panel and select "Indexing Options."
b. Click on "Advanced" and then click on "Rebuild" under the Troubleshooting section.
c. Click "OK" to confirm and start the rebuilding process.
7. Adjust Advanced System Settings for Best Performance:
a. Right-click on "This PC" or "Computer" on the desktop or in File Explorer.
b. Select "Properties."
c. Click on "Advanced system settings" on the left side.
d. In the System Properties window, under the Advanced tab, click on "Settings" under Performance.
e. In the Performance Options window, select "Adjust for best performance."
f. Click "Apply" and then "OK" to save the changes.
g. Solved this issue with my client CAR at JMW in 2024 by unselecting "Save taskbar thumbnail previews" & "Show shadows under mouse pointer" on a Windows 10 laptop.
8. Disable Quick Access:
a. In the same Options window, change the dropdown menu next to "Open File Explorer to" to "This PC."
9. Registry Tweak
a. If having this problem only with specific folders that are large or have large files try this. Create a registry key Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell Right click, New and choose String Value. Value=FolderType Data=NotSpecified. Restart the computer or restart Windows Explorer.
10. Check for Corrupted Files:
a. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type sfc /scannow to scan and repair any corrupted system files. If needed, first perform DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth.
11. Check for Malware:
a. Run a full scan with your antivirus software to ensure your computer is free from malware.
12. Delete file explorer history registry keys:
a. Delete this entire registry key: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\(BagMRU)
b. Delete this entire registry key: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\(Bags)

My follow-up video for item 12
https://youtube.com/live/qnVNHNNPJiU
Source for item 12 @MDTechVideos:    • How To Fix Windows 10 File Explorer C...  
recommended by @ericcxxxx

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Tue 1/7/2025 Episode 576