home  /  Miscellaneous  /  defragmentation program. Disk defragmentation on Windows: why is it needed and how to do it. Programs for defragmenting hard drives

defragmentation program. Disk defragmentation on Windows: why is it needed and how to do it. Programs for defragmenting hard drives

Miscellaneous
27.05.2022

Defragmentation programs allow you to rearrange parts of files on your hard drive so that fragments of the same file are located sequentially. This allows the hard drive to read and write information faster.

In other words, defragmentation makes reading a file faster because the hard drive doesn't have to move the read head to do so. The disk controller software will allow you to read the entire file at one time, which will significantly increase the speed of the disk subsystem.
It should be noted that defragmentation and its software are only useful for systems with hard drives. In the case of using SSD drives, no head movements occur, and the controller of such a drive itself takes care of the placement of data blocks, without requiring external intervention.

Although each of the operating Windows systems is equipped with its own program for defragmenting hard drives, the use of third-party free software is completely justified, as it allows you to perform this process better and faster.

Note: only free programs are presented here, which are usually enough to perform a quality defragmentation. Links to programs can be found at the bottom of the article.

Screenshot of Defraggler v2.20.989 on Windows 8

One of the best free defrag software. Can be as in the version for installation on HDD, and in the portable version. To reduce the operating time, you can set the optimization not only for the entire disk, but also for individual folders.

Defraggler can start when you boot your computer, check the disk for errors, empty the Recycle Bin before starting its work, exclude pre-defined files from the defragmentation process, select rarely used files and move them to the end of the disk to leave the beginning of it to those files that are used often.

Piriform, which released the program, is also known to users for its other popular products - CCleaner (system cleanup) and Recuva (data recovery).

Defraggler can be installed on Windows 10, Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP operating systems, as well as on server families of Windows operating systems.

Screenshot of Smart Defrag version 5 on Windows

The free program is great for automatically optimizing files on a schedule. Automatic defragmentation settings even in free version outperform many competitors in many ways.

The program allows you to start moving blocks hard drive during computer startup, thus gaining access to system files or files pinned during normal Windows operation.

In addition, Smart Defrag allows you to exclude individual files or folders of the disk from the defragmentation process, replace standard application Windows operating system, optimize only Windows Metro interface applications, skip files of one size or another.

In addition, in the settings you can set the preliminary deletion of unused and temporary files of the operating system and browser Internet Explorer to free the disk. Cached data is removed to speed up the process and exclude unnecessary and temporary data from it.

The program can be installed on computers running Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP operating systems.

Screenshot of Auslogics Disk Defrag version 6 on Windows 7

The Auslogic Disk Defragmenter is available in two versions: an installation version and a portable version for distribution on removable media.

Settings allow you to transfer system Windows files and program libraries, as the most frequently used data, in the area of ​​the disk that is read the fastest. This setting improves the overall performance of your computer by reducing system response time.

Like many other software, Auslogics Disk Defrag allows you to start the process at boot time. In addition, the hard disk can be checked for errors using chkdsk, it can be optimized, folders and directories can be added or excluded from the process, background checks can be run, temporary files can be deleted before starting defragmentation.

Auslogics Disk Defrag, even in its free version, works on almost all user variants of the operating system - Windows 10, Windows 8 and earlier.

Puran Defrag has its own data optimization engine, the Puran Intelligent Optimizer (PIOZR). This engine, according to the manufacturer, intelligently moves files in such a way that they are located as much as possible on the outer areas of hard drives. At the same time, at the same speed of rotation of the disk spindle, the head manages to travel a greater distance per unit of time and, having read more data, ensures high computer performance.

Like many other programs on this list, Puran Defrag can defragment files and directories by right-clicking the context menu in an Explorer window. It can delete various temporary data before optimization to speed up its process, it can work during computer boot to access those files that are not available in normal mode.

In addition, the software has some specific settings and features. So its work can be started according to the schedule by setting the number of hours of system downtime after which it is necessary to turn on, you can program disk defragmentation during the launch of the Screensaver (screensaver).

