When it comes to the performance of your Windows 11 computer, the faster your drive can read and write files, the better. So keeping your drive in tip-top shape is essential. So here is how to defragment and optimize your drive in Windows 11.

Imagine opening a filing cabinet and finding someone mixed up all the files. It would take you more time to find the files you were looking right? The same thing holds true for your computer.

When I started working with computers, there were only a couple of storage options: Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and Floppy Disk Drives (FDD). DOS and early versions of Windows were notorious for not writing files back to exactly where they were found, and this is how a drive gets fragmented.

So, HDDs require regular defragmentation to maintain their performance. On the other hand, Solid State Drives (SSD) write files back to the same place they found them. The only maintenance SSDs require is free space consolidation.

The built-in defragment/optimization program in Windows 11 can handle HDDs and SSDs. There are two (2) versions of the defrag program. One has a GUI (Graphic User Interface), and the other uses a Command Line Interface (CLI).

I like to refer to the different versions as Standard (GUI) and Advanced (CLI). The Standard version is simple to use but has limited features, and the Advanced version is a little harder to use but has more features.

The Standard way to defrag/optimize your drives in Windows 11

To perform Standard defragment/optimization, you will need to open the Defragment and Optimize Drives program. Here are a couple of ways to open the app.

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
4. Left-click on Defragment and Optimize Drives.

or

1. Open File Explorer using one of the following:
• Left-click on the File Explorer icon (manilla folder) on the Taskbar.
• Press the Windows logo key + E at the same time.
• Use the Power User menu by right-clicking on the Start button and selecting File Explorer.
2. In the left-side column, left-click on This PC.
3. In the right-side column, right-click on the drive you want to optimize and select Properties.
4. Left-click on the Tools tab.
5. Under Optimize and defragment drive, left-click on Optimize.

Once you open the Optimize Drives program, highlight the drive you want to optimize and select either Analyze or Optimize. You can also change the schedule that Windows 11 uses for scheduled optimization.

The Advanced way to defrag/optimize your drives in Windows 11

To perform Advanced defragment/optimization, you will need to run command-line syntax(s) and parameter(s) in an administrative Command Prompt or PowerShell. In Windows 11, you can access both of these through the Terminal app.

Open Terminal with Administrator privileges in Windows 11

1. Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu.
2. Left-click on Terminal (Admin). If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. Press the Windows logo key + X to bring up the Power User menu.
2. Press the letter A to select Terminal (Admin). If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Open a Command Prompt or PowerShell with Administrator privileges in Windows 11

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
4. Right-click on Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell.
5. On the context menu that appears, left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

or

1. Left-click on the magnifying glass to the right of the Start button to bring up the Search dialog box.
2. In the Search dialog box, type Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell.
3. The Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell should be highlighted in the results list.
4. An options menu is in the right-hand column under Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell. Left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

The name of the program you want to run is Defrag. There are multiple syntaxes and parameters you can use with Defrag. The complete list and a few examples are listed below. I use Defrag C: /B | /BootOptimize on most systems I work on.

The correct usage of syntaxes and parameters for Defrag are as follows:

Defrag <Volumes> <Operations> [<Options>]

Examples:

• Defrag C: /U /V
• Defrag C: D: /TierOptimize /MultiThread
• Defrag C:\mountpoint /Analyze /U
• Defrag /C /H /V

Have you ever tried to find a file in a disorganized filing cabinet? It can take some time. The same thing can happen when your computer's drive becomes fragmented. But you can keep your computer's folders and files organized with regular defragmentation. Here's how to defragment and optimize your drive in Windows 10.

There are two (2) types of drives used in computers, Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and Solid State Drives (SSD). The kind of drive you have determines whether you need (or want) to defragment and optimize it. To find out what type of drive(s) you have, follow the standard instructions below. The Optimize Drives screen will tell you what kind of drive(s) you currently have in your computer.

The issue of drive fragmentation stemmed from the early '80s when Microsoft needed an OS, and they bought Quick and Dirty Operating System (QDOS) and renamed it MS-DOS. At that time, HDDs were the only type of drive available, and they are still the de facto standard in the industry. They also need to be defragmented and optimized regularly.

Now, SSDs are different in that there are no moving parts inside; they are just memory chips. So when your computer reads and writes to it, the data goes back to the same location on the drive. You can defrag and optimize an SSD, but it is not recommended since SSDs have limited read/write cycles, and any program that intensively accesses the SSD could shorten the drive's life span. Microsoft started adding support for SSDs in Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 with the Trim command. Since the low-level operation of SSDs differs from HDDs, the Trim command handles deletes/format requests.

You can verify Trim is enabled by typing the following into an Administrative Command Prompt:

fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify

If the command returns a 0, then Trim is enabled. If it returns a 1, then it is not. To enable Trim, type the following into the Administrative Command Prompt:

fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0

Standard drive defragment and optimization in Windows 10

1. Bring up the Defragment and Optimize Drives application by:
1. Left-click on the Start button.
2. Scroll down to Windows Administrative Tools and left-click to expand.
3. Left-click on Defragment and Optimize Drives.

or

1. Open File Explorer by left-clicking the File Explorer icon (the manilla folder) on the Taskbar.
2. In the left-side column, left-click on This PC.
3. In the right-side column right-click on the drive you want to check and select Properties.
4. Left-click on the Tools tab.
5. Under Optimize and defragment drive, left-click on Optimize.

then

1. Left-click on the drive(s) you want to optimize.
2. Left-click on Analyze (Analyze all) or Optimize (Optimize all)

Advanced drive defragment and optimization in Windows 10

1. Open a Command Prompt with Administrative privileges (click here for instructions)
2. Use the following command line syntax(s) and parameter(s) to run DEFRAG:

Defrag <Volumes> <Operations> [<Options>]

Examples:

• Defrag C: /U /V
• Defrag C: D: /TierOptimize /MultiThread
• Defrag C:\mountpoint /Analysis /U
• Defrag /C /H /V