File copy stuck at 5 seconds remaining [Resolved]

The "File Copy Stuck at 5 Seconds Left" issue usually occurs when transferring files between your computer and a USB drive. How do you fix it? Here are five workable solutions for your reference.

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How to solve the USB file copy stuck at 5 seconds remaining?

Hello everyone, do you know how to fix the USB file copy stuck error? This morning, I was trying to copy some files (around 1.5 GB) from my computer to a USB flash drive, including some videos and pictures. The file transfer was very slow, and the file copy got stuck when there were only 5 seconds left.

I waited for 20 minutes, but the copy process was still stuck at the last 5 seconds. I stopped it and restarted, but the “5 seconds remaining” message appeared again. Why does Windows 10, Windows 8, or Windows 7 get stuck when copying files? Are there any solutions?”

File transfers on Windows can be influenced by various factors, such as the performance of your USB drive or HDD, the free space available on the USB device, the amount of system resources at your disposal (like RAM and processor), the USB port, the file size, or issues with device drivers. If any aspect of the file transfer goes awry, you might encounter an issue where the file copy gets stuck at 5 seconds remaining.

5 Ways to Fix the File Copy Stuck at "5 Seconds Remaining" Issue

If the file transfer gets stuck with 5 seconds left, don't panic. In most cases, it's just a minor glitch and the transfer will complete on its own if you're patient. However, if you don't want to waste your time, you can stop the current transfer and troubleshoot the issue using the helpful tips below.

Solution 1: Try another USB cable or USB 3.0 port

If both your computer and the USB drive support USB 3.0, you'll get much faster transfer speeds using a USB 3.0 cable or port.

Fix 2: Convert FAT32 to NTFS without Losing Data for Free

If your USB flash drive is formatted with FAT32, the file transfer speed will be notably slower than with NTFS, which is the latest drive letter format with significantly improved performance. NTFS offers several enhancements over FAT32 to boost performance, reliability, and disk space utilization. It is more stable and compatible in saving files and transferring data compared to other file systems like exFAT and FAT.

To fix the issue of file copy stuck at 5 seconds remaining on Windows 10/8/7, formatting the USB drive to NTFS is an effective solution. But we all know that disk formatting will lead to data loss. Therefore, to avoid any data damage, you can directly convert FAT32 to NTFS without formatting with the help of a free partition manager - AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard.

Step 1. Install and launch Partition Master on your computer.

Step 2. Right-click on a FAT32 partition in Disk Management and select "Advanced" then click "Convert to NTFS."

Step 3: Click “Proceed” in the dialog box that appears.

Step 4: Click the "Apply" button to start the conversion process. Wait for it to complete.

AOMEI Partition Assistant Free is the most comprehensive disk/partition management software with many great features, such as:

• Resize/Move partitions (the Pro edition allows you to allocate space from D drive to C drive without deleting the partition)
• Copy and clone an entire disk to another disk, even if the target partition is smaller than the source.
• Convert a logical partition to primary or vice versa, convert FAT to NTFS partition, convert MBR disk to GPT, or convert GPT disk to MBR.
• Completely wipe all data on a hard drive to prevent information leakage or recovery.
• Migrate OS to SSD to upgrade your hard drive and speed up Windows operation.

Fix 3: Update the hard drive or USB device driver

Outdated drivers for your computer or USB hard drive can cause basic functions, like file copying, to not work correctly. Updating the driver can increase the maximum USB transfer size.

Step 1: Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.

Step 2: Expand one of the categories, find your device, right-click on it, and select “Update Driver.”

Step 3: Choose "Search automatically for updated driver software."

If Windows can't find the new driver, try looking for one on the manufacturer's website and follow their instructions. Otherwise, you can try reinstalling the driver by doing the following:

Step 1. Open Device Manager, right-click the device name, and select Uninstall device.

Step 2: Restart your PC, and Windows will try to reinstall the driver.

Fix 4: Uninstall and reinstall all USB controllers

If the "Copying Files" status still remains at five seconds, try uninstalling and reinstalling all of your USB controllers.

Step 1: Connect an external USB hard drive to your computer. Open Device Manager, and expand the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” section.

Step 2. Right-click each item under "Universal Serial Bus controllers" and select "Uninstall" to remove them one by one.

Step 3: Restart your computer to let Windows install the USB controller drivers.

Step 4: Plug in the USB cable and see if that fixes the problem.

Also read: Solve WD My Passport Ultra not detected / showing up issue

Fix 5: Clean up and optimize your hard drive/USB drive

Useless junk files can take up disk space. Insufficient disk space can be one of the reasons why file copying gets stuck at "5 seconds remaining." You can easily and quickly clean up your system and large files with a free and lightweight tool. Freeing up space is one of the effective ways to speed up Windows 10.

Step 1: Download the Partition Master tool for free and install it, then launch it on your Windows PC.

Hover the mouse over “PC Cleaner” on the assembly, and click the download icon to install and launch the CleanGenius tool.

Step 2: In CleanGenius, tap “Clean” on the main screen and then tap “Scan” to begin scanning.

Step 3: After the scan, select the unnecessary large files and click "Clean" to delete them.

4. When CleanGenius has finished cleaning the selected files, click on “Finish” to close the process.

Summing Up

File copy stuck or files getting stuck during the last 5 seconds on Windows 7 can be caused by various reasons. Try these five practical solutions to fix the issue. If you have any further queries, feel free to reach out to our support team via email or live chat.