diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/axios_startup_calls.js b/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/axios_startup_calls.js
index cb2e8a76c08c84a86db6be96baa5c17579ad9841..a047cebc8abf1c7975c2c0369496e88bffe0db61 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/axios_startup_calls.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/lib/utils/axios_startup_calls.js
@@ -34,14 +34,17 @@ const setupAxiosStartupCalls = axios => {
           });
 
           // eslint-disable-next-line promise/no-nesting
-          return res.json().then(data => ({
-            data,
-            status: res.status,
-            statusText: res.statusText,
-            headers: fetchHeaders,
-            config: req,
-            request: req,
-          }));
+          return res
+            .clone()
+            .json()
+            .then(data => ({
+              data,
+              status: res.status,
+              statusText: res.statusText,
+              headers: fetchHeaders,
+              config: req,
+              request: req,
+            }));
         });
     }
 
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/repository/components/tree_content.vue b/app/assets/javascripts/repository/components/tree_content.vue
index 721cc6787dcc83b22dc5ae765715c3c176d962c9..702df42d655c7c91d05483c0cf5f813888575e4e 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/repository/components/tree_content.vue
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/repository/components/tree_content.vue
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 <script>
+import { GlButton } from '@gitlab/ui';
 import createFlash from '~/flash';
 import { __ } from '../../locale';
 import FileTable from './table/index.vue';
@@ -8,12 +9,15 @@ import projectPathQuery from '../queries/project_path.query.graphql';
 import FilePreview from './preview/index.vue';
 import { readmeFile } from '../utils/readme';
 
+const LIMIT = 1000;
 const PAGE_SIZE = 100;
+export const INITIAL_FETCH_COUNT = LIMIT / PAGE_SIZE;
 
 export default {
   components: {
     FileTable,
     FilePreview,
+    GlButton,
   },
   mixins: [getRefMixin],
   apollo: {
@@ -43,12 +47,19 @@ export default {
         blobs: [],
       },
       isLoadingFiles: false,
+      isOverLimit: false,
+      clickedShowMore: false,
+      pageSize: PAGE_SIZE,
+      fetchCounter: 0,
     };
   },
   computed: {
     readme() {
       return readmeFile(this.entries.blobs);
     },
+    hasShowMore() {
+      return !this.clickedShowMore && this.fetchCounter === INITIAL_FETCH_COUNT;
+    },
   },
 
   watch: {
@@ -76,7 +87,7 @@ export default {
             ref: this.ref,
             path: this.path || '/',
             nextPageCursor: this.nextPageCursor,
-            pageSize: PAGE_SIZE,
+            pageSize: this.pageSize,
           },
         })
         .then(({ data }) => {
@@ -96,7 +107,11 @@ export default {
 
           if (pageInfo?.hasNextPage) {
             this.nextPageCursor = pageInfo.endCursor;
-            this.fetchFiles();
+            this.fetchCounter += 1;
+            if (this.fetchCounter < INITIAL_FETCH_COUNT || this.clickedShowMore) {
+              this.fetchFiles();
+              this.clickedShowMore = false;
+            }
           }
         })
         .catch(error => {
@@ -112,6 +127,10 @@ export default {
         .concat(data.trees.pageInfo, data.submodules.pageInfo, data.blobs.pageInfo)
         .find(({ hasNextPage }) => hasNextPage);
     },
+    showMore() {
+      this.clickedShowMore = true;
+      this.fetchFiles();
+    },
   },
 };
 </script>
@@ -124,6 +143,19 @@ export default {
       :is-loading="isLoadingFiles"
       :loading-path="loadingPath"
     />
+    <div
+      v-if="hasShowMore"
+      class="gl-border-1 gl-border-gray-100 gl-rounded-base gl-border-t-none gl-border-b-solid gl-border-l-solid gl-border-r-solid gl-rounded-top-right-none gl-rounded-top-left-none gl-mt-n1"
+    >
+      <gl-button
+        variant="link"
+        class="gl-display-flex gl-w-full gl-py-4!"
+        :loading="isLoadingFiles"
+        @click="showMore"
+      >
+        {{ s__('ProjectFileTree|Show more') }}
+      </gl-button>
+    </div>
     <file-preview v-if="readme" :blob="readme" />
   </div>
 </template>
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/222685-improve-rendering-in-file-browser.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/222685-improve-rendering-in-file-browser.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c806c42c1cec83b6b1ae81973c31736b9b38ba27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/222685-improve-rendering-in-file-browser.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+title: Improve rendering of very large files in the Repo File Browser
+merge_request: 38733
+author:
+type: fixed
diff --git a/locale/gitlab.pot b/locale/gitlab.pot
index 4114d77773f861cda0f45448a9cd2e396774b102..d23f22206c648e7b81a8d154c841d88c4d4ddda8 100644
--- a/locale/gitlab.pot
+++ b/locale/gitlab.pot
@@ -18730,6 +18730,9 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "ProjectFileTree|Name"
 msgstr ""
 
