How To Fix High Disk Usage Windows 10

What is disk usage?

Disk usage is the percentage of your hd currently being used by your computer to run programs and comport out tasks. Deejay usage relates more to the performance of your hard disk rather than its storage capacity.

High disk usage in Windows 10 can overwork your hard disk and lead to boring performance speeds, arrangement crashes, and unresponsive systems. Many of the causes of high disk usage may have nothing to do with your computing habits at all. High or 100% disk usage can fifty-fifty occur on new devices.

Note that deejay usage shouldn't exist confused with disk storage, which is the total corporeality of storage infinite on your hard disk.

If you find your deejay is e'er at 100% disk usage, the first pace is to identify what'due south causing the outcome — a cleanup or optimization tool can assist. From at that place, you can directly address the issue and get back to a faster PC.

Windows 10 loftier deejay usage: what's causing information technology?

To know what's causing 100% disk usage, you demand to effigy out what'southward making your hd work then difficult. Here's how to analyze your difficult drive and see what'due south causing high disk usage in Windows 10:

Open up the Windows x Task Manager past right-clicking on the job bar and selecting Job Manager. (Or utilize the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Esc.)
Click the Deejay column in the processes tab to review all currently running processes. If the arrow at the top of the column is pointed downwards, the programs with the highest deejay usage will announced first.

If at that place are bright orange boxes in the Disk cavalcade, that means deejay usage is high. More often than not, any disk usage that exceeds i to 2 megabytes per second (MB/south) on individual processes is suspicious.

It's common for your deejay usage percentage to periodically spike to 100% for a few seconds, but information technology should quickly come back downwards to under twenty%. If you're constantly experiencing numbers shut to 100% disk usage in Windows 10, there'south likely a problem yous need to address.

Loftier disk usage is oftentimes only ane aspect of a larger event causing a slow system. A comprehensive cleanup tool like Avast Cleanup tin automatically check, fix, and prevent hard disk errors — too every bit clean out your browser, manage your apps, and much more.

How to lower disk usage

If your disk is at 100% usage, you may be able to lower disk usage by checking for viruses, resetting your virtual retentiveness, performing a clean kicking, or wiping your hard bulldoze. A uncomplicated restart might also articulate upwards the issue.

High disk usage oftentimes results from multiple factors, not just the one programme showing a loftier percent in Task Manager. It'south possible at that place's more ane reason for your high disk usage, and so endeavour all the relevant solutions below.

Restart your device

As a general rule, restarting your device can work wonders. A fresh start volition affluent your computer's RAM, which volition stop all the short-term tasks and data bogging down your computer. This can also plug retentivity leaks and improve operation. A arrangement restart just might be what your device needs to lower disk usage.

To restart your Windows device, open up the Start Carte du jour, click Power, and select Restart.

Windows button and power buttons highlighted on Windows 10

Check for viruses

Hackers create all kinds of malware that targets unlike parts of your system, including your hard disk. While it performs well against malware, Windows Defender may not exist enough to protect against boosted threats like phishing attacks.

If you're experiencing high disk usage, a computer virus or other malware may be the reason. Thankfully, there are many free and powerful antivirus software options available to snuff out potential attacks.

Avast Free Antivirus volition comprehensively scan your system and eradicate threats to your hd — as well as the balance of your device. And it'll monitor your device 24/7 to notice and block hereafter viruses and other threats.

Clean junk files

Junk files are temporary files that your computer creates when you perform a task, like browsing the net or viewing an paradigm. These files are used only once, and if left to accumulate, they rapidly build upward. They can tiresome your organisation, cause performance bug, and contribute to high disk usage.

Junk files are an inevitable part of how your figurer operates, but yous can regularly delete them to free up deejay space. If you're using one of the fastest browsers bachelor, and you're however experiencing slow browser speeds, examine your junk files.

Like removing bloatware, immigration out junk files is one of the easiest ways to clean up your PC. Here's how to utilise the Disk Cleanup feature in Windows 10:

In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup and select Disk Cleanup from the list of results.
Choose the bulldoze you desire to clean and select OK.
Under Files to delete, choose the file types to remove. Choose Downloaded Programme Files and Temporary Internet Files, and then select OK.

You can too choose other file types like Recycle Bin to create more space. Just be certain y'all don't delete anything you might miss.

