Microsoft's still working on Windows 11 File Explorer improvements, and it's now making deleting large files speedier

Q: Which Windows 11 preview build includes the faster file deletion improvement?

The faster file deletion improvement is included in the Experimental channel preview build 26300.8935. This is noted in Microsoft’s blog post referenced in the article.

Q: What specific scenario does Microsoft say benefits from the faster file deletion in File Explorer?

Microsoft says the speedup applies "in certain scenarios when deleting large, fragmented files." The article explains this particularly helps when deleting big files on a drive that is pretty full, where the file's data is distributed across the disk and deletion can be sluggish.

Q: Why does deleting large, fragmented files take longer on a nearly full drive according to the article?

Because on a nearly full drive the data for a large file is often spread across many fragments rather than in a single contiguous block, File Explorer must locate and remove all those fragments. That fragmentation requires additional housekeeping work to delete each piece, which slows the process even on an SSD.

Q: Which Insider channel received the preview build that contains this File Explorer deletion optimization?

The Experimental channel received the preview build (build 26300.8935) that includes the File Explorer deletion optimization.

Ever stared at the 'calculating' message in the file deletion dialog wondering if a big file will ever be removed? This should soon be a thing of the past.

VIEW GALLERY - 2

Darren Allan

Tech Reporter

Published Jul 27, 2026 5:50 AM CDT

1 minute & 15 seconds read time

TL;DR: A new Windows 11 preview build is bringing in faster File Explorer deletion for certain large files, better coping with data that's scattered around the drive. This update is part of broader performance tweaks to make File Explorer more responsive, including quicker launch times.

Voice: DefaultSpeed

0:00 / 1:57

Windows 11 is getting a change to speed up the process of deleting a large file, as seen in a new preview build.

VIEW GALLERY - 2 IMAGES

Windows Latest spotted that in the blog post for a new preview in the Experimental channel (build 26300.8935), Microsoft notes: "File deletion in File Explorer is now faster in certain scenarios when deleting large, fragmented files."

This is another tweak in a broader set of work from Microsoft which aims to boost the performance of File Explorer in one way or another, and it'll doubtless be a welcome move for anyone who has ever sat staring at a file deletion dialog box wondering why it's taking so long.

Deleting big files on a drive which is pretty full can be a time-consuming affair, because the data for a large file may be distributed all over the place (as opposed to being in a single block on a drive with plenty of available space).

That means file deletion can proceed sluggishly, even on an SSD (due to the housekeeping involved with removing all those fragments). When you've experienced this kind of slow performance, you'll have sat watching a 'calculating' bar (for the 'time remaining' indicator) as File Explorer churns away trying to deal with the hefty file.

It's a useful change, albeit this is the kind of thing that Microsoft should have fixed in Windows a long time ago. Still, better late than never, and as mentioned, there's a whole bunch of tweaking going on with File Explorer to ensure this central part of the Windows 11 interface runs more responsively.

Frequently Asked Questions

TweakBot answers common questions about this news using TweakTown's own coverage from this page and related content from our archive. Tap a question to reveal the answer, or type your own below.

Question #1

Which Windows 11 preview build includes the faster file deletion improvement?

Question #2

What specific scenario does Microsoft say benefits from the faster file deletion in File Explorer?

Question #3

Why does deleting large, fragmented files take longer on a nearly full drive according to the article?

Question #4

Which Insider channel received the preview build that contains this File Explorer deletion optimization?

Have a question not listed here? Ask below and TweakBot will answer it.

That includes specific optimizations that mean File Explorer launches faster, tackling one of the biggest bugbears of this part of the UI for some Windows 11 users.