Windows explorer memory leak. It seems that Windows 11 has this specific issue ...

Windows explorer memory leak. It seems that Windows 11 has this specific issue due Dec 10, 2024 · Learn how to identify and fix memory leaks in Windows 11 with our easy step-by-step guide, improving your system's performance and efficiency. Windows Explorer Memory Leak (IMPORTANT) PLEASE UPVOTE THE FEEDBACK ON FEEDBACK HUB Sep 25, 2008 · I'm still running into the same problems of what seems like a memory leak, and crashing upon exit with WU2. However, when you close all those windows the amount of memory being used remains the same and just keeps getting larger until Oct 8, 2021 · Windows Explorer Memory Leak (IMPORTANT) PLEASE UPVOTE THE FEEDBACK ON FEEDBACK HUB Whenever you open windows explorer and close it, the ram it uses is increased by a few MBs without going down when you close it. Nov 10, 2023 · The memory usage leaks, when I open and close it the RAM used will not really go down, and it will nest continuously larger if I repeat keep opening it. Apr 19, 2025 · I have always experienced memory leak with File Explorer. Jan 2, 2025 · Learn how to identify and fix memory leaks in Windows 11 with our step-by-step guide to optimize your PC's performance effectively. exe process in my installation of Windows 10 64bit 1709 (Microsoft Windows [Version 10. exe process in Windows 8. I have tried updating AMD drivers to the latest. Killing the task temporarily brings it back down. Oct 15, 2025 · Here are multiple ways to fix memory problems on Windows 11. I remember a while ago (few years maybe) reading about a memory leak with Windows Explorer, is this still a thing because i noticed it was using up to 7GB of ram after a few days of my computer being turned on, also opening a bunch of windows you will see the usage go up and even after closing them the usage wont go back to where it was previously increasing a bit each time, restarting windows Oct 6, 2024 · The Windows debugging tools has a tool called UMDH that can help detect heap memory leaks. We've also mentioned how to find memory leaks and ways to prevent them. This will open the Resource Monitor, which will help you determine how much of your PC's RAM (or Physical Memory) is being used by certain processes at any one time. Get the latest news headlines and top stories from NBCNews. exe is one of) would resolve this issue. Learn how to check, find, prevent, fix Memory Leaks in Windows. I have done everything from windows update, sfc / scannow, DISM Driver updates, to in in place upgrades and the results are the same. It not our software leaking, but appears to be Explorer. Jul 17, 2023 · If your Windows File Explorer displays High Memory, Disk or CPU usage in Task Manager, then apart from the addons, take a look at these points. exe (by stopping the process and renaming quickly) and then rebooting. Feb 18, 2022 · Downgrading the graphics driver still has the Windows Explorer memory leak as shown in the screenshot, should not be 200mb or more: To reproduce the leak, just use the system for a few hours or maybe stress testing the GPU, CPU and RAM for 24 hours, afterwards restart the Windows Explorer process or the OS. Sep 14, 2025 · Memory leak on Windows 10 devices has bothered a few users. exe processes for new folders, especially if you open them via "Run" (Win+R) or certain program commands. To check if the memory leak is affecting your Windows 11 system, press Win+R, paste resmon into the box that pops up, and hit Enter. Jan 13, 2022 · I have a memory leak in win 11 file explorer. You can use this tool to find and fix issues with your PC’s RAM. It seemed to have happened after an update because when I built my new PC in Dec 23, all was well at the time. Reduce standby memory with the use of a few free applications. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the nature of memory leaks, how to identify them, and provide detailed solutions to resolve these issues on your Sep 4, 2023 · To fix memory leaks, users can check for memory leaks in Windows 11 using Resource Monitor, close File Explorer windows, make changes in File Explorer settings, close unnecessary apps, manually clean RAM, close startup apps/services, and update Windows. I have tried turning off SearchApp. Worse even if you close the File Explorer, the 1 GB still is used and you need to restart Windows 11 to reclaim the lost RAM Nov 7, 2025 · Learn how to identify and troubleshoot memory leaks in Windows systems using Performance Monitor and debugging tools. Find and fix a memory leak in Windows 10 with Microsoft's Resource Monitor and RaMMap. As the time passes both the Private Bytes and the Working Set is increasing and so far I couldn't find the reason for this. Find videos and news articles on the latest stories in the US. Head to the Memory tab and sort by highest Commit ( Jul 20, 2023 · This morning, Windows Explorer Process was at 250 MB of RAM and while the desktop wasn’t “black”, the system was unresponsive to any HID interaction except CtrlAltDel and then I could get to the Task Manager and restart the process. This article describes a memory leak issue in the Explorer. it got bad enough that it filled up the entire pagefile, and allocations by other processes started to fail Mar 16, 2023 · Yet, the OS grinds to a halt with something consuming large amount of RAM (12GB in 4 hours) of a 32GB system. A handle leak in software refers to a situation where a program fails to release system resources (handles) after it has finished using them. As the event source mentions, there's a resource exhaustion in the system on the virtual memory space. It’s because the mentioned Windows 11 build is available in the Dev channel as of now. The linked article shows you how to repair system files - How to repair Windows system files I would still suggest opening in Safe Mode to see if the problem persists. 9955. Let us take you through the most recommended solutions to negate this Windows issue. exe that run, one is the Windows Shell and the other is Explorer (the Shell always runs and opening Explorer will open a second explorer. Oct 5, 2021 · How to fix File Explorer memory leak on Windows 11 After the upgrade to Windows 11, a small number of users have been reporting a memory leak problem with File Explorer. As a tech enthusiast and Windows power user, I've encountered and resolved numerous memory leak issues. Dec 1, 2024 · This post offers 6 methods on how to fix explorer. Imagine what happens if you compile explorer. This comprehensive guide provides a detailed, step-by-step approach to diagnosing and fixing memory leaks in Windows 11, ensuring your system runs smoothly and efficiently. 1 (from 8), windows explorer is taking up way more memory than it use to. Aug 9, 2025 · The memory leak in Windows Explorer is a pretty well known issue. comJoin our Di 2 days ago · Faster and more responsive Windows experiences, with early improvements already delivering launch time reductions in apps like File Explorer Improved memory efficiency, lowering the baseline memory footprint for Windows, freeing up more capacity for the apps you run Nov 6, 2025 · A memory leak is a process in which an application continuously uses computer memory without eventually freeing it. While difficult, a few steps might help. exe high memory, disk or CPU usage issue. Graphics cards in these systems are NVidia brand, and are run with the latest drivers. Understand the cause before troubleshooting the issue. Welcome to the largest community for Windows 11, Microsoft's latest computer operating system! This is not a tech support subreddit, use r/WindowsHelp or r/TechSupport to get help with your PC Aug 12, 2023 · I understand that you are getting Webroot alerts: my software has an active process has a possible handle leak (explorer. This can eventually lead to the system running out of memory, causing crashes, freezes, and other performance issues. Restarting the shell Explorer. I think I fixed the issue by simply reinstalling Windows (although now I run Windows 11 23H2) and installing Intel's driver for the built-in graphics (Intel HD Graphics 630). g. 1, or Windows Server 2012 R2. Everytime the computer would sleep, if it slept more than 15 min, there would be a crazy memory leak on explorer that would cause the desktop to go black, icons to disappear, basically computer is non-functional unless you open task manager and restart explorer. I read it is common. 101. Systems running both Windows 11 and Windows 10 have this problem. Indeed, the more file explorer windows you open, the larger the memory load becomes (which is expected). However, when you close all those windows the amount of memory being used remains the same and just keeps getting larger until you either force a restart of explorer. How can this memory leak be fixed? Apr 24, 2023 · Reaching critical mass takes a few days, restarting explorer clears the working set memory, and RAM usage goes back to about 48% (normal). Applies to: All supported versions of Windows Server and Windows Client You see Event ID 2004 repeatedly in the system log. Jul 2, 2025 · Hello, i have noticed rather annoying bug with explorer. 1, Windows RT 8. Oct 4, 2021 · The Windows 11 File Explorer memory leak bug, which surfaced a couple of months ago thanks to the keen eyes of one Windows 11 Insider preview user, is outlined in a post by user gyrohan269 on the Sep 4, 2023 · To fix memory leaks, users can check for memory leaks in Windows 11 using Resource Monitor, close File Explorer windows, make changes in File Explorer settings, close unnecessary apps, manually clean RAM, close startup apps/services, and update Windows. This article will show you how to troubleshoot and fix memory leak issues in Windows 11. Dec 18, 2017 · The explorer. Be it a memory leak, high RAM usage, or low memory, we have included all fixes. 0. Here is what you should do to troubleshoot this issue. Mar 26, 2023 · Memory Leak in Windows is a serious issue users face. This article will give you an overview of memory leaks in Windows 10/11. Fix – Windows 11 File Explorer (Explorer. May 4, 2023 · We have found memory leaks on some of the Intel-based PCs, but we were able to pinpoint the raid controllers causing the issues by using my troubleshooting described below, which were fixed via a driver update. Nov 7, 2025 · Learn how to identify and troubleshoot memory leaks in Windows systems using Performance Monitor and debugging tools. Feb 22, 2024 · Memory leak in explorer. Oct 9, 2021 · This confirms that Microsoft has a solution to the File Explorer memory loss bug, but you need to wait for few weeks to receive an update with a fix. In this article, we A Memory Leak is a misplacement of resources in a computer program due to faulty memory allocation. However, I have never had mine use that much. Dec 10, 2024 · Learn how to identify and fix memory leaks in Windows 11 with our easy step-by-step guide, improving your system's performance and efficiency. May 23, 2021 · A quick guide to diagnose and fix memory leaks in Windows 10 computers. Apr 30, 2014 · After I updated to windows 8. exe and/or SearchApp. Learn how to fix memory leak in Windows 11/10, understand causes, and prevent future issues. The update KB5007262 has fixed these bugs claims Microsoft. exe under leak analyser from clang, LOL That being said I cannot reproduce either. How can this memory leak be fixed? Jun 27, 2025 · Understanding what causes memory leaks, recognizing their signs, and knowing how to fix them efficiently can save you time and prevent headaches. - I have tried updating Windows to the latest. Jul 23, 2025 · Use Windows Performance Monitor (PerfMon) to determine if your system has memory leaks, and investigate memory issues related to degraded performance. For this s Feb 24, 2022 · My system is a Windows 11 Dell Inspiron desktop tower, with Intel i5 11th gen cpu and Intel UHD Graphics 730 display adapter, version 30. Some of these bugs cause Windows 11 memory leak, File explorer and Hard disk performance issues. Feb 22, 2022 · Downgraded the DCH driver to version 30. exe and Brave. I don't see how any of those solutions is going to fix it. Since explorer and brave are written in c++ which is not a memory safe language it is certainly possible a memory leaks exists. 100. Oct 6, 2021 · A memory leak is a term that refers to a computer program allocating too much RAM for a task, and then not releasing the unused cache memory. WinZip, 7 Zip, TortoiseSVN, Virus scanners themselves - these run some parts in explorer's process, and if they have memory leaks it'll cause your sort of problems. The description lists the system's top memory Apr 16, 2025 · Learn what a memory leak is, how it affects your Windows PC, and follow a step-by-step guide to detect and fix it for better performance! Oct 27, 2024 · Memory leaks are a common issue that can occur in Windows 11/10, causing a decrease in system performance and stability. No matter what Memory or RAM issue takes you to this page, we will share possible solutions on how to fix them. Find kernel-mode and user-mode leaks. 1191 and the Windows Explorer memory usage went down. Before you install this update, check out the Prerequisites section. The real problem is these processes don't close when you shut the folder and their memory usage keeps growing. Since the tool automatically detects the issue with your memory, you don’t have to be computer-savvy to use the tool. : black display flashes and artifacting). 125]) is leaking memory. exe) High Memory Leak Bug Nov 6, 2025 · A memory leak is a process in which an application continuously uses computer memory without eventually freeing it. Mar 21, 2021 · Amount of memory it uses? Max memory consumption you've seen? There are two different versions of explorer. But it turns out that Windows 10 has a similar problem. . While the idea of a memory leak is unsavory, the amount of users reporting the issue doesn Dec 13, 2021 · Microsoft has acknowledged several bugs plaguing Windows 11 user experience in the recent Windows 11 update. Oct 8, 2021 · Windows Explorer Memory Leak (IMPORTANT) PLEASE UPVOTE THE FEEDBACK ON FEEDBACK HUB Whenever you open windows explorer and close it, the ram it uses is increased by a few MBs without going down when you close it. exe. This always seems to happen in the late afternoon when Revit has been open for 7+ hours already. The all knowing internet says that Microsoft fixed the file explorer leak in win 11 with an update, but mine is still broken. exe or reboot your PC. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. It seems that Windows 11 has this specific issue due Oct 4, 2021 · I read the article on 'PCGamer' and checked it out for myself. Oct 5, 2021 · The leak occurs when the File Explorer is repeatedly opened, resulting in unusually heightened RAM usage. I tried to open a dinky May 4, 2023 · I have multiple PC's and the leak seems to be only on PC's with AMD chipsets (with CPU / GPU combo ). Will monitor if the memory leak happens again. Oct 4, 2023 · If you don't have enough RAM, you may see the message an active process has a possible memory leak displayed on your PC but a virus scan can fix it. Windows 11 Explorer Memory Usage Leak (Big Issue)Upvote in the Feedback Hub: https://aka. Memory leaks in Windows 11 can significantly impact system performance, leading to frustrating slowdowns and reduced productivity. Just a few minutes ago, the programs I had running were Revit 2009 with 2 project files open, Outlook, Winamp, and then one instance of a Windows Explorer window. How to get this update Important If you install a language pack after you On Security Now, Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson talk about whether Windows Explorer will continue to tear through RAM with the release of Windows 11. Jul 2, 2025 · Windows sometimes opens new explorer. My question: is there any way to prevent Explorer to try to load on RAM all of my files' thumbnails? Because that's the only thing I can think of that's happening. 16299. It happens when a RAM location not in use remains unreleased. ms/AAdbw8hPartnerships/Business: itstechbased@outlook. Oct 6, 2021 · Windows 11 rolls out with a memory leak problem that can cause performance issues, and it appears that File Explorer is the one with the bug. Memory leaks happen when a program fails to release memory it has allocated, leading to a gradual increase in memory usage over time. exe or clearing the working memory set in VMMAP will clear the ram. Oct 4, 2021 · The Windows 11 File Explorer memory leak bug, which surfaced a couple of months ago thanks to the keen eyes of one Windows 11 Insider preview user, is outlined in a post by user gyrohan269 on the Apr 19, 2025 · The new update KB5055523 has caused memory leak with explorer where it jump up to 650mb which is not normal considered it never happened before i tried lots Jul 2, 2025 · Hello, i have noticed rather annoying bug with explorer. com. Jan 19, 2022 · Plug that leak with these helpful steps. exe, i was used to open folders with explorer through shellexecute with some paramswindows explorer seems to be borked now, anytime it opens, it opens as a new instance and even if folder gets… Oct 7, 2021 · It seems that those reports were ignored or memory and Windows 11 was released with a File Explorer memory leak bug. Mar 31, 2020 · Explorer has been a core system file, so it would be hard to believe it has bugs, moreover, I couldn't find anything related to excessive memory usage as listed in Windows 10's v1909 Known Issues page. Comprehensive guide with step-by-step solutions for optimal PC performance. Jun 12, 2025 · Graphics display is also affected before File Explorer shuts down (e. Oct 4, 2021 · Indeed, the more file explorer windows you open, the larger the memory load becomes (which is expected). Sep 7, 2023 · What is memory leak Windows 10? How to fixing the annoying problem? In today’s article, you will get several effective methods to fix memory leak. Jan 18, 2023 · Are you struggling with Windows 11 memory leak issues? If so, you're not alone. You can report the issue but not much also you can do save for rebooting on they're fixed. Dec 20, 2021 · Use Windows Memory Diagnostic to Fix a Windows 10 Memory Leak Windows 10 comes preloaded with a tool called Windows Memory Diagnostic. There is a memory leak which causes the system to be more or less locked up in the morning after being… Feb 12, 2026 · This article provides guidance on troubleshooting applications or services with memory leak behaviors and how to proceed. exe kelper Oct 6, 2024 Apps and Software Replies 9 Views 3K Oct 7, 2024 Oct 11, 2021 · Windows 11 memory leak problem causes File Explorer to eat much RAM after an update. Windows explorer would only use around 37 MB but now it uses almost 300 MB and it shows through poor computer performance. I have tried ending the process and restarting it but sometimes it Jul 23, 2025 · Use Windows Performance Monitor (PerfMon) to find a user-mode memory leak and measure the memory usage of individual processes. Worse even if you close the File Explorer, the 1 GB still is used and you need to restart Windows 11 to reclaim the lost RAM Oct 5, 2021 · Windows 11 is finally here, but it seems to come with an issue: A memory leak in File Explorer. Same KB, option turned off. I removed my user folder from the home folder via Winaero Tweaker, and voila, my year-long issue of explorer leaking memory has been solved! :) PS: and, yes, explorer did leak memory to the point of the system becoming unstable. If you have anything installed that integrates with the context menus in Windows, consider uninstalling that. Until now I use the Windows version 11 23H2 OS Build 22631. An update is available to fix this issue. Oct 25, 2023 · OK, if you feel that Explorer is at fault verifying and repairing Windows system files (of which explorer. May 25, 2022 · Windows 11 users face different memory leak issue which includes, Memory Leak, Low Memory, High RAM Usage, Bad RAM, and even other RAM issues. But this changes nothing. exe) Memory Leak? (Answered) Hello everyone, I did look up and it seems this has either happened before or is STILL an ongoing problem. Feb 22, 2024 · Windows Explorer (explorer. Apr 19, 2025 · The new update KB5055523 has caused memory leak with explorer where it jump up to 650mb which is not normal considered it never happened before i tried lots We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Symptoms This issue only occurs when input method editor (IME) is enabled. This makes me believe there is a handle leak but I can't find the cause. exe instance) and if running Steps 1 - 6 don't fix it, it's third-party application related. Aug 26, 2020 · How can I find a Committed Memory leak/Usage that does not show in any task managing programs? (Windows 10) Ask Question Asked 5 years, 6 months ago Modified 4 years, 6 months ago Memory leaks grow perpetually and the application continues running until all memory is exhausted Object leaks grow until they hit the per process limit, GDI just happens to be a resource that when leaked to its cap, starts crippling other area's of the OS. Oct 23, 2023 · Explorer memory usage and Explorer memory leak (can't post images yet since i just created this account). Mine usually tops out in the 200 - 300 MB range. exe, i was used to open folders with explorer through shellexecute with some paramswindows explorer seems to be borked now, anytime it opens, it opens as a new instance and even if folder gets… UPDATE: 4 months later, I've reinstalled Windows countless times (for different reasons), and the Windows Explorer memory leak has been gone for a while. exe). iwibp wqgbvh qxzpg cxemxj huvv adctk tldiun nkzyi csxxm zyfdfrl