+msgid "ProjectFileTree|Show more"
+msgstr ""
+
 msgid "ProjectLastActivity|Never"
 msgstr ""
 
diff --git a/spec/frontend/repository/components/tree_content_spec.js b/spec/frontend/repository/components/tree_content_spec.js
index da892ce51d8e9bda05739a049e76cc803d02e04a..ea85cd347436d21e6e7f5a9d704fc5ed8acaae5e 100644
--- a/spec/frontend/repository/components/tree_content_spec.js
+++ b/spec/frontend/repository/components/tree_content_spec.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { shallowMount } from '@vue/test-utils';
-import TreeContent from '~/repository/components/tree_content.vue';
+import { GlButton } from '@gitlab/ui';
+import TreeContent, { INITIAL_FETCH_COUNT } from '~/repository/components/tree_content.vue';
 import FilePreview from '~/repository/components/preview/index.vue';
 
 let vm;
@@ -25,14 +26,24 @@ describe('Repository table component', () => {
     vm.destroy();
   });
 
-  it('renders file preview', () => {
+  it('renders file preview', async () => {
     factory('/');
 
     vm.setData({ entries: { blobs: [{ name: 'README.md' }] } });
 
-    return vm.vm.$nextTick().then(() => {
-      expect(vm.find(FilePreview).exists()).toBe(true);
-    });
+    await vm.vm.$nextTick();
+
+    expect(vm.find(FilePreview).exists()).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('trigger fetchFiles when mounted', async () => {
+    factory('/');
+
+    jest.spyOn(vm.vm, 'fetchFiles').mockImplementation(() => {});
+
+    await vm.vm.$nextTick();
+
+    expect(vm.vm.fetchFiles).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   describe('normalizeData', () => {
@@ -70,4 +81,59 @@ describe('Repository table component', () => {
       expect(output).toEqual({ hasNextPage: true, nextCursor: 'test' });
     });
   });
+
+  describe('Show more button', () => {
+    const showMoreButton = () => vm.find(GlButton);
+
+    describe('when is present', () => {
+      beforeEach(async () => {
+        factory('/');
+
+        vm.setData({ fetchCounter: 10, clickedShowMore: false });
+
+        await vm.vm.$nextTick();
+      });
+
+      it('is not rendered once it is clicked', async () => {
+        showMoreButton().vm.$emit('click');
+        await vm.vm.$nextTick();
+
+        expect(showMoreButton().exists()).toBe(false);
+      });
+
+      it('is rendered', async () => {
+        expect(showMoreButton().exists()).toBe(true);
+      });
+
+      it('changes clickedShowMore when show more button is clicked', async () => {
+        showMoreButton().vm.$emit('click');
+
+        expect(vm.vm.clickedShowMore).toBe(true);
+      });
+
+      it('triggers fetchFiles when show more button is clicked', async () => {
+        jest.spyOn(vm.vm, 'fetchFiles');
+
+        showMoreButton().vm.$emit('click');
+
+        expect(vm.vm.fetchFiles).toBeCalled();
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('is not rendered if less than 1000 files', async () => {
+      factory('/');
+
+      vm.setData({ fetchCounter: 5, clickedShowMore: false });
+
+      await vm.vm.$nextTick();
+
+      expect(showMoreButton().exists()).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it('has limit of 1000 files on initial load', () => {
+      factory('/');
+
+      expect(INITIAL_FETCH_COUNT * vm.vm.pageSize).toBe(1000);
+    });
+  });
 });