How To Fix Disk Defragmenter Won’t Run On Windows 11/10

Is the Disk Defragmenter not working on your computer? If the Disk Defragmenter stopped functioning properly on your Windows 11 or 10, we have some solutions for you. Why should you be worried if the disk defragmenter won’t run on your Windows 11/10 PC. Disk Defragmentation or defragging is the process of reorganizing scattered data pieces. Disk Defragmenting once in a while helps improve the performance of your PC and its resident hard disks.

During this process, fragmented chunks of data are gathered and stored sequentially, and in the contiguous space which is available. If you are new to defragmenting hard drives, you can check this post out.

Why Is Windows Defragment Option not Working On My Windows 11/10 PC?

There could several reasons why the Windows defrag service is refusing to work on your Windows PC. Let’s quickly have a look at a few of them –

• Background apps are interfering and they won’t let disk defragmenter service run on your Windows 11/10 computer.
• There are corrupt files on your computer.
• Your existing Antivirus is meddling with your Windows Disk Defragmenter.
• There are hard drive issues because of which the issue at hand has taken place.
• The Disk Defragmenter service is not properly set up.

What To Do If Disk Defragmenter Won’t Run On My Windows 11/10 PC

1. Perform SFC Scan

If your Windows Defrag is not working, it could be that there are some issues that are interfering with the functionality of your PC. An SFC Scan is the best way to search for errors that are interfering with the functionality of your PC. To run an SFC Scan, here are the steps –

1.In the Windows search bar, type cmd

2.From the right-hand pane, select Run as administrator

3.When the Command Prompt window opens, type SFC /Scannow and press Enter

Wait for the scan to get over and now try running the disk defragmenter service.

2. Check If The Disk Defragmenter Service Is Functioning Properly

One of the reasons why Disk Defragments and Optimize drives are not opening could be because the related service is not properly set up. Here is how you can properly set it up –

1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows + r key combination

2. When the dialog box appears, type mscand press Enter

3. Locate the Disk Defragmenter service and make sure that it is set to Manual

4. Alongside, ensure that the following services are set to automatic –

• Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
• DCOM Server Process Launcher
• RPC Endpoint Mapper

Now, head back and check if the Disk Defragmenter is running on your Windows 11/10 PC or not.

3. Use A Third-Party Utility

If you can’t find a way to fix “Defrag not working on Windows 11/10”, you might as well get the task of removing fragments from your hard disks done with the help of a third-party utility. Advanced System Optimizer, for instance, is one of the best utilities with the help of which you can defragment your computer in an error-free manner.

Why Advanced System Optimizer?

Here are a few of the many reasons why Advanced System Optimizer is a must-have tool for Windows 11/10 PC –

-A one-stop solution for a variety of hard disk-related problems.
-Potent RAM and junk cleaner for Windows PC.
-Doubles up as an efficient Windows optimizer.
-Cleans and optimize your registry in an error-free manner.
-Comes packed with various tools to safeguard your PC’s security and privacy.
-Remove common PC issues which would otherwise take hours to deal with.
-It’s Windows 11 ready!

Also Read: Want to know more about this wonderful tool, do check out its inside-out review.

How To Use Advanced System optimizer?

1. Download and run Advanced System optimizer

2. From the left-hand pane, click on Disk Cleaner & Optimizers.

3. From the right-hand side, click on Disk Optimizer.

4. Select the drive that you want to defragment.

5. Click on the blue-colored Start Scan Now

6. If there are fragments on the disk, click on the Defrag button and follow the on-screen instructions.

That’s it! Your hard disk is now free of fragments.

4. Try and Use Disk Defragmenter in Safe Mode

Unable to open the “Defragment and Optimize Drives” function in normal mode? Instead, head to the Safe Mode and then try opening it. If it opens there, chances are there are some system issues with your computer that again, you can resolve with the help of Advanced System Optimizer, the tool we talked about just above. Also, make sure that you check your computer for malware as malicious threats are notoriously known for interfering with the normal functionalities of your computer.

5. Create A New User Profile

In case Disk Defragmenter won’t run on your Windows 11/10 PC i.e. your current user profile, you can go ahead, create a new user profile and then try running the Defragment and Optimize Drive service. For this –

1. Open Settings by pressing the Windows + I key combination

2. From the left-hand side,click on Accounts

3. From the right-hand side,click on Family & other users

4. Under Other users, click on the Add accountbutton and then follow the on-screen instructions  

6. Use The CHKDSK Command

Another simple yet effective command that can help resolve a variety of errors on your hard drive is the CHKDSK command. Here are the steps to use the same –

1. In the Windows search bar, typecmd

2. From the right-hand pane, select Run as administrator

3. When the Command Promptwindow opens type chkdsk d: /f and press Enter

Note: Here the letter d:/ represents the drive letter that you want to repair.

7. Close All The Other Applications

With too many applications, the Defragment and Optimize Drives feature may not open, simply, because they might be interfering with it. The simplest way is to close all applications  with the help of the Task Manager and here’s how –

1. Press the ctrl + shift + esckeys

2. When the Task Manager opens

3. Select the application and then hit the End Task button located at the bottom right.

Now, try running the Defragment and Optimize drives 

Wrapping Up

Hope you are now able to run the Defragment and Optimize Drives option and can defragment hard disks on your PC. If yes, do let us know which of the above workarounds helped you fix the issue. For more such content, keep reading WeTheGeek blogs. Follow us on social media – Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.