Microsoft Admits To File Copying Woes On Windows 11, Offers A Smart Workaround

Microsoft has admitted that the latest version of Windows 11 is rather slow when it comes to copying files. While users have long complained about the issue, Microsoft's Ned Pyle recently suggested a temporary workaround that may help in accelerating the file copying process.

One of the most common issues Windows 11 22H2 users face is the painfully long time taken by files to be copied from one location to another. Microsoft has previously acknowledged the issue but hadn't admitted it was a widespread problem. The company even released the preview version of the KB5017389 update recently, which includes some tweaks aimed at improving the copying speed.

Preview Version of KB5017389 Update Attempted To Improve File Copying Speed

Microsoft may have officially acknowledged the issue, but the company described it as "slower SMB read performance for large files in 22H2". Microsoft's Ned Pyle published a post in one of the company's tech community forums, implying only large files faced "performance reduction":

"There is a performance reduction in 22H2 when copying larger files from a remote computer down to a Windows 11 computer or when copying files on a local drive".

Back when Microsoft had offered the preview version of KB5017389, the company had mentioned the issue in the release notes of the update:

Copying large multiple gigabyte (GB) files might take longer than expected to finish on Windows 11, version 22H2. You are more likely to experience this issue copying files to Windows 11, version 22H2 from a network share via Server Message Block (SMB) but local file copy might also be affected. Windows devices used by consumers in their home or small offices are not likely to be affected by this issue.

Microsoft Suggests A Temporary Workaround For Windows 11 22H2 Users

Microsoft did imply that files could take longer-than-expected time if being copied over a network. However, the company also mentioned that files being copied locally could face delays.

Microsoft has suggested a temporary workaround for anyone who faces long wait times while copying files. Users can experiment with file copy tools that do not use "Cache Manager" (buffered I/O). The built-in command-line tools to bypass the cache manager are listed below:

robocopy \\someserver\someshare c:\somefolder somefile.img /J
or
xcopy \\someserver\someshare c:\somefolder /J

The list of problems that exist with the Windows 11 2022 update has been growing steadily. But files taking a long time to copy has been among the most common issues since the first major update for Windows 11. Microsoft has added that it is working on a solution and could offer a permanent fix in an upcoming release.