How to Solve File Stops Copying Halfway (5 Ways)

When you try to copy files from one hard drive to another, especially large files, you may encounter this - file stops copying halfway. We will walk you through 5 ways to fix Windows to stop copying files. Read on to find methods here to fix this error on your own.

Top 5 Ways to Solve the "Copying files stops halfway" Error

If you have waited for a very long time, but the file copy process still hangs on, relax, and find methods according to your needs. This tutorial provides you with five effective solutions to fix the "file stops copying halfway" error. 

File Transfer of Large Files Suddenly Stops

"Since the release of Windows 8, I've been experiencing a strange issue on my computer. When copying or moving large files, the external hard drive stops copying halfway. I can't even pause or cancel the progress. I waited for 10 minutes, but the process still hangs on halfway. Can anyone tell me why the file stops copying halfway? How can I fix this issue?"

If your computer gets stuck at halfway while copying, relax! EaseUS has gathered some useful tips and methods for you to stop "file copy stuck" error with ease.

🚩Read Also: Unable to Copy Files to External Hard Drive on Windows 11

Fix 1. Wait for the File Copying Process to Complete

If you have time and patience, the first thing that you can try is to wait for the file copying process complete. Do nothing and just wait for the system to complete the file transfer process. The only problem is that you may have to wait for a very long time.

If you don't have enough time or patience, you can try the following methods to fix this error.

Fix 2. Update All Drivers to Fix "File stops copying halfway"

There is a nice tool for you to update your drivers, EaseUS DriverHandy. It can help you scan all the outdated drivers and automatically update them to the latest version. And it is easy to use. You can finish the update process with simple clicks.

Now, follow the guide to update your drivers.

Step 1. Open EaseUS DriverHandy.

Step 2. Find the target drivers and select "Update."

Fix 3. Format the Drive to Which You Are Transfering Data in NTFS

Sometimes the only reason for copying files stops halfway is that the device isn't formatted properly. So, you can format your USB drives or external hard drives in a proper way. 

EaseUS partition software is a popular disk partition management tool that is available for all disk or partition-related jobs such as formatting disk partitions, extending system partitions, settling low disk space problems, convert MBR to GPT without data loss, and vice versa. You can try it whenever you want to format your device in a proper way.

Fix 4. Optimize Hard Drives to Fix "File stops copying halfway"

Another way to fix Windows 10 stop copying files error is to optimize the hard drives. Windows' built-in defragmentation feature can optimize the hard drive. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Hit the Windows Key, type defragment and click "Defragment and Optimize Drives" when you see the option.

Step 2. Select your hard drive, external hard drive, or SD card, and click "Optimize".

Also read: How to Optimize SSD

Fix 5. Run a Clean Boot to Fix "File stops copying halfway"

If the hard drive stops transferring data because of software conflicts, you can run a clean boot. Performing clean booting for your computer can reduce the number of software-related conflicts. Steps to start a clean boot.

Step 1. Type msconfig in the start search and hit Enter to open the System Configuration Utility.

Step 2. Click the "General" tab, and then click "Selective startup". Check the "Load System Services" and "Use Original boot configuration" options.

Step 3. Click the Services tab. Select the "Hide All Microsoft Services" check box. Now click "Disable all".

Step 4. Click "Apply/OK" and restart the computer. This will put Windows into a Clean Boot State. If the clean boot helped you fix the error, fine! Else in the General tab, also click to clear the Load System Services check box, click "Apply/OK" and restart.

Conclusion

Whenever you are faced with the "file stops copying halfway", or "external hard drive stops copying" error, you can turn to these five solutions above. To manage your disk more efficiently, you should try EaseUS Partition Master. You can clone the whole disk instead of easy copying. What's more, you can extend, shrink, or delete your partitions with simple steps.

File Stops Copying Halfway FAQs

There are some hot topics on the internet. We have gathered together to give you additional help.

Why does copying files start fast and then slow down so dramatically?

Here's the reason. When you first start the copy operation, the copy buffer is empty. Therefore, there is plenty of room in the buffer to move the files into. But the buffer then fills up, because the files don't move out of the buffer as fast as they are moving in.

How can I increase my copy speed?

To increase copying speed in Windows 10:

• Update All Drivers
• Format the Drive to NTFS
• Optimize Hard Drives
• Get an SSD Drive
• Increase RAM
• Turn on Better Performance for USB Drives

How do I stop Windows 10 from copying files?

If your Windows 10 immediately gets stuck right after starting the copying process, you can directly stop the process and retry again. Click "Cancel" on the file copying taskbar or the close button at the right top corner.