How to Fix 100% Disk Usage on Windows 10

From the simple to the drastic

It’s surprising when your disk usage suddenly hits 100% for no apparent reason. Luckily, there are a number of ways to fix this error on your Windows 10 PC.

Since the actual cause isn’t known most of the time, follow the methods below sequentially, and one of them should fix your issue.

Before you get started, you can try to narrow down the issue by going to Task Manager in Windows 10 and looking for the process or program that’s hogging your disk. You can right-click on the Start button and choose Task Manager or you can pressCtrl+Shift+Esctogether to open it.

Click on theProcessestab and then click on the header for theDiskcolumn to sort it. When performing methods 2 and 3 below, you can start with the process that’s using the highest percentage of the disk.

1. Restart Your PC

When you restart your PC, many temporary settings get reset. This is useful to fix various types of issues, and can possibly fix the 100% disk usage issue.

To reboot your PC, open theStartmenu, select thepowericon, and chooseRestart.

2. Disable Startup Programs

If your PC shows 100% disk usage when you first log onto the computer, but then the usage settles down after a few minutes, your startup programs are probably the culprit. These programs launch when your PC boots and they eat up a lot of resources.

In this case, you shouldturn all these startup programs offand see if that improves your disk usage by following the steps listed below:

You can always re-enable any startup program after you complete this test. It’s also worth noting that disabling the startup of a program does not uninstall it. You can run the program any time, you just have to manually launch it.

3. Perform a Clean Boot of Your PC

When you clean boot your Windows 10 PC it only loads selected programs and services. This helps identify particular apps that may be causing the disk usage to reach 100%. Disable the identified apps to see if the issue gets fixed.

In Windows 10, use the built-in System Configuration app toperform a clean boot. We have a dedicated guide on how to do that, so check that out. It’s a bit of a time-consuming process, but it works really well for these types of situations.

4. Update Your PC

You should alwaysinstall the latest Windows updatesas soon as they become available because they install bug fixes to enhance performance and could fix your disk usage issue, too.

Follow these steps to update your Windows 10 PC:

Reboot your PC to make sure the newly installed updates work properly.

5. Disable Scheduled Disk Defragmentation

If Windows 10 shows 100% disk usage only at specific times, scheduleddisk defragmentationcould be the cause. This is because the defragment task runs automatically at scheduled times and uses a lot of disk space.

Turn the scheduled disk defragmentation off and see if that fixes your problem.

You can alwaysmanually run a defragment taskusing the defrag utility.

In the future, if you need to defrag your disks, select theOptimizebutton in the above utility. This runs a manual defragmentation task.

6. Delete Temporary Files

Many Windows 10 features and installed apps create temporary files that don’t need to be preserved.You canclear your temporary filesusing the following steps to see if that fixes the 100% disk usage problem.

This should, hopefully, fix the problem.

7. Repair Corrupt Files

A corrupt system file can cause the disk usage to hit 100%. However, Windows 10 has a built-in tool to fix these files. You can follow the steps below to simply run the command to enable this tool.

Wait for the process to finish and if this doesn’t take care of the issue move on to the steps below.

8. Run a Security Scan

One possible reason your PC shows 100% disk usage is thatyour PC may be infected with a virus or malware. You can run Windows 10’s built-in antivirus program to find and remove any malicious files from your PC by following the steps below.

Wait for the antivirus program to find and remove viruses and malware from your computer, which will hopefully resolve the issue.

9. Modify Energy Options

Some users report that changing the energy plan can fix the 100% disk usage issue in Windows 10.

Click the dropdown menu at the top and cycle through the other options with a PC reboot between each selection. For example, if this menu hasBalancedas the current selection, change it to one of the other available options. SelectApplyorOKat the bottom to save your changes. Reboot the PC.
If this does not fix the problem, repeat Step 7 with the other available options.

You can always go back and select the original energy plan if this does not fix the problem and try the steps mentioned below next.

10. Change Google Chrome Options

If you use Google Chrome, there areoptions in this browser that can cause your disk usage to reach 100%. Turn these options off and see if this resolves your problem.

You can always re-enable the options if this does not fix the issue and move on to the next step mentioned below.

11. Turn Off Your Antivirus Program

If you’re running a third-party antivirus program, you want to make sure it’s not causing this issue by temporarily disabling it.

Also, Windows 10 comes loaded with an antivirus calledMicrosoft Defender Antivirusthat does a pretty great job of catching most malware and spyware, thus negating the need for a third-party program in the first place.

12. Clean Install Windows 10

If none of the above methods work, your last resort is to clean install Windows 10 on your computer. This removes everything that your PC currently has, and installs a fresh version of the Windows 10 operating system.

Make sure you backup your important files before you do that, or you’ll end-up losing your files.

Mahesh has been obsessed with technology since he got his first gadget a decade or so ago. Over the last few years, he’s written a number of tech articles on various online publications including but not limited to MakeTechEasier and Android AppStorm.Read Mahesh’s Full Bio

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How to Fix 100% Disk Usage on Windows 10#

1. Restart Your PC#

2. Disable Startup Programs#

3. Perform a Clean Boot of Your PC#

4. Update Your PC#

5. Disable Scheduled Disk Defragmentation#

6. Delete Temporary Files#

7. Repair Corrupt Files#

8. Run a Security Scan#

9. Modify Energy Options#

10. Change Google Chrome Options#

11. Turn Off Your Antivirus Program#

12. Clean Install Windows 10#

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