Why Windows 11 File Explorer scrolls smoothly in some spots but not others

For years, Windows 11 users have noticed a peculiar inconsistency in File Explorer scrolling behavior. The Gallery and Home views glide smoothly under your finger or mouse wheel, while standard folders lurch forward in choppy, line-by-line steps. It felt like a bug. Now, Microsoft has confirmed the reason, and it comes down to the underlying framework powering each view.

The company rebuilt the Home and Gallery views using the WinUI 3 framework as part of the Windows App SDK (WASDK). This modern framework handles animations, scrolling, and rendering differently, which explains the fluid motion. But the rest of File Explorer has not been migrated yet. The reason is not neglect, but complexity: those classic folder views still carry a heavy load of legacy functionality users depend on every day.

As Windows Latest reported, Microsoft leadership has acknowledged the issue and committed to delivering smooth scrolling across all of File Explorer in time. The conversation started when a user posted a screen recording on X, tagging Marcus Ash, head of Design and Research for Windows + Devices. He responded that the team was already discussing it internally and looped in Tali Roth, head of Product for Windows Shell, who explained the situation.

According to Roth, traditional folder views still rely on File Explorer’s older folder view implementation. Even though Microsoft has modernized other parts of the app with newer UI components, the classic views are tightly coupled with the old Win32 system. Features like type-ahead search, automatic column resizing, multiple layout modes, and a host of smaller behaviors are all deeply integrated into that legacy code. Moving them to a new framework means rewriting each one from scratch, ensuring identical behavior, and doing it without breaking anything.

The result is that File Explorer is a patchwork of old and new systems working together. Some parts are modern and smooth; others go back years. And they all have to stay compatible. There is a clear trade-off here. Home and Gallery are cleaner and smoother because they were built fresh, but they are also simpler in terms of functionality. Traditional folder views are heavier, but they support different layouts, advanced sorting, deeper integrations, and behaviors refined over multiple Windows versions.

Another user raised the issue of touch support, pointing out how difficult File Explorer feels on devices like the Surface Pro. Roth did not dismiss that either. She asked for specific feedback and confirmed the team is tracking touch-related problems. File Explorer still feels like it was built for a mouse and keyboard first. Touch works, but gestures are limited, hit targets are not ideal, and interactions do not match what users expect from a modern touch interface.

So now there are two parallel problems: visual consistency and input consistency. Both trace back to the same root cause.

File Explorer’s biggest problem is its past. It carries layers of legacy design from older versions of Windows. Some parts have been modernized, others have not, and that is why the experience feels uneven. Microsoft is clearly aware of it. They are fixing things in phases instead of ripping everything out at once.

The company is already addressing deeper issues in File Explorer, even if smooth scrolling is not fully there yet. In recent preview builds, Microsoft has improved folder view consistency and reduced random layout resets. Performance and reliability are getting a noticeable push. In testing, File Explorer launches faster, feels more responsive, and no longer flashes a white background in dark mode. Explorer.exe crashes are also being reduced, which directly impacts taskbar stability and system behavior.

All of this is expected to roll out with the May 2026 update, along with many other reliability fixes. Smooth scrolling will come later. Right now, Microsoft is focused on making sure File Explorer works consistently before making it look consistent.