microsoft / microsoft/PowerToys

[Run] Hangs when enumerating directories with lots of entries

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CmdPal - Shell External Dependency Issue-Bug Product-Command Palette
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Description

Microsoft PowerToys version

N/A

Installation method

Other (please specify in "Steps to Reproduce")

Area(s) with issue?

PowerToys Run

Steps to reproduce
  1. Win+R to open Run
  2. Type C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64 ...
  3. Observe Run dialog hangs after the WinSxS\ (and consumes ~1GiB of memory)
✔️ Expected Behavior

Consistent typing experience regardless of underlying file system hierarchy (within reason).

The combo box (and underlying search) should probably have the results capped at a smaller amount.

❌ Actual Behavior

Hangs on directories with large number of entries

Upload Bug Report ZIP-file

No response

Additional Information

Windows 10.0.26300.8346

Other Software

No response

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the hang in PowerToys Run by entering C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64, then trace the directory enumeration and result-population path. Confirm how many entries are loaded and identify a suitable result cap; done means typing remains responsive and memory use does not grow excessively on large directories.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
desktop, operating-systems, performance
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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