Share this article

Improve this guide

FULL FIX: Slow file transfer on Windows 10

7 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

Share this article

Improve this guide

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

Key notes

We transfer various files on our PCs and oftentimes, slow transfers are possible. This can be especially annoying if you’re in a hurry.

As you might have noticed, slowdown happens whether you’re transferring files from a USB to a computer or when transferring between hard drives.

The most common causes are outdated drivers, missing Windows features, antivirus settings, or hardware issues.

So today, we’re going to show you how to fix this problem on your Windows 10 PC.

How do I fix slow file transfer on Windows 10?

1. Install the latest drivers

If you’re experiencing slow file transfer, it’s possible that the cause is your drivers. Sometimes outdated drivers can cause various functionality issues.

So in order to fix the problem, you need to update your drivers.

Start by visiting your motherboard manufacturer’s website and downloading the latest chipset drivers for your device model.

If you don’t want to search for drivers manually, or if you simply can’t find a suitable driver, useOutbyte Driver Updater.

This is a third-party application, that you can use to automatically update all your drivers with just a couple of clicks.

Download the tool using the button below, allow it to scan your device, and check the recommended actions. You can update either all outdated drivers at once or one by one.

Outbyte Driver Updater

2. Run Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

Once the troubleshooter is finished, check if the problem is still there. If the issue is still present, move to the next solution.

3. Reinstall Universal Serial Bus controller drivers

Once your PC restarts, Windows will automatically install the missing drivers and the problem should be resolved. Many users reported that this solution worked for them, so be sure to try it out.

4. Perform a Clean boot

After doing that, check if the problem is still there. If the issue doesn’t appear anymore the problem definitely related to one of the disabled applications or services.

To find the exact cause, enable disabled applications and services one by one or in groups until you find the cause of the problem.

5. Check your antivirus

According to users, sometimes antivirus software can lead to slow file transfer speeds on your PC.

Third-party antivirusescan sometimes be quite invasive, but you can just disable some antivirus features. Alternatively, you can try disabling your antivirus altogether.

Removing the antivirus is another option, although not recommended. Your best option is to get an antivirus that won’t interfere with your system.

The antivirus market has a lot of good and stable options that will protect your system against all threats without creating errors, false positives, or interfering with other apps.

We recommend you getantivirus software with low CPU usage and a small footprintbecause these are proven to perform well on all sorts of devices without having any negative impact on response rates.

6. Disable Remote Differential Compression

After your PC restarts, check if the problem is still there. Keep in mind that you need to repeat this on all PCs on your network in order to permanently fix the problem.

7. Check the Optimize drives service

After this service is up and running, the problem with slow file transfer speed should be completely fixed.

8. Disable Windows Search service

Restart your PC and check if the problem is resolved. If any new issues occur after disabling this service, be sure to enable the service once again.

9. Check your BIOS

If you’re encountering slow file transfer speeds on your PC, the problem might be your BIOS configuration.

Several users reported that their hard drives were configured as IDE drives in BIOS, and that caused the issue.

In case you don’t know, IDE is an older standard, and by using it with newer hardware you might encounter various problems. However, you can fix the issue simply by changing the hardware configuration from IDE toAHCIin BIOS.

To see how to do that, we advise you to check your motherboard manual for detailed information.

10. Connect the hard drive to a different port

If other solutions didn’t work for you, perhaps this is a good time to check your hardware.

Several users reported that a SATA port can sometimes slow down transfer speeds. So simply connect your hard drive to a different SATA port on your motherboard.

After doing that, check if the problem is still there.

Slow file transfer speeds can be quite annoying, but we hope that you managed to solve this issue by using one of our solutions.

If you need further help with Windows 10 issues, you’ll find more easy-to-follow tutorials in theWindows 10 Troubleshooting Hub.

If you’re interested in file management tools, visit theSoftware Hubfor useful recommendations.

FULL FIX: Slow file transfer on Windows 10#

How do I fix slow file transfer on Windows 10?#

1. Install the latest drivers#

Outbyte Driver Updater#

2. Run Hardware and Devices troubleshooter#

3. Reinstall Universal Serial Bus controller drivers#

4. Perform a Clean boot#

5. Check your antivirus#

6. Disable Remote Differential Compression#

7. Check the Optimize drives service#

8. Disable Windows Search service#

9. Check your BIOS#

10. Connect the hard drive to a different port#