Over time, a difficult drive tin can begin to operate with less efficiency due to fragmentation in the file system. To speed up your drive, you tin can defragment and optimize it in Windows 10 using a built-in tool. Here's how.

What Is Defragmentation?

Over time, the data blocks (fragments) that make upward files can become scattered in multiple locations around the surface of the hard disk. This is called fragmentation. Defragmenting moves all of those blocks and so they are located close together in physical space, which potentially speeds up read times when accessing information on the disk. However, with modern computers, defragmentation isn't the necessity it once was. Windows automatically defragments mechanical drives, and defragmentation isn't necessary with solid-country drives.

Nevertheless, information technology doesn't injure to keep your drives operating in the most efficient way possible. You lot might also need to defragment external hd drives connected via USB, as they may not exist plugged in when Windows runs its automatic defragmentation.

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How to Defragment Your Hard disk on Windows 10

Offset, press the Windows central or click the search box on your taskbar and blazon "defragment." Click the "Defragment and Optimize Your Drives" shortcut in the Get-go menu.

Launching the Disk Defragmenter from Windows 10's Start menu

The Optimize Drives window will appear, and it will listing all of the drives in your system that are eligible for optimization and defragmentation. If one of your drives doesn't bear witness up, it may exist because Windows x can simply optimize drives formatted in the NTFS filesystem. Drives formatted as exFAT will not appear in the listing.

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A list of drives in Windows 10 Optimize and Defragment tool

Select the bulldoze you lot'd like to defragment in the list, then click "Optimize."

On a hard disk drive, this runs a defragmentation routine. On SSDs, it runs a TRIM command, which tin can potentially speed up the functioning of your drive, just information technology isn't actually necessary every bit Windows does this in the groundwork with modern drives.

A list of drives in Windows 10 Optimize and Defragment tool

If the disk needs optimizing and defragmenting, the process volition begin. You will see a percent complete progress indicator in the Current Status column.

Status of optimization and defragmentation in Windows 10

When the process is consummate, the time in the Last Run column will update, and the Current Status will read something like to "OK (0% fragmented)."

Optimization and defragmentation process complete in Windows 10

Congratulations, your bulldoze has been successfully defragmented. If you'd like, you can schedule regular defragmentation sessions in the Optimize Drives window by clicking the "Plough On" push in the "Scheduled Optimization" section. That style, you lot won't take to remember to exercise information technology manually in the future.

Experience gratis to close the Optimize Drives window and use your computer as normal—and don't be surprised if yous feel a little extra leap in your computer's step.

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