14 Fixes for 100% Disk Usage on Windows 10/11
Any Windows computer running at its maximum capacity, whether it’s the CPU, RAM, or disk, is likely to deliversluggish performance. This can result in longer boot times,game stuttering, slowfile transfers, reduced SSD lifespan, and more. If you’re also encountering 100% disk usage on your Windows 11 or 10 PC, we have got you. In this guide, we will show you how to reduce disk usage on your computer bringing it under acceptable levels.
Table of Contents
1. Basic Solutions
Before diving into advanced solutions, it’s a good idea to start with basic troubleshooting steps. If you’ve already tried any of these basic solutions, feel free to skip them.
1.Open theDevice Managerby right-clicking on theStartbutton or pressingWindows Key + X.
2.Expand thedisk drivessection, thenright-click on the drivethat you want to update and select theUpdate driveroption.
3.From here, you can let Windows search for the driver, or you can manually search your computer for the driver. We would recommend you go with thefirst option(Search automatically for drivers).
Repeat the same steps for each disk drive. Once done,restartthe computer and see if this reduces the disk usage.
2. Disable Background Running Apps
If you’re noticing high disk usage as soon as you boot your computer, then the problem likely lies with the startup apps. Many applications on Windows automatically run in the background when your PC boots up. If you want to disable such apps, follow the below instructions:
1.Open theTask Manager(Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and jump toStartup appstab.
2.Right-click on the appthat you think is the cause of the high disk usage or you no longer need and then choose theDisableoption.
Additionally, you’re able to also close the applications or programs that are causing your disk to go berserk. To do that, simply go to theProcessessection, clickDiskto sort by usage,right-clickthe app with high disk usage, and selectEnd task.
That’s it. This should bring down the disk usage on your PC.
3. Turn off Fast Startup
The Fast Startup feature in Windows can help yourPC boot up quickly. But did you know it doesn’t fully turn off your computer? Instead, it saves the state of the Windows kernel to the hard drive or SSD to reduce the boot times. So maybe try turning off this feature and see if this fixes the disk issue.
1.Open theControl Panelon your computer.
2.Click onHardware and Soundsettings.
3.UnderPower Options, select theChange what the power buttons dooption.
4.Now click onChange settings that are currently unavailable.
5.Finally,uncheckthe box next toTurn on fast startupoption and then hitSave changes.
4. Disable SysMain
SysMain, formerly known as Superfetch, is a Windows service that learns the user’s app usage patterns and aims to preload them quickly. This process generally has a minimal impact on your system resources. However, in some instances, SysMain can lead to high disk usage, particularly if you’re using a hard drive (HDD) instead of a solid-state drive (SSD).
To address this issue, you’re able to try disabling SysMain service on your Windows 10 or 11 computer. Here’s how:
1.Launch theWindows Search(Windows Key + S) and search forServices, then click toopen it.
2.Scroll down until you findSysMainservice. Once found,right-clickon it and selectPropertiesfrom the context menu.
3.Next, click on thedrop-down menunext to theStartup typeand select theDisabledoption.
4.Then, hit theStopbutton under Service status and clickOK.
Nowrestartyour computer and check whether this solution fixes the high disk usage problem.
5. Check for Malware
Another common reason for experiencing 100% disk usage on your computers is because of malware. These malicious programs run silently in the background, resulting in constant high disk usage. To remove malware from your computer you can use agood antivirus softwareto perform a full system scan.
In case you don’t have antivirus software, you can use Defender which comes preinstalled in Windows.
1.Search and open theWindows Securityapp usingWindows Search(Windows Key + S).
2.Go to theVirus & threat protectionsection and click onScan options.
3.Lastly, select theFull scanoption and hit theScan nowbutton.
6. Check for Corrupted System Files
Occasionally, your Windows device may experience high disk usage due to missing or corrupted system files. To address this issue, you may use the SFC (System File Checker) command to locate and repair any corrupted or missing Windows system files.
To perform an SFC scan, open theCommand Prompt (Admin), enter the command“sfc /scannow”(without quote), and hit theEnterkey.
That’s all. It will begin scanning your computer for errors and fix them if any are found.
Note:If you don’t know how to open Command Prompt on your PC, simply use theWindows Searchand search forCommand Prompt. Once found,right-clickon it and selectRun as administrator.
7. Perform a Disk Check
If corrupted Windows system files are not the root cause of the high disk usage, there may be an issue with your drives. You can use CHKDSK (Check Disk) to scan your hard drive or SSD for file system errors. Here’s how it works:
Open theCommand Prompt(Run as administrator) and type the following command based on your need:
Note:If it shows the“chkdsk cannot run”message, you can type“Y”(without quote) and press theEnterkey to run the scan after the computer restarts.
8. Adjust Virtual Memory
Whenever your PC runs out of memory, it temporarily stores the data on your hard disk, and when needed, the data is moved back to the RAM. By default, Windows automatically manages virtual memory allocation, which can also lead to 100% disk usage. To deal with the issue, you may follow the below instructions:
1.UseWindows Searchto find and open“Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows”.