In addition, you can start the process, for example, when you turn on your computer for the first time this day, or when you turn on the machine for the first time in a week or a month.

Along with undeniable advantages, the program has disadvantages. So many researchers note that Puran Defrag tries to install a number of third-party programs during its installation.

Puran Defrag is compatible with many operating systems. And can be run under Windows 10, 8, 7 and earlier.


Screenshot of the company's Disk Speedup program © Glarysoft.com

Disk Speedup is another free program for defragmenting a hard disk, which can work not only with the entire volume, but also with individual files and directories on it. You can start the file optimization process after a specified number of minutes of system inactivity have passed.

The software has some specific settings. So you can exclude from processing files with fragments less than 10 megabytes, files consisting of more than 3 fragments, having a size of more than 150 megabytes. All these values ​​are configurable.

In addition, you can send large, rarely used files, files of certain formats (for example, video, graphics, archives, etc.) to the end of the disk, thus leaving small and frequently used data at the beginning of the disk. Thus, it can be expected that the HDD head will not have to jump too often from one area of ​​​​the disk to another during its normal operation, which will lead to an increase in the performance of the system as a whole.

Among other things, Disk Speedup can be launched during system boot, can exclude individual folders and files from processing, automatically turn off the computer when the process is completed on one or more disks, and work according to a set schedule.

Note: Disk Speedup tries to install some other software from the manufacturer, however this behavior can be stopped during installation by simply unchecking the corresponding checkboxes in the installer dialog.

The program is claimed to work on computers running Windows 8, 7, Vista and other operating systems, including server ones. Independent testers tested the software on a computer running Windows 10 - everything functioned without any complaints.

A free program from ToolWiz Software. It is characterized by a very fast installation process on a computer, a minimal interface. It is stated that this software can optimize the hard drive 10 times faster than the standard Windows tool. Able to move archives to a special slow part of the hard drive, providing quick access to small system files.

The program shows the number of defragmented files on the disk, really does its job very quickly, can show the overall level of fragmentation, can schedule its launch at a later time.

While it's sometimes good to have a lightweight and simple tool to perform a particular function, without being overloaded with unnecessary buttons or settings, sometimes they are very necessary. So Toolwiz Smart Defrag is designed in such a way that almost nothing can be configured in it. If you prioritize finding the most easy-to-use, but effective and fast program, this is one of the best options.

Runs under Windows 8 and below.


WinUtilities DiskDefrag is not a fully specialized program. This is an optimization system that includes, among other things, a disk defragmentation module. It is, however, a fairly simple and highly customizable tool.

All the usual features for this class of free programs are also present here: scheduling, the ability to start during system inactivity, the ability to manage computer power.

In the settings, you can set more than 10 behavior options: analysis only, analysis and moving rarely used files to the end of the disk, etc. In addition, you can control the estimated optimization time, exclude folders and files.

Another feature of the software is the ability to select files and folders to be moved to a special area on the disk (SpaceHogs area), where the program tries to place large and rarely used objects. Therefore, in manual mode, you can flexibly configure your computer so that it works as quickly as possible.

In the settings, you can set the need to automatically turn off the computer after the defragmentation process is completed.

The hard disk optimization module in the program can be found by selecting "Modules > Optimize & Improve > Disk Defrag" in the menu item.

The program works perfectly in the environments of Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems.


Free version software by O&O Software features a simple and well-designed user interface. Even in the free version, it contains most of the features available from competitors - disk optimization, viewing all fragmented disks, checking the disk for errors.

In addition to being able to run scheduled scan and repair on the desired day of the week, O&O Defrag Free Edition can be programmed to start when the screensaver is launched.

For those who do not want to deal with the settings, it is possible to launch the settings assistant.

Some of the necessary features are not available in the free version and are present only in the paid version. Therefore, it may happen that, by enabling some option, the user will receive a message that in order to receive this option, it is necessary to upgrade to a paid option.

