My Windows explorer on the Windows 10 OS has been lagging and getting stuck when selecting multiple files.

Question

My Windows explorer on the Windows 10 OS has been lagging and getting stuck when selecting multiple files.

Jesse Babineau 0

My Windows explorer on the Windows 10 OS has been lagging and glitching when selecting multiple files by dragging a select box in the explorer window. Whenever I drag the select box above or below the window, it scrolls endlessly, even after I release my button on the mouse pad. The only way to stop this endless scrolling is by clicking a different application outside of explorer. This keeps happening at a later time when the system is on, and it does not fix itself after restarting. Rebooting a fresh install of Windows 10 did nothing also. The only method I know that removes this error is doing a system restore, but I'm at a point where I can't even do that anymore without undoing the last system restore. This makes selecting files very annoying due to sluggish response. CPU usage on Windows Explorer and DCOM Server Process Launcher are mysteriously rising whenever the scrolling gets stuck and reverts to 0 the moment I escape the scrolling error.

What keeps causing this problem on my system? And how do I revert it?

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3 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Jesse Babineau 0

I found out the culprit behind the explorer lag. And for this, I state, "SHAME ON YOU, MICROSOFT!"

The lag is caused AFTER I turn off Microsoft Copilot. I do NOT want Copilot being run on my Windows 10 system. I deplore that program. So how dare that thing be a mandatory requirement for my OS to function. I need an answer as to why Copilot is doing this and how I can keep it disabled without it corrupting my Windows Explorer.

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Answer 2

Ivan B 125.1K Independent Advisor

Hi,

Have you tried performing a clean installation, and does the problem persist?

Search for msinfo32.exe in the search bar, take a screenshot, and post it here so we can see the correct laptop model or desktop configuration.

Thanks.

Jesse Babineau 0 Reputation points

2026-10-09T09:54:32.96+00:00

As I mentioned. I already did a re-install, which led to no change.

Ivan B 125.1K Independent Advisor

Hi,

Open Windows PowerShell (Admin) and run the command:

# Get the package full name of the Copilot app
$packageFullName = Get-AppxPackage -Name "Microsoft.Copilot" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty PackageFullName
# Remove the Copilot app
Remove-AppxPackage -Package $packageFullName

Restart the PC.

Check if Windows Explorer still has Copilot.

Thanks.

Jesse Babineau 0

Does not work. I have the latest PowerShell, and these errors happen:

Remove-AppxPackage: The 'Remove-AppxPackage' command was found in the module 'Appx', but the module could not be loaded due to the following error: [Operation is not supported on this platform. (0x80131539)]

For more information, run 'Import-Module Appx'.

Get-AppxPackage:

Line |

   3 |  $packageFullName = Get-AppxPackage -Name "Microsoft.Copilot" | Select …
 |                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 | The 'Get-AppxPackage' command was found in the module 'Appx', but the module could not be loaded due to the following error: [Operation is not supported on this platform. (0x80131539)]
For more information, run 'Import-Module Appx'.

Answer 3

A likely cause is corrupted Windows or File Explorer components rather than the mouse itself, especially since the issue persists after restarting and even after reinstall attempts, and because Explorer activity spikes only while the scrolling is stuck.

Try these steps in order:

Restart Windows Explorer
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- On the Processes tab, find Windows Explorer.
- Right-click it and select Restart.
- This can temporarily clear stuck Explorer behavior.
Clear File Explorer recent-item cache
- Press Windows key + R.
- Run: shell:recent\AutomaticDestinations
- Delete the contents of that folder.
- Run: shell:recent\CustomDestinations
- Delete the contents of that folder.
- Restart the PC.
- This removes Quick Access shortcuts, but not the actual files.
Run Automatic Repair
- Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security.
- Select Recovery.
- Under Advanced startup, select Restart now.
- On Choose an option, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
- Choose the account and enter the password.
- The PC may restart during repair.
- This is intended to fix registry corruption.
Perform an in-place repair upgrade
- If the problem keeps returning, use a repair in-place upgrade while keeping files and apps.
- Before starting, unplug unnecessary external peripherals and temporarily disable third-party antivirus software to avoid interference.
- In the setup flow, choose Upgrade this PC now.
- When prompted, choose Keep personal files and apps.
- This replaces corrupted Windows files without removing apps and personal data.

What keeps causing it, based on the available guidance:

Persistent Explorer lag, stuck behavior, and repeated return of the issue are consistent with corrupted system files, registry corruption, or damaged Explorer-related components.
Since changing input devices and restarting do not permanently resolve it, the problem is less likely to be the mouse hardware and more likely to be Windows shell corruption.

If File Explorer still does not behave more reliably after Automatic Repair, send feedback through Feedback Hub so the issue can be investigated.

References: