Windows 11's File Explorer is now faster at deleting large files, in a rare speed win from Microsoft - Windows Latest

What the report says

WindowsLatest reports that Microsoft has improved File Explorer’s handling of large file deletions in Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8935, which the publication says was released on July 20. According to the report, the change targets cases where File Explorer previously spent a long time “Calculating” before deleting large or heavily fragmented files. Microsoft’s changelog is described as limiting the improvement to “certain scenarios,” so the effect may not be universal.

The reported fix matters because slow deletion has been a long-running frustration for Windows users, especially when removing very large files or folders containing many items. WindowsLatest explains that fragmentation can make deletion slower because the file system must account for many separate pieces of a file. The issue is most obvious on drives with little contiguous free space, and while hard drives face physical seek delays, solid-state drives can still incur metadata and file-system bookkeeping overhead.

WindowsLatest says the same build also continues broader File Explorer performance work, including a faster and more responsive Home tab. The report notes that Microsoft had previously discussed a goal of making bulk deletes at least 30% faster and had also worked on File Explorer launch behavior and visual flicker. The Home area’s Recommended section is also said to gain touch scrolling, though the rollout is gradual for Insiders in the Experimental channel.

The article places the change within Microsoft’s wider effort to address File Explorer complaints in Windows 11, including search performance, a modernized Properties dialog, and earlier interface changes. These updates remain Insider-channel developments, meaning general Windows 11 users may not receive them immediately, and Microsoft could still alter or delay features before wider release.