Microsoft explains why deleting Prefetch can slow down Windows 11, as it’s “designed to speed up” app launches
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
Microsoft clarified that deleting the Prefetch folder in Windows 11 does not speed up a PC and can actually slow app launches. The folder, a legacy from Windows XP, stores .pf files that list pages and files needed for each application, allowing the OS to preload data on launch. Windows 11 retains up to 1,024 Prefetch entries, automatically discarding the oldest, so the folder typically occupies only a few dozen megabytes. Tests by the author showed negligible performance gains from deletion, but a measurable delay when reopening apps—especially on low‑spec hardware—after the files were removed and the system rebooted. Microsoft’s incident response team confirmed Prefetch remains enabled by default and is designed to improve launch times, particularly on traditional HDDs, while modern SSDs already mitigate the need for such tricks.
💡 Why It Matters
- · Users are wasting time and risking slower performance by following outdated cleanup advice that ignores how Windows now manages Prefetch automatically.
