Windows 11 users who have run into a problem whereby they’re finding that large files are copying really slowly will be pleased to hear that Microsoft has now fixed the issue.

This issue affects Windows 11 22H2, and note that the fix is in place in the freshly released preview build 25252. So in other words, those testing the OS now have access to the fix, to run it through its paces and ensure all is working correctly.

Naturally, it will come through to the release version of Windows 11 eventually. As Bleeping Computer (opens in new tab) reports, Ned Pyle, who is Microsoft’s principal program manager in the Windows Server engineering group, informed us: “The final fix for Windows 11 22H2 production computer will come in a normal monthly Cumulative Update through Windows Update once validated in Insider builds.”

Performance being considerably reduced when copying larger files – which simply means they’ll take a lot longer to copy over than they should, and going by some reports, they might take twice as long in fact – kicks in “when copying larger files from a remote computer down to a Windows 11 computer or when copying files on a local drive,” Pyle explained.

Pyle added that PCs on home networks or small offices were less likely to encounter this bug, but it’s still possible, clarifying that: “You are more likely to experience this issue copying files to Windows 11, version 22H2 from a network share via Server Message Block (SMB) but local file copy might also be affected.”

Analysis: Not long now for the full release of the fix, we’d hope

Obviously, this resolution will be more than welcome, as copying big files can be a painful enough time-sink, without having to tap your fingers on the desk for up to twice the length of time as normal.

That said, it’s still in testing right now, so that’s not going to help those running the release version of Windows 11. When will the fix actually arrive on PCs in the real world? That’s a tricky one, as it depends on how testing goes, naturally.

However, what we do know is that this won’t be here this month, as the cumulative update for December has already been pushed out (in preview), and so is too close on the horizon (it’ll be released in under two weeks now). What we can hope for is a smooth path with testing means we’ll see this cure bundled with the Windows 11 update for January, which will be unleashed on January 10 – which still isn’t too far away.

We could still be waiting longer if testers uncover any wonkiness with the fix, of course, or indeed other unforeseen problems introduced elsewhere (it wouldn’t be the first time a patch for one issue caused another flaw to pop up, as we’ve all seen in the past when Microsoft plays bug whack-a-mole).

Microsoft has been busy fixing a whole bunch of frustrating issues which have affected some parts of the Windows 11 user base in recent times. That includes a nasty bug that caused stuttering while playing games and a seriously thorny gremlin that half-broke some printers, not to mention a glitch that slowed down the CPU.

Windows 11 is slowly but surely becoming a smoother experience in that respect, though in an ideal world we wouldn’t see so many major bugs coming through in the first place.