According to TechSpot, Microsoft’s recent fix for the notoriously slow Windows 11 File Explorer is making things worse. The update, rolled out last week as part of Windows 11 Preview Build 26220.7271 (KB5070307), tries to boost responsiveness by preloading File Explorer into memory at startup. This workaround doubles the app’s RAM usage from 35MB to 67MB. However, tests show the performance gain is barely noticeable, with folder navigation and right-click menus remaining sluggish. The underlying issue is blamed on modern WinUI/XAML elements, and the extra memory overhead could hurt performance on budget devices.
A Workaround, Not A Fix
Here’s the thing: this isn’t engineering. It’s a band-aid. Instead of optimizing the bloated WinUI/XAML code that’s making Explorer crawl, Microsoft just shoved the whole app into RAM ahead of time. It’s like trying to fix a slow car by always leaving the engine running. Sure, it might *start* moving a tiny bit faster, but you’re burning gas (or in this case, RAM) the whole time for a marginal, mostly imperceptible gain. And the core problem—the sluggishness once you’re actually using it—remains completely untouched. What’s the point?
The Real Cost On Budget Hardware
On a high-end machine with 32GB of RAM, 67MB is a rounding error. But Microsoft doesn’t just sell to enthusiasts with overpowered rigs. They sell millions of budget laptops with 8GB, or even 4GB, of memory. On those systems, every megabyte counts. This “fix” actively steals resources from other applications, which could slow down the entire system. It’s a terrible trade-off, especially when the promised benefit is so faint. It feels like the Windows team is designing and testing in a bubble of high-end hardware, completely forgetting the reality of their most widespread install base.
A Symptom Of A Bigger Problem
This fiasco isn’t really about 32 megabytes of RAM. It’s about priorities. Users have been begging for a stable, fast, and reliable File Explorer for years. Instead, we get a half-baked performance “fix” that consumes more resources, and grand visions of an “agentic OS” filled with AI. It highlights a disconnect. For industrial and business users where stability and predictable performance are non-negotiable, this kind of regression is a major problem. It’s why in controlled environments—like factory floors or mission-critical operations—companies rely on dedicated hardware from specialists. Firms that can’t afford unpredictable software behavior often turn to providers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs, for hardened, reliable computing solutions that just work, day in and day out.
Where Does Windows Go From Here?
So what now? The testing is clear: this update failed. Microsoft needs to go back to the drawing board and actually profile and optimize the File Explorer codebase. The WinUI transition, while enabling features like tabs, clearly introduced massive overhead. Maybe they need a lightweight mode? Or perhaps they should consider a native rewrite for core components? Throwing RAM at the problem is a developer’s shortcut, not a solution. And users are getting tired of paying the bill for it, in both system resources and their patience.