Through normal usage, your computer accumulates numerous unneeded files, and they're often hard to find. Our dedicated optimization experts know how fourth dimension-consuming information technology is to sift through and manually clean upward all these files. That's why we congenital an intuitive and powerful tool that thoroughly cleans your unabridged system.

Avast Cleanup automatically seeks out and removes bloatware, junk files, and other unwanted files. Free up space to fix hard disk problems and get your PC running like new again.

Uninstall Wink Player

Adobe's Flash Player was once popular for multimedia applications and streaming music and video. But since the finish of 2020, Adobe no longer supports Flash Histrion and strongly recommends that you lot delete it.

If that'southward not enough incentive, Flash Player updates consume unnecessary disk infinite and have been known to cause issues with Windows disk usage, similar spiking it to 100%. Microsoft has already released organisation updates that automatically delete Adobe Flash Player.

Click the Adobe uninstaller link to download the uninstaller for Flash.
On the bottom-left of your window, click the downloaded file for the uninstaller. When asked if you want the app to make changes to your device, click Yep.
When the uninstaller opens, click Uninstall.
Follow the onscreen instructions and restart your computer when prompted.

Reset virtual memory

Virtual memory is a storage management technique that lets your figurer's RAM borrow infinite from your drive when information technology's overloaded. Virtual memory will temporarily have data from your RAM and transfer it to your hd.

RAM (random access retentivity) is your computer's short-term memory, responsible for immediate computing tasks like running an app or browsing the web. It's faster than your hard disk, which is used for longer-term storage.

If you check your RAM, you'll see it's smaller than your primary difficult disk: generally 8 GB on an average desktop. If your RAM is maxed out, virtual memory will transfer some of the unused data to your hard disk drive, freeing up more infinite on your RAM. Information technology will swap the transferred data back to the RAM once you need it.

This is a great strategy on your system's part, but information technology tin also contribute to disk usage of 100% on Windows 10. The best solution is to add more RAM to your system, if you lot tin — this isn't possible on every figurer.

If you don't want to add more RAM, here'due south how to reset your virtual retentivity:

On your keyboard, press the Windows primal + Pause/Break key.
Click Advanced organization settings on the left side of the window.
Under the Advanced tab in the Performance section, click Settings.
Under the Advanced tab, click Change in the Virtual memory department.
Untick Automatically manage paging file size for all drivers. Select the [Windows] drive and tick Custom size to set the values for Virtual memory. Click Set up, so click OK. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Initial size: This value depends on your computer'south specifications. If unsure, employ the value side by side to Recommended.
- Maximum size: This value should be about 1.5 times the size of your RAM. Then if yous have 4 GB (4096 MB) of RAM, you shouldn't set your maximum value college than 6000 MB.
Next, delete your computer's temporary files. Press the Windows central + R. In the Run window that opens, blazon temp and press OK.
Select all the files in the Temp binder and delete them.

Update Windows x

Bugs and full general issues with Windows ten (or whatever operating arrangement) are inevitable. Developers release software updates to set up these problems as they arise.

If you use Windows and 100% disk usage is an issue for you lot, make sure you have the latest version of Windows 10 — it might include patches to help ready your disk usage problems, likewise every bit other bug you may be experiencing.

Here's how to update Windows 10:

Open up the Start menu and click Settings.
Select Update & Security.
On the left side of the page, select Windows update. From hither, check for available updates.

Windows 10 can bombard you with constant updates, which may cause 100% disk usage bug. Pausing automatic Windows 10 updates may help, but yous'll need to remember to check oftentimes for new updates — these are often essential for your computer's security. We exercise not recommend disabling or stopping Windows x updates.

And while yous're at it, make sure your drivers are updated. Drivers are a collection of files that tell your computer'due south hardware how to work. A problem with the drivers associated with your hard disk might be causing high disk usage.

Choose i of the best driver updater software options to ensure you lot always have the current drivers for your system's hardware.

Perform a clean kick

A clean kicking will restart Windows ten with a express number of drivers and startup programs. From at that place, you can reinstall third-political party programs one-by-ane to come across if whatsoever of them are causing your system to use 100% of your disk.

Here's how to perform a clean boot in Windows 10:

In the search bar, type: msconfig and open Arrangement Configuration.
Nether the General tab, tick Selective startup. And then, tick Load organisation services, untick Load startup items, and go on Use original boot configuration ticked.
Under the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services and click Disable all. Click Apply/OK and reboot your computer.

Wipe hard bulldoze

You may have already tried to delete programs or defrag your hard drive, but sometimes, y'all just need a fresh start. If Windows x is using 100% of your disk, you can back up or clone the contents of your hard disk, wipe it completely, and so reinstall Windows 10.

Larger or newer hard bulldoze

If your hard drive is at 100% disk usage, an obvious solution is to swap information technology for another one. A larger hard drive volition provide more storage space, just this isn't always the solution to high disk usage in Windows 10.

It's possible that, despite having enough space, your difficult bulldoze is outdated. Newer solid-country drives (SSDs) are faster and utilise less battery power. And since they don't have moving parts similar typical hard disk drives, SSDs are more durable than HDDs.

Equally programs and apps constantly update and demand more from your system, it's important that your hardware can keep up. If yous're experiencing high disk usage, a new hard bulldoze — like an SSD — may aid.

Change energy options

Windows ten offers a variety of energy options to help your figurer save energy, maintain CPU temperature, and perform optimally. The default setting is Balanced, which is commonly plenty for most users.

Merely if you continue to experience 100 pct disk usage on Windows 10, changing your energy choice to High operation could give your system a boost, though this is a general performance tip and may not directly impact 100% disk usage.

Here'due south how to change your free energy options on Windows x:

Press the Windows key + 10 on your keyboard. From the pop-up menu select Power Options.
In the Power & slumber menu, click Additional ability settings.
In the Power Options window, click Alter plan settings.
In the Edit Programme Settings window, click Change advanced ability settings. In the Power Options window that pops upwards, click the downfacing arrow next to Balanced and select High performance.

Check for deejay errors

Disk errors occur for various reasons, including malware, corruption, power issues, and physical damage. Since they can lead to data loss, disk errors should exist addressed immediately, and Windows x volition usually prompt y'all if it detects a hard disk trouble.

But if you don't get a notification and your disk is running at 100% usage, it'south amend to be condom than sorry.

Here'southward how to bank check for disk errors on Windows 10 using CHKDSK:

Type Command prompt in the search box on the taskbar, click Command Prompt, and select Run as ambassador.
When prompted to let the app brand changes, click Aye.
In the Control prompt, type: chkdsk.exe /f /r and printing Enter. So type Y to finalize the disk cheque next time you reboot.

Disable Superfetch

Superfetch is a Windows characteristic designed to improve performance past optimizing your RAM. Superfetch anticipates what programs you lot're going to use and pre-loads their data for you. This can decrease load times, only if y'all don't take the latest hardware, Superfetch tin can cause high disk usage.

You tin can endeavor disabling Superfetch, merely if that doesn't help with your high disk usage, re-enable it to reap its performance-boosting benefits.

Here'due south how to disable Superfetch:

Right-click on the Windows Beginning button and select Run. In the window, blazon: services.msc. Click OK.
Under Name in the Services window, double-click SysMain, select Disabled, and then click OK and reboot your system.

Exercise non try...

Although there are many ways to accost the issue of 100% disk usage, avoid the following tactics:

Disabling $.25: Bits is a key component in Windows used to download system updates. Disabling this service will end important updates, which could harm your system.
Disabling Windows Search Services: This commonly used feature indexes content and provides search results for emails, files, and other data. Once disabled, apps that rely on the service may not piece of work properly.
Modifying page files: A folio file is the hard disk infinite used by your organisation for virtual memory. It's best to leave information technology so Windows manages this file. Don't try custom values, which could further harm your hard disk.
Disabling antivirus software: It'south possible that malware is causing your high deejay usage; disabling your anti-malware tool could put your arrangement at run a risk.
Disabling Windows updates: Windows updates can include critical patches for security vulnerabilities. Without these updates, you could jeopardize your computer.

Clean up with Avast

Information technology's possible that a single issue is causing your loftier deejay usage. Merely more often than non, information technology'south a combination of the issues detailed to a higher place. Managing every corner of your Windows organisation tin be a daunting task — merely Avast Cleanup makes information technology effortless.

Avast Cleanup will thoroughly assess your device and optimize it for peak performance. In addition to fixing disk issues, it will remove bloatware, cleanse your browser, and clean out your Windows registry. Once your organisation is optimized, Avast Cleanup volition maintain your device and automatically update your most important apps.

Avast Cleanup can become you back to a faster and cleaner Windows device right now — and keep information technology that manner.