How To Fix Slow File Copy Speed In Windows 10

Copying, moving files, and folders on a computer is a regular task. Most of the copying and moving tasks are common between hard disk to another hard disk either internal to external.

Recently my friend faced a slow file copying issue and he asked the best suggestion to improve the data transfer speed. He is a photographer and he uses to transfers a few GB’s of data every day.

If you are facing the slow copy issue on Windows, then there are a lot of factors are behind it. Few simple tricks will increase the files copying speed drastically on a computer.

How To Fix Slow File Copy Speed In Windows 10

In this article, I have the best tips and tricks to improve the file copy speed in Windows 10. These steps are some settings related and some are physical device-related. So check each method which suits you to fix the issue on your computer.

1. Check USB ports

USB ports become weaker after prolonged and continuous usage. Many computers are coming with USB 2.0 and the latest USB 3.0 /3.1 ports. Make sure you have used the correct port to connect the hard disk. If you insert a USB 3.0 supported hard disk to a USB 2.0 port, you will experience slow transfer speeds.

If your computer has a blue-coloured USB 3.0/3.1 port, then try to connect the hard disk to that port. It will increase the data speeds drastically and you will feel entire copying and moving process pretty quick.

2. Update Drivers

Outdated drivers always cause issues in giving optimal performance. Check the USB device drivers and update them with the latest firmware. In most cases, a driver update will solve any kind of issue easily. Finding device drivers is easy. You can use standalone driver update tools to update drivers on your computer.

3. Check for Registry Errors

1. Open run command by typing Windows+R on the keyboard.
   
2. Type “regedit” in the box.
3. In the registry editor locate Optimize drives.
4. Right-click on it and choose Properties.
5. Click on Start to start the service.
6. Now, change the startup type to Automatic.
7. Click on Apply and OK.
8. Now close the Windows and try again copying procedure.

4. Change Hardware settings

1. Open My Computer and right-click on the USB drive and click on Properties.
2. Here, click on the Hardware tab.
3. Now, select the desired USB drive you want to use.
   
4. Click on Properties.
   
5. Now, click on Change Settings.
   
6. Here, choose a better performance option.
7. Also, check the option, “Also enable write caching in this device”.

After configuring the above steps, now onwards you have to be cautious while ejecting USB from PC. If you don’t use the safely remove hardware feature otherwise data loss may happen.

5. Use NTFC Format instead of FAT32

NTFC system is faster than the FAT32. You can change the format by following the below steps.

Copy all the files to another drive before starting this procedure. It will perform the format option to change FAT32 to NTFS.

1. Open My Computer and click on the partition you want to format.
   
2. Change the File System to NTFS.
3. Check the box for Quick Format and click on start to initiate the formatting process.

6. Disable Windows Auto Tuning

1. Launch the command prompt by typing “cmd” in the Windows search bar.
   
2. Type the following command and execute it.
   netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled
3. Now restart the system to apply the changes.

7. Disable Remote Differential Compression

1. Type “Turn Windows features on or off” in the Windows search bar.
   
2. Uncheck the box for Remote Differential Compression API support and click on OK to save the settings.
3. Now restart the system.

8. Check the drive for error

Windows OS allows users to check hard drive or external hard disk or USB for errors.

1. Right-click on a hard drive and then click on the Properties.
2. Now open the Tools tab.
   
3. Now, click on check to fix errors in the drive.

9. Keep system updated with latest updates

Updates are crucial for every system. They will improve system performance by applying new patches and security updates. If your system is facing a slow down issue, try to update the system with the latest updates.

These are the best practises improving the file copy speed on Windows 10 system. Let us know how much speed is improved by trying the above methods in the comment box below.