Why is my project folder loading slowly on Windows even though my system is fast?

I’m working on a commercial project called ACE Edit and I have a large collection of design files, PDFs, and media stored in one main folder.
Recently, File Explorer on my Windows PC has started taking a long time to open or load this folder, even though the system itself is running smoothly.

Issues I’m seeing:
• Folder takes 10–20 seconds to open
• Thumbnails load very slowly
• Explorer freezes for a few seconds
• Other applications run fine

I’ve already tried clearing Explorer cache and restarting the system, but no improvement.

Is there any specific Windows setting (indexing, folder optimization, caching, etc.) that helps speed up large project folders?
Would appreciate any suggestions.