Windows 10 and Windows 11: 100 percent disk utilization – you can do that

1. Step 1: Computer restart

2. Step 2: Identify responsible task in Task Manager

3. Step 3: Clean startup programs

4. Step 4: Check / Turn off Windows indexing

5. Step 5: Check the anti-virus software

6. Step 6: Check hard drive and Windows for errors

7. Step 7: Update Windows or undo update

Under Windows 10 and Windows 11, the utilization of your system disk can sometimes increase to 100 percent. If the heavy load on your SSD or hard drive remains high for a long time without any apparent reason, you should find a remedy.

The data carrier should not be operated permanently under full load. On the one hand, this slows down all applications and slows down the loading and saving of data. On the other hand, the SSD or hard drive can heat up and be damaged.

Software problems, which can lead to crashes and data loss, are usually responsible for permanently high disk utilization. With our instructions you can get to the bottom of the problem step by step.

Please note: In this guide we use screenshots from Windows 10. However, the steps are the same on Windows 11 as only the window design has changed. The specified menus, key combinations and buttons are identical.

Step 1: Computer restart

Before you look for a cause, you should first restart your computer. If the high disk usage isn’t a permanent problem, it could already vanish into thin air.

Step 3: Clean startup programs

Over time, numerous programs started automatically with the computer accumulate on many computers, which then usually run unnoticed in the background. With the help of our instructions you can specifically check and remove the autostart programs.

Step 4: Check / Turn off Windows indexing

Windows file indexing running in the background, which scans your hard drive for new files at regular intervals to speed up the search function, can also be responsible for 100 percent disk utilization. In a separate guide, we will show you exactly what indexing is all about and how you can turn it on or off.

Step 5: Check the anti-virus software

Your antivirus software can also lead to a disk utilization of 100 percent through automatic system scans at regular intervals. Checks in the respective program settings whether any planned full system scans are responsible for this.

You can also try disabling the antivirus software briefly and see if that helps. You may want to switch to a different antivirus software. Our big comparison of the most important antivirus programs gives you a good overview.

Step 6: Check hard drive and Windows for errors

If the reason for the high drive utilization cannot be found at all, you should check the hard disk for errors using Chkdsk and the system files with the maintenance tools SFC and DISM. The three Windows tools can automatically detect and fix many problems.

Step 7: Update Windows or undo update

A Windows update might fix the high disk usage issue, but it could also be the culprit. Checks in the Windows settings whether a new update is available. If you only recently updated your PC and the problem has only occurred since then, you can undo a feature update or individual minor updates, depending on the case.

We have compiled solutions for other known errors in Windows 10 and problems under Windows 11 in the linked articles.

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