File Explorer launch uses fewer allocations in Microsoft’s WinUI 3 tests
Microsoft says the current numbers apply only to the WinUI portion of File Explorer launch, not the full application startup time.
Microsoft says WinUI 3 has made “a leap forward” in performance, with File Explorer launch tests now showing fewer allocations, fewer function calls and less time spent in framework code.
The data was shared by Microsoft’s WinUI team on GitHub. The company says the work focuses on launch time, with File Explorer and Notepad used as the main benchmarks for changes that should also benefit other WinUI 3 apps.
The new data was posted on GitHub by Beth Pan from Microsoft’s WinUI team. According to the post, Microsoft has been using File Explorer and Notepad as primary benchmarks while working on launch-time improvements that can also benefit other WinUI apps.
Source: Microsoft
Microsoft is tying this work to its plan to move more Windows experiences to WinUI 3. In March, the company said this shift would help reduce interaction latency in core Windows features, including File Explorer search, navigation, context menus and common file tasks. This is likely part of Microsoft’s Windows K2 work , which includes Start menu changes and Low Latency Profile .
The WinUI 3 changes target framework overhead, while Low Latency Profile raises CPU clocks during short UI tasks. Microsoft says the WinUI updates will move to “winui3/main” soon, with some changes also planned for WinAppSDK 2.x where possible. Some optimizations will require developers to opt in, and Microsoft has not yet shared full real-world File Explorer launch-time results.
But why are they realizing all of this only after months and years of complaints from users? How many of them have already moved to Linux?
Source: WinUI3 Github
