Windows 10, like Windows 8 and Windows 7 before it, automatically defragments files for you on a schedule (by default, once a week). However, it doesn’t always run consistently, so if you notice files are taking longer to load or you just want to double-check every month or so, you can see how fragmented the drive is in Windows. A note about Solid State Drives (SSD): SSDs work differently than traditional mechanical hard drives. Conventional wisdom is that SSDs don’t need to be defragmented and doing so can also wear down the drive. However, Windows does defragment SSDs once a month if necessary and if you have System Restore enabled. This isn’t something to worry about, though, because the automatic defragmentation is meant to extend your drive’s life and performance. So with SSDs, just let Windows do its thing and don’t worry about defragmentation. You can use the Optimize Drive tool below to do a general optimization of the drive, including sending the TRIM command to optimize performance. This doesn’t do a traditional defrag on the SSD, though. For your mechanical drives, here’s how to defragment your drive in Windows 10. How to Defrag Your Hard Drive in Windows 10

  1. Open the disk optimization tool by searching for “optimize” or “defrag” in the taskbar.
  2. Select your hard drive and click Analyze. Note that if you have a SSD, this option is grayed out and not available.
  3. Check the percentage of fragmented files in the results. There’s no hard and fast rule about how fragmented your drive should be before you defrag it. You might want to keep your fragmentation percentage under 5% or so, however, so that the defragmentation process doesn’t take too long to finish.
  4. If you want to defragment your drive, click Optimize. It’s best to do this when you don’t need to use your computer for anything else, so you can let Windows defragment the drive efficiently. When Windows is done, your drive should say 0% fragmented in the Optimize Drives utility.

Windows 10 Performance and Productivity

Best Windows 10 Keyboard ShortcutsMIrror Your Screen to a TV or MonitorSpeed Windows 10 Boot TimeGet Superfast Mouse, Touchpad SpeedsCalibrate Your MonitorActivate ‘God Mode’Defragment Your Hard DriveMeasure the Time it Takes for Apps to Load at BootUse Maximum CPU PowerEnable Swipe to Delete in EmailCopy and Paste at the Command PromptHow to record your screen in Windows 10Use Offline MapsGet the Full Layout in Windows 10’s Touch KeyboardCreate a .Reg File for Easy Registry HacksRecord PC Gameplay on the Xbox AppPerform a Clean Install of Windows 10Uninstall Windows 10 and Roll Back to 7 or 8Enable the Linux Bash ShellGenerate a Detailed Battery ReportTurn a PC into a Wireless DisplayOpen Folders in the TaskbarOpen Sites in the TaskbarImport Gmail ContactsGet Android NotificationsUse Multiple DesktopsUse Eye ControlUse the Timeline Feature to Resume a TaskSend Web Pages from Phone to PCAll Windows 10 TipsIncrease your Battery Life