Here, we should note that defragmentation is a disk-intensive process. This can improve the hard drive’s efficiency. When the file is less fragmented, the hard drive’s read/write heads don’t have to move as much to access the data. The data is not contiguous - it’s not all in the same physical spot - and so, it’s fragmented.ĭefragmentation moves the pieces of the file next to each other. If a hard drive has been in use for a significant amount of time, it won’t contain much empty space, and the read/write heads probably won’t put the pieces of the file right next to each other. It consults the file tables to determine what space is available, then starts writing the hard drive’s goal is to save the data as quickly and efficiently as possible.

When a hard drive writes data, it uses any available space. We’ll assume that you know the basics of hard drive functionality: Read/write heads move over magnetically charged platters, storing data as 1’s and 0’s (there’s more to it than that, of course, but you can check out this blog for a more detailed overview). What Defragmentation Does For Hard Drives If you’re looking for a fast answer, though, here it is: Don’t manually defragment your SSD, but don’t worry about whether your operating system’s standard defragmentation processes will break your device. Don’t worry - it’s not that complicated, and we’ll walk you through it. To understand why, we need to understand what defragmenting does, why the process is helpful for hard drives, and how solid-state drives function differently. A Western Digital solid-state drive (SSD).ĭefragmenting a solid-state drive (SSD) is generally a bad idea.

Ssd optimization not available