2.Move to theAdvancedtab and hit theChangebutton under the Virtual memory section.
3.After that, clear the checkbox that says“Automatically manage paging file size for all drives”.
4.Next, select theWindows Drive(usually C:), then select theCustom sizeoption and set theinitial and maximum size.
If you’re confused about what number to enter, let me explain with an example. Suppose your PC has 8 GB of RAM; in that case, the maximum recommended size should not exceed 1.5 times your system RAM, which would be 12 GB (12,288 MB). If you feel that’s excessive, you can reduce it accordingly.
Note:Assigning an excessive amount of virtual memory can lead to a slowdown in your computer’s performance.
5. When prompted, hit theOKbutton andrestartyour computer.
We hope this resolves the disk issue. If not, please proceed to the next solution.
9. Clear Windows Temporary Files
If the previous method doesn’t fix the problem, you may try deleting temporary files on your Windows PC. This can help reduce disk usage and potentially solve the 100% usage issue.
Here’s how to clean Windows temporary files:
1.Open theRun command(Windows Key + R), then type“temp”(without quote) and hitEnter.
2.Nowselect allthe files and folders using theCtrl + Ashortcut, then hit theDeleteicon or key and clickYesto confirm your decision.
Afterward, reopen theRuncommand, and this time, type“%temp%”(without quotes), then repeatstep 2.
10. Disable the Windows Search Service
Windows Search is a service that indexes all the files and folders in its database so that you can search for them quickly. However, this may also lead to higher disk usage on some Windows 11 or 10 devices. So maybe you can try disabling it to reduce disk usage.
1.Launch theWindows Search(Windows Key + S), then find and open theServicesapp.
2.Scroll down until you find theWindows Searchservice and then double-click to open it.
3.Now click on thedrop-down menunext to theStartup typeand select theDisabledoption.
4.Next, hit theStopbutton and clickOK.
11. Disable Connected User Experiences and Telemetry Service
Connected User Experiences and Telemetry is one of the Windows services used by Microsoft to collect user data and diagnostics about your computer usage and performance. While this service is essential in improving the overall Windows experience, in some cases, it may contribute to high disk usage. If you encounter this issue, you can try disabling the service to see if it resolves the disk usage problem.
1.Open theServicesprogram and look forConnected User Experiences and Telemetry Service. Once found,double-clickto open it.
2.Click on the dropdown menu next to theStartup typeand select theDisabledoption.
3.Next, hit theStopbutton and clickOK.
Tip:Learn how todisable ads on Windows 11
12. Change Power Settings
By default, Windows uses ‘Balanced’ power mode for your PC or laptop, but some users opt to manually switch it to ‘Power Efficiency’ mode. In these two configurations, your PC is more likely to prioritize energy-saving features, which can result in reduced disk activity. So what you’re able to do is switch the power mode to the‘Best performance’mode.
Windows 10:
1.Go toSettings (Windows Key + I) > System > Power & Sleep > Additional Power Settings.
2.If you don’t see the option to choose High-Performance mode in Windows, click onCreate a power plan.
3.Select theHigh performancemode, give it aname, and clickNext.
4.Adjust thesleep and displaysettings, then clickCreate.
That’s it. You can now select the High-Performance mode on your computer.
Windows 11:
Navigate toSettings > System > Power & batteryand then change Power mode to‘Best performance’.
13. Stop Browsers From Running in the Background
If you’re using browsers like Chrome and Edge, you may have noticed that even after closing the browser, it still runs in the background along with extensions or add-ons you have installed. So we would highly recommend you disable the option that allows browsers to run in the background.
Go toChrome Settings > Systemand toggle off the“Continue running in the background apps when Google Chrome is closed”option.
Tip:Learn how tofix high CPU usage on Chrome
Go toEdge Settings > System and performanceand toggle off both the“Startup boost”and“Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed”options.
14. Reset Windows
If all the above solutions fail to restore your disk usage to its normal state, then you’re left with no other option than reinstalling Windows on your laptop or PC. A fresh installation should fix the disk usage problem that couldn’t be resolved through troubleshooting. you’re able to check out our comprehensive guide onhow to reset Windows.
Getting Your Disk Usage Under Control
Experiencing choppy performance due to high disk usage can be annoying, especially during gameplay or office work. We hope the above guide has helped reduce disk usage, and your Windows computer is now working buttery smooth.
Is yourCPU also consistently running at 100% usage in Windows? Here’s how to fix the issue.
Rahul is your go-to guide for fixing Windows, Steam, Android, Samsung TV, and Google Chrome. An engineering college dropout who followed his passion for tech, he brings 3 years of troubleshooting experience and 2+ years of running his own tech blog to the table. When he’s not solving your tech problems, you’ll find him unwinding with the latest anime or K-drama.