Runs on almost all common Windows operating systems. From Windows 10 to 8, 7, Vista. However, in the reviews of this software, sometimes there are reports that it was not possible to fully launch it on a particular machine.


Screenshot of UltraDefrag version 7.0.0

The program is designed for both beginners and advanced users. Along with simple settings, there is an option for more complex actions, so regardless of user experience, the program can be used equally effectively.

Most of the functions are similar to other software, at the same time, if you need to defragment during computer boot, you must have basic skills in working with batch.bat files.

There is both a version of the program for installation on a computer, and a portable relocatable version. In addition, there is a version of the program for 32-bit systems and a version of the program for defragmenting Windows for 64-bit Windows systems.

The developer claims that the program is designed for Windows 8 and below, but testing has shown that it functions perfectly in various versions of Windows 10.


A program created by a lone programmer. Formerly called JkDefrag. Like the previous version, it can work both in a simple mode for beginners or undemanding users, and provide complex configuration options to follow the exact instructions of the user.

The program can execute pre-created scripts containing defragmentation tasks. Scripts can be changed (created and edited) by the user himself. At the same time, during installation, the program already contains a number of standard scripts. So she knows how to work on a schedule, analyze a hard drive, isolate free space on it. The default settings are great for those who do not want to deal with all this but want to use the program for its intended purpose.

Works under all Windows operating systems.

All file systems store information in small clusters, so to accommodate any file, not one cluster is required, but rather a large number of them. When writing a file, the OS provides the required number of free clusters, but it is not at all necessary that the allocated clusters will be located sequentially. Of course, when you first copy files to a new hard drive, they will be written to adjacent clusters. But after some time, when the size of the files increases in the process of editing them (when at a certain stage the clusters allocated for a particular file will not be enough to write it) or when writing large files to an already fairly full disk, which simply does not have the required number of adjacent free clusters , the files will be fragmented. Over time, the number of fragmented files, as well as the degree of their fragmentation, increases. This process occurs most quickly when actively overwriting files (with frequent saving and deleting files, moving files and folders, actively installing / uninstalling applications), as well as when working with a disk that is more than half full. Fragmented files remain fully functional, but reading them slows down, because each time you open such files, the system is forced to search for all fragments of the file, which slows down its reaction time. In addition, severe disk fragmentation (due to the increased use of read heads, which require many moves across the disk to read all parts of fragmented files) can lead to a reduction in its service life. Therefore, periodically it is necessary to resort to the disk defragmentation process. To defragment disks, you can use the built-in utility in Windows. Windows program Disk Defragmenter, called by the command "Start" > "Programs" > "Accessories" > "System Tools" > "Disk Defragmenter". This program is based on an outdated commercial version of the Diskeeper package and allows you to defragment volumes formatted in FAT, FAT32 and NTFS file systems. The scanning depth during its operation is quite large, and most files are defragmented, but in terms of performance this solution is noticeably inferior to many alternative packages, and the range of settings in it is limited to the bare minimum. In addition, Windows Disk Defragmenter requires at least 15% free disk space for its operation (and it can be much less) and places files without any optimization, while a number of similar solutions implement certain optimization technologies that allow you to get some gain in download speed. In addition, this defragmenter does not merge all the free space on the volume - as a result, the likelihood of a rapid increase in the level of disk fragmentation in the future remains. And the possibilities of automating the defragmentation process in this program are limited. Therefore, it is much more convenient to use other defragmenters, some of which we will consider in this article, but first we will dwell on several features of the defragmentation process itself.

Features of hard drive defragmentation

  1. Most defragmenters can reorganize files in the background, but it is still unlikely to use resource-intensive applications, so it is wiser to start the defragmentation process when there is no activity on the computer (for example, at the end of the working day) or at the time when operations are performed on the computer, do not require special system resources.
  2. If the disks are more than 75% full, then in order to perform a full defragmentation, you need to turn to defragmenters that are less demanding on the amount of free space, and carry out the procedure in two stages - first, perform a quick partial defragmentation (this