How to Fix the Disk Defragmenter Not Working in Windows

How to Fix the Disk Defragmenter Not Working in Windows

The Disk Defragmenter resource is a Windows user’s finest close friend. This resource fixes fragmentation concerns so that your hard push operates smoother, but it alone at times arrives throughout challenges of its personal. If you’re having problems with your disk defragmenter, there are a number of matters you can do to solve the trouble.


In this report, you will find out how to take care of the Disk Defragmenter so it performs adequately again.


What Is the Disk Defragmenter? Why Does It Quit Working?

The Disk Defragmenter software rearranges information on your tough push so that they are stored in a contiguous manner. This will help to make improvements to file obtain velocity and total procedure general performance. Disk fragmentation can happen in excess of time as you include, take out, and modify documents on your hard travel.

Although a disk defragmenter is an critical software for retaining your laptop or computer functioning easily, from time to time it does not do the job as it must. In this article are a couple issues that can trigger the disk defragmenter to prevent doing work:

  1. The tool won’t perform if you have a reliable-state generate (SSD). SSDs don’t need to have to be defragmented for the reason that they never have the similar form of going parts that regular really hard drives do.
  2. One more chance is that you have a virus or malware on your pc which is interfering with the disk defragmenter. You can attempt working a virus scan to see if that fixes the challenge.
  3. Corrupt program files can also induce the support to malfunction. In these a case, it could be worthwhile operating an SFC (Process File Checker) scan as a way to diagnose the trouble.

Now we know what triggers the Disk Defragmenter to end working, it’s time to glance at some remedies that might enable you repair the issue.

1. Examine Disk Defragmenter’s Status

If your pc is operating slowly and gradually, a single prospective explanation could be that the Disk Defragmenter services is not operating properly. This assistance helps to optimize your difficult generate by rearranging information so that they can be examine extra immediately and effectively.

To examine if the Disk Defragmenter service is managing adequately, abide by the steps:

  1. Open up the Companies application (see approaches to open up the Providers application on Windows).
  2. Scroll down to the “Optimise drives” provider and double-click on on it.
  3. Click on on the fall-down menu and set the Begin variety to “Manual.”
  4. Make positive the Assistance position is “Running.” If it is not, then simply click on Begin to run it.
    Set Optimise drives Properties

  5. Click Utilize > Alright to save it.

Following building the higher than improvements, examine if it solves the dilemma. If not, transfer on to the future alternative.

One more way to take care of your disk defragmenter is to operate the Technique File Checker device. This tool will scan all of your system files and swap any that are corrupt or missing.

To operate the Procedure File Checker, observe these ways:

  1. Push Win + X on your keyboard to open the Electricity User menu.
  2. Pick the Run alternative from the menu listing.
  3. In the Operate command dialog box, style “cmd” and push Ctrl + Change + Enter at the similar time.
  4. When UAC appears on the display, choose Sure to approve administrator entry.
  5. Once you happen to be in the Command Prompt window, type “sfc /scannow”, and push Enter.

It may possibly just take a while for the scan to comprehensive, so be client. Once the scan is total, restart your laptop or computer and attempt functioning Disk Defragmenter yet again. It ought to now perform effectively.

SFC and DISM Scan

If you’re however obtaining difficulties with your Disk Defragmenter resource soon after working an SFC scan, you may will need to use the DISM utility. To do this, open up the Command Prompt as an administrator and run the underneath command line:

 DISM /Online /Cleanup-Picture /ScanHealthnDism.exe /online /cleanup-impression /restorehealth 

After the scan is comprehensive, restart your pc and try defragmenting again.

3. Run the CHKDSK Utility

If your computer’s Disk Defragmenter is even now not performing, you can test running the CHKDSK utility. This is a computer system software developed to verify the integrity of your tough push, discover errors, and repair them.

To run the CHKDSK utility, follow the down below methods:

  1. Press the Windows key and look for for “Command Prompt”.
  2. Right-click on the search outcome and pick out Run as administrator.
  3. Simply click Yes if UAC prompts on your laptop display screen. This will open a Command Prompt with admin entry.
    Run chkdsk command

  4. When you might be in Command Prompt, style the adhering to command and push Enter:
     chkdsk C: /f 

In the command earlier mentioned, “C:” represents your travel, so you ought to change it with the letter that refers to your drive.

The moment the scanning procedure is completed, and you have been educated that your generate has been scanned, attempt to defragment it once more.

As it turns out, it may perhaps take a number of minutes for the scan to entire, dependent on the dimension of your partition and at times it would seem to get caught. Even so, you should really enable it entire its activity uninterrupted.

4. Close All 3rd-Bash Programs

Some third-bash programs could interfere with Disk Defragmenter if they are running. In these a circumstance, shut all third-party programs and see if that can help the defragmenter to run effectively.

If you near all lively home windows and obtain that the defragmenter is continue to acquiring concerns, there could possibly be a background approach interfering with it. As these kinds of, you can try out ending some 3rd-occasion procedures and see if that fixes it.

  1. Push Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open up the Task Manager.
  2. On the Processes tab, uncover a non-critical 3rd-get together support and right-simply click on it.
  3. Then pick Conclusion process from the context menu.
    Close Programs Via Task Manager

After closing one, verify if the disk defragmenter is effective again. If it does, the service you just shut is the offender. Now you can both update, re-install, or even uninstall the problematic app so it stops interfering with Disk Defragmenter.

Correcting Windows Disk Defragmenter’s Opening Issues

Disk defragmentation can make improvements to the situation by rearranging information so that they can be evenly dispersed throughout the travel. Nonetheless, at times the Disk Defragmenter tool does not get the job done as anticipated. If you come upon this dilemma, the techniques explained over should really enable you take care of it.