However, this rule is not 100% appropriate for Mac to apply. As computers are developed with defragmentation techniques, their cooperating speed with the large files is much faster than ever before.įor Windows PCs, defragging the device is a workable option to get the computer run faster when it slows down. In this way, the large files can be accessed and read in a faster way. Photo credit: 'defrag' by Lance Fisher is used under CC BY-SA 2.0.Defragmentation refers to the process when your computer actions to organize the files stored in the hard drive, enabling the large files to be combined together. It doesn't provide any real benefit on an SSD, and it can actually reduce the drive's lifespan.

One last note: if you have a Solid State Drive (SSD) instead of a classic hard drive, we don't recommend performing a defrag. If your Mac is running slow, you should try restarting it and clearing off space on your hard drive instead. There are third-party defrag programs available, but we don't recommend them because they often cause more problems than they fix. On Windows 8, it is called Optimize Drive you can find it by pressing the Start button on your keyboarding and typing in 'optimize drive.'Īpple has built similar automatic defragmentation into Mac OS X, but that operating system doesn't offer you a manual way to optimize your hard drive. On Windows Vista or 7, look for a program called Disk Defragmenter. However, you can still run it manually if you want. Beginning with Windows 7, Microsoft has built automatic defragmentation into the Windows operating system, so you don't have to worry about running it yourself. When we received your question, Neila, we realized that we couldn't even remember the last time we defragged a computer. Running a defrag will reorganize everything. This will make the computer start to run slow as it searches through your data. This works well, but things can become really messy after a while. You would never be able to find anything if you did that, but your computer can keep track of where it put things even if they are all over the place. Imagine opening a file cabinet and just throwing paperwork into it. When your hard drive stores data, it puts it anywhere there is space available, so it may sometimes put pieces of the same file in several different places instead of right next to each other. When you defrag a hard drive, you're basically re-organizing the data on it so that it will run faster and more efficiently. Neila asks, 'How do defrag a computer running Windows 8.1? I can't figure out how to do it on my new laptop.'įor those of us who have been using personal computers for the past 20 or so years, defragmenting your hard drive used to just be part of life.

Mac disc defrag