How to Defragment a Disk on a Windows Computer

This updated guide examines How to Defragment a Disk on a Windows Computer and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Method 1

Windows 10

1. Typedefraginto the Windows search bar. If you don't see the search bar to the right of the Startmenu, click the circle or magnifying glass to open it.
2. ClickDefragment and Optimize Drives. A list of drives connected to your computer will appear.
3. Select the drive you want to defragment. If you only have one hard drive, it'll already be selected.
4. Check the automatic defragmenting schedule. Windows 10 is set up to defragment your drive automatically on a certain schedule. You'll see the date the drive was last defragmented under "Last run" near the top of the window.
   • If defragmenting is set to run automatically, you'll see the word "On" under "Scheduled optimization" at the bottom of the window. You'll also see the frequency (e.g., "Weekly") listed below.
   • If this feature is turned off but you'd like to turn it on, click Change settings and check the "Run on a schedule (recommended)" box. Choose a frequency from the menu, then click OK .
5. ClickOptimizeif you still want to defragment the hard drive. You'll see the progress under the "Current status" column. Once defragmenting is complete, today's date and time will replace the previous "Last run" date.
   • The amount of time it takes to defragment the drive depends on the size of your drive and the amount of fragmentation. While you can continue working during the process, your PC may behave slowly until optimization is complete.

Method 2

Windows 8

1. Hover the mouse over the bottom-right corner of the screen. This opens the Charms bar.^{[1]XResearch source}
2. Click Settings. A menu will expand.
3. ClickControl Panel. It's at the top of the menu.
4. SelectSmall iconsfrom the "View by" menu. It's at the top-right corner of the window.
5. Double-clickAdministrative Tools. This opens a list of tools.
6. Double-clickDefragment and Optimize Drives. This opens the "Optimize Drives" window.
7. Select the drive you want to defragment. If you only have one hard drive, it'll already be selected.
8. Check the automatic defragmenting schedule. Windows 8 is set up to defragment your drive automatically on a certain schedule. You'll see the date the drive was last defragmented under "Last run" near the top of the window.
   • If defragmenting is set to run automatically, you'll see the word "On" under "Scheduled optimization" at the bottom of the window. You'll also see the frequency (e.g., "Weekly") listed below.
   • If this feature is turned off but you'd like to turn it on, click Change settings and check the "Run on a schedule (recommended)" box. Choose a frequency from the menu, then click OK .
9. ClickOptimizeif you still want to defragment the hard drive. You'll see the progress under the "Current status" column. Once defragmenting is complete, today's date and time will replace the previous "Last run" date.
   • The amount of time it takes to defragment the drive depends on the size of your drive and the amount of fragmentation. While you can continue working during the process, your PC may behave slowly until optimization is complete.

Method 3

Windows 7

1. Click theStartmenu. It's usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
2. ClickControl Panel. A window containing several icons will appear.
3. ClickSystem and Security. Additional tools will expand.
4. ClickDefragment your hard drive. It's under "Administrative Tools." This opens the "Disk Defragmenter" window.
5. Select a drive to defragment. If you only have one hard drive, it will already be selected.
6. Check the automatic defragmenting schedule. Windows 7 is set up to defragment your drive automatically on a certain schedule.^{[2]XResearch source}You can update this options as you see fit.
   • The date of the last defragmentation appears in the "Last Run" column next to the drive's name.
   • If defragmenting is set to run automatically, you'll see "Scheduled defragmentation is turned on" under "Schedule." You'll also see the date of the next scheduled defrag next to "Next scheduled run."
   • To change your automatic defragmentation schedule, click the Configure schedule button, then make your selections.
7. ClickAnalyzeto see if it's necessary to defragment. If the drive is not fragmented, there's no reason to run the tool. If the drive is fragmented, you'll see a message telling you to defragment.
8. ClickDefragment disk. It's one of the buttons near the bottom-right corner of the window. The defragmentation process will begin.
   • The amount of time it takes to defragment depends on the size of your drive and the amount of fragmentation. While you can continue working during the process, your PC may behave slowly until optimization is complete.
   • If you need to do work once the defragmentation has begun and you cannot tolerate the poor performance, you can click Pause or Stop on the tool. The advantage of Pause is that the tool will continue where it left off when it resumes—if you use Stop , you'll have to start from scratch.

Method 4

Windows Vista

1. Click theStartmenu. It's usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
2. ClickControl Panel.
3. ClickSystem and Maintenance. A list of tools will appear.
4. ClickDefragment Your Hard Drive. It's under "Administrative Tools." This opens the "Disk Defragmenter" window.
   • You may have to click Continue to open the tool.^{[3]XResearch source}
5. Check the schedule. If Windows is set to defragment your drive(s) automatically, you'll see a check mark next to "Run on a schedule (recommended)." You'll also when the drive is scheduled to defragment and the last date the process occurred.
   • If this option is not turned on, check the box to turn it on now.
   • To schedule defragmentation for a different time, click Modify schedule , then make your selections.^{[4]XResearch source}
6. ClickDefragment now. It's the third button. A list of your drives will appear.
7. Select the drive you want to defragment. If you have more than one drive, you can select them all if you wish—just check the "Select all disks" option at the top.
8. ClickOK. Windows will now scan and defragment the selected drive(s). The progress will appear at the bottom-left corner of the window.
   • The amount of time it takes to defragment depends on the size of your drive and the amount of fragmentation. While you can continue working during the process, your PC may behave slowly until optimization is complete.
   • If you need to do work once the defragmentation has begun and you cannot tolerate the poor performance, you can click Cancel defragmentation .

Method 5

Windows XP

1. Click the Start menu. It's usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
2. ClickPrograms. A list of programs and folders will appear.
3. ClickAccessories.
4. ClickSystem Tools.
5. ClickDisk Defragmenter. This launches the "Disk Defragmenter" window.
6. Select the drive you want to defragment and clickAnalyze. Windows will now check the drive to see if it's necessary to defragment. When the analysis is complete, you'll see a pop-up message telling you whether the drive should be defragmented.
7. ClickDefragmentif it's recommended to do so. If you see a message that says the drive doesn't need to be defragmented, you can close the tool. If the pop-up says "You should defragment this volume," this button will start the process.^{[5]XResearch source}
   • To see a report that shows you more about the fragmentation, click View Report . After checking out the details, click Defragment to begin.
   • The amount of time it takes to defragment depends on the size of your drive and the amount of fragmentation. While you can continue working during the process, your PC may behave slowly until optimization is complete.
   • If you need to do work once the defragmentation has begun and you cannot tolerate the poor performance, you can click Pause to stop it briefly, or Cancel to stop it indefinitely. If you select Pause, you can restart the process from where it left off.