As a result, those files are stored in locations all over the drive platters and the moving read/write head must travel the complete width of the platter to load files. Data can’t automatically migrate itself to the outer edges of the platters to fill in available space, so after many read/write cycles have been completed, there are gaps where large files cannot be written. New data is generally written to the outside of the platters, with the read/write heads moving in toward the center as more data is stored. HDDs use a magnetic read/write head to access rotating round platters that usually spin at either 5,400 or 7,200 revolutions per minute (see image above right). In this article, we’ll discuss why defragging Mac HDDs is usually unnecessary and how to do it if you’re one of the few users who may actually benefit from the process.ĭefragging is a slang term for “defragmentation”, which is the process of organizing files on a HDD to optimize how it accesses those files.

Like all computers, Macs tend to slow down a bit after a few years of usage, and those readers who are new to the Mac might think that the old Windows solution of “defragging the hard disk drive” (HDD) might help. You will know your drive is defragged when it says the status is OK and 0% fragmented.Macs are more popular than ever, thanks to a “halo effect” from buyers of iPhones and iPads who decide to make the switch from Windows to macOS. If it says Needs optimization, then you might want to defrag that hard drive. If the current status says OK, then there’s no need to optimize. You can see how fragmented your drive is under Current status, and if it needs optimization or not. Select the hard drive you want to defrag.The Optimize Drives window will then open, and you will see a list of drives on your computer, along with the kind of each drive, the last time they were defragged, and their current status. Then type Defragment and Optimize Drives into the search bar.

Click the magnifying glass icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen.

How to Defrag a Drive on a Windows 10 Computer If your computer has been running slow, here’s how to manually defragĭefrag a drive on your computer, click the magnifying glass icon in the bottom-leftĬorner of your screen and type Defragment and Optimize Drives into the This can happen when you’ve been doing a lot of work on yourĬomputer. Sometimes lots of files can get fragmented before your drive is scheduled to beĭefragged. Windows 7 onwards, PCs can now automatically defrag your drives on a daily, Days, computers have an automatic defragmentation procedure built-in.

Mac disc defrag