
Windows 10 and Windows 11 have scheduled optimizations that run every day. Hard Drive Defragmentation in Windows 10 & Windows 11 However, most modern operating systems handle defragging automatically. The heads that access the magnetic charges need to do more work (or, to use extremely technical terminology, they jump all over the place).ĭefragging your hard drive consolidates data, improving speed and reducing wear on your hard drive’s physical components.

This is normal - but over time, the hard drive may take longer to read and write data. A single file might be written to two completely different areas of the magnetic platters that store your data. Here’s how it works: As your hard drive operates, it constantly writes and deletes files.


The platters and actuator heads of a hard drive.
