Do you have to defrag your computer?

We get customers asking us about whether they need to defrag the hard drive on their computer. 

Defragging came from older versions of Windows which used the FAT file system. This file system could become quite fragmented over time, and speed could suffer. 

However, the NTFS file system that has been used by default since Windows XP came out has almost eliminated the problem to the point that we don't recommend defragging anymore. 

NTFS automatically places files so that the amount of fragmentation is minimised unless the hard drive is close to filling up. If your hard drive is close to filling up, freeing up space will make more difference than defragging. 

Disk space management - In general, we suggest that keeping 50% disk free, with a maximum of 75% disk free will not slow your computer down. 

If you are running your computer with the C: drive closer to full capacity than 75%, then its speed is likely being impacted by that alone. 

If your computer is slow enough that you are considering a defrag as one way to speed it up, save your time, give your local IT business a call and get them to evaluate your computer. There are a few parts of a PC that can make it slow and A drive requiring a defrag is quite unlikely to be the actual cause. 

As always, if you need more advice, don’t hesitate to contact your local IT professional.