{"id":254,"date":"2008-04-30T12:26:37","date_gmt":"2008-04-30T06:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=254"},"modified":"2025-01-30T12:07:53","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T06:37:53","slug":"file-explorer-slow-working-green-progress-bar-foldertype","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/file-explorer-slow-working-green-progress-bar-foldertype\/","title":{"rendered":"File Explorer “Working on it” Showing Green Progress Bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:<\/strong> Windows 10’s File Explorer stalls saying “Working on it…” during the folder type automatic discovery process. And in earlier versions of Windows, Windows may sometimes assign incorrect template for folders if the content discovery or sniffing goes wrong or the folder view settings in the registry are messed up.<\/i><\/p>\n

For example, in earlier versions of Windows, when you open a folder containing text files, Windows may incorrectly assign it the Music template, and thereby showing all the irrelevant columns such as Artist Name, Album Title, Track Number, Genre, etc.<\/p>\n

Windows 10 File Explorer “Working on it..” and Green Progress bar<\/h2>\n

Although incorrect folder type assignment is no longer a problem in recent versions of Windows, Windows 10’s File Explorer slows down or hangs when opening folders with a large number of files.<\/p>\n

If you have a folder containing a huge number of files (especially your Downloads<\/b> folder can become crowded over a period of time), opening File Explorer would lock up showing the message “Working on it…”. The fix is to set the folder template manually, which seems to work for most users.<\/p>\n

\"File<\/p>\n

Step 1: Set the Folder Type Template Manually<\/h3>\n

You can fix this problem on a per-folder basis using these steps:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open the folder which has incorrect template assigned<\/li>\n
  2. Right-click on an empty area on the folder and choose Properties<\/b><\/li>\n
  3. Click the Customize<\/b> tab<\/li>\n
  4. Under Optimize this folder for:<\/b>, select the appropriate item from the list box.
    \n\"File<\/li>\n
  5. Click OK.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Step 2: Disable Folder Contents Sniffing (Discovery) by Windows<\/h3>\n

    You can prevent Windows from sniffing folder contents and automatically assigning the folder type template. This is done by creating the following registry key using Registry Editor (regedit.exe<\/code>).<\/p>\n

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Classes\\Local Settings\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Shell\\Bags\\AllFolders\\shell<\/pre>\n
    After creating the above key, create a new String (REG_SZ) value named FolderType<\/b> and set its Value data to NotSpecified<\/i><\/strong> or Generic<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n
    \"disable<\/p>\n
    NotSpecified<\/code> (or Generic<\/code>) corresponds to General items<\/code> (All Items<\/code> in previous versions of Windows) folder type template.<\/p>\n
    After applying the above registry setting, when you open a folder for the first time, Windows looks for the AllFolders<\/b> registry key and if it’s present, it reads the folder type template from there. So every new<\/b> folder will have the General items<\/b> folder template assigned by default<\/u>, irrespective of what content the folder has. However, you can still customize the folder type template if you need to, on a per-folder basis using the Customize<\/b> tab as explained previously in this article.<\/p>\n
    Note:<\/b> Existing folders whose FolderType<\/i> setting was already assigned prior to applying the above registry setting, are not affected and continue to have the existing folder type template. And this registry setting does not prevent you from customizing the individual folder views and other settings.<\/p>\n
    \n
    Step 3:\u00a0Reset Quick access completely<\/h3>\n
    For some users, the problem occurs only when opening the Quick access view which is where File Explorer opens to by default. In that case, try clearing the Quick access Pinned and Recent items<\/a> by deleting the relevant .automaticdestinations-ms file. Also, you can make File Explorer Open to “This PC” in Windows 10<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n
    If File Explorer is still slow whether you open to This PC<\/a>, or Quick access view, resetting the Quick access completely can help. Note that the following procedure removes all the pinned and recent items in Quick access.<\/p>\n
    Open Command Prompt and run the following commands:<\/p>\n
    cd \/d\u00a0%AppData%\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Recent\\AutomaticDestinations\ndel f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms<\/pre>\n
    This resets Quick access completely. If that doesn’t help, delete all the .automaticDestinations-ms files in that folder by running:<\/p>\n
    del *.automaticDestinations-ms\nexit<\/pre>\n
    Important:<\/strong> Deleting all the .automaticDestinations-ms files in that folder removes the pinned items in the jumplists for all programs.<\/p>\n
    Deleting the Quick access data also fixed the slow opening of This PC for some users.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
    Summary: Windows 10’s File Explorer stalls saying “Working on it…” during the folder type automatic discovery process. And in earlier versions of Windows, Windows may sometimes assign incorrect template for folders if the content discovery or sniffing goes wrong or the folder view settings in the registry are messed up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[441],"class_list":["post-254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows","tag-registry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1066,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/fix-folders-open-new-window\/","url_meta":{"origin":254,"position":0},"title":"[Fix] Folders Open in New Window Every time","author":"Ramesh","date":"August 6, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"When you open File Explorer and double-click a folder, it may open a new Explorer window rather than showing the folder contents in the existing window. This issue may occur even though the \"Open each folder in the same window\" setting is selected in Control Panel \u2192 Folder Options. Cause\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"folders open new window fix - launchexplorerflags","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/folder-open-new-window-fix-cmd.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/folder-open-new-window-fix-cmd.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/folder-open-new-window-fix-cmd.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1825,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/error-rename-move-folder-not-exist\/","url_meta":{"origin":254,"position":1},"title":"Fix: Cannot Rename or Move Folders – The File or folder does not exist","author":"Ramesh","date":"March 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When you try to move or rename a folder in Windows 10 or 11, the errors Can't find the specified file, and The file or folder does not exist occur. Also, duplicate icons with no text appear for special folders, namely Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos, under This PC\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"cannot rename folders - windows 11 - folderdescriptions","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cant-rename-folder-windows-11.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cant-rename-folder-windows-11.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cant-rename-folder-windows-11.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cant-rename-folder-windows-11.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9730,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/disable-folder-thumbnails-without-disabling-thumbnail-preview-for-files\/","url_meta":{"origin":254,"position":2},"title":"Disable Folder Thumbnails without Disabling Thumbnail Preview for Files","author":"Ramesh","date":"June 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"When a folder contains one or more images in it, the contents of the folder are shown as the thumbnail image for that folder. Windows allows you to enable or disable thumbnail previews in File Explorer using the Always show icons, never thumbnails setting in the Folder Options dialog. When\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"disable folder content thumbnails","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/folder-content-previews-disable-before.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/folder-content-previews-disable-before.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/folder-content-previews-disable-before.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/folder-content-previews-disable-before.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1440,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/remove-quick-access-other-shell-folders-file-explorer\/","url_meta":{"origin":254,"position":3},"title":"Remove Quick access and User Folders from File Explorer in Windows 10\/11","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Quick access, introduced in Windows 10, replaces the Favorites feature present in the earlier versions of Windows. It lets you pin your favorite folders, and it also lists frequently accessed folders. In addition, File Explorer in Windows 10\/11 by default displays the special user folders at the top, as well\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"remove \"home\" in windows 11 explorer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/w11-home-quick-access-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/w11-home-quick-access-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/w11-home-quick-access-2.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":327,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/change-open-folder-icon-explorer-and-registry-editor\/","url_meta":{"origin":254,"position":4},"title":"How to Change the Default Folder Icon in Windows","author":"Ramesh","date":"June 11, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Customizing and hacking the user interface (\"Shell\") in Windows is fun. If you want to change the default folder icon with your custom .ico file, this article tells you how. Instructions apply to all versions of Windows, including Windows 10. Change the Default Folder icon in Explorer Launch Regedit.exe and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"change folder icon in Windows","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/change-folder-icon-color-3.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/change-folder-icon-color-3.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/change-folder-icon-color-3.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1001,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/disable-full-row-select-explorer-windows-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":254,"position":5},"title":"How to Disable Full Row Select in Explorer in Windows 7?","author":"Ramesh","date":"February 18, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm writing this article specifically for Windows 7, because the FullRowSelect registry value that you used in Windows Vista, doesn't work in Windows 7. (REF: Enable or Disable Full Row Select feature in Explorer in Windows Vista). After some of our readers reported that setting FullRowSelect to 0 doesn't do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 7"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 7","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-7\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/w7-fullrowsel.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}