Windows 10: Download folder takes an age to load

Every other folder in File Explorer opens virtually immediately to show all contents but why does the Download folder have to reload the contents, which takes quite some time, the first time the folder is accessed after switching on.





:)

 

Slow Green progress bar in File Explorer - possible solution

My Downloads folder was taking ages to load, even though I have deleted just about everything.

Decided to try changing Properties, right click on the Download folder, select Properties/Personalise. I just changed the "Optimise this file for" from videos to documents and now Downloads appears instantly.

Hope this helps!

 

Microsoft 640 phone not playing video

Hi,

my windows phone 640 is not playing videos recently purchased from the xbox store. I was able to purchase and download. Upon download, it takes an age to load then errors with format not supported!

I connected phone to computer, in the sd card folder, video, xbox, there are no files.

thanks for

your help Abi

 

I have not checked this yet but I guess it is checking whether to sync with one-drive
if using an ms account.

 

Try removing the 'global' downloads folder from quick access and replace it with a link that points at your Downloads folder.

C:\Users\\Downloads versus "This PC > Downloads"

It's essentialy the same folder, but there seems to be a lag - indexing is scanning the 'global' downloads folder every time. You might try adding the 'global' downloads folder to the index - simple way -> create a new Library called Downloads and add your Downloads folder to the new Library

Please report your experience to MS

 

How do you do this?

 

Some fixes that help some times:

Disable Windows Search:
Open a Run box and enter services.msc, press Enter.
Scroll down to Windows Search and double click on it.
Click on Stop then set Startup to Disabled.
Slow Explorer progress bar on large folder

 

Right click on Downloads the Quick Access list in the navigator pane of File Explorer,
Select Unpin from Quick Access

Navigate to your User Profile
(ex: C:\User\)
Right Click your Downloads folder
Select Pin to Quick access



Side notes:

• I've also replaced all of the pinned user folders in the Taskbar File Explorer with Libraries. I really like the organizational power of of Libraries, so I've been using them exclusively since they were introduced.
  
  
• I've found that items pinned to File Explorer also show up in Quick access - I fed MS because I believe the two should be maintained as separate lists. There is either a bug in quick access or there is a limit on items pinned there. I have about 15 things pinned to Explorer, but only eight show up in quick access.

 

After several day, the Download folder contents now seem to display just the same as any other folder, so don't know what was going on - can't believe that Windows 'learns' the contents so that if there's no change it just displays the last search.

UPDATE: Switched PC off & back on after a couple hours. Download folder contents taking ages to show. The green progress bar reaches the end with still no folder contents shown, then repeats process for second time before eventually displaying folder contents.

Will try suggestions above but surely this is basic stuff, not rocket science!

 

I'm not sure if this is relevant but I've noticed that some of my HDDs power down when not being used, the power light for the relevant bay in my Icy Docks goes out suggesting the drives are powered down and folder contents or that drive/s take a while to show as the drive powers back up again. This doesn't happen when booted into Windows 7. I'm wondering if 10 powers down drives that aren't currently in use? That obviously wouldn't make sense if your Downloads folder is on your C: drive.

 

At first I thought that you might be onto something until I realised that my other partitions are also on the same HD & these can be read instantaneously.

It isn't consistent, sometimes there is no delay is accessing the Download partition after switch on & other times there is.

 

The Download Folder is part of my Archive Partition.





CD Burn & Temp can be accessed immediately whereas the Download Folder takes in excess of a minute to display contents.

Still haven't resolved this issue yet.

 

Quick fix for very slow to load 8 | istartedsomething this solution worked for me *Smile

 

Hey there WightWalker,

Not sure if you have found your solution yet, but I was struggling with this particular issue since installation of Windows 10. A number of my folders took forever to sort by Date, size or anything except the standard Windows Explorer Display.
Luckily, there is an exact solution that works like a charm!!
Step 1: Open Explorer
Step 2: Go to the folder that you have issues with (but don't go into the folder)
Step 3: Right click on the folder, and select Properties
Step 4: Click on the "Customize" tab
Step 5: Under the "Optimize this folder for:" drop down, change this to "General Items"
Step 6: Tick the box that says include subfolders
Step 7: Click Apply and OK
Step 8: Done, move on to your next problem folder and repeat *Smile

 

For no obvious reason, my downloads folder was optimized for "pictures". That caused it to open slowly, even if there were no pictures in it. Setting it to "general" fixed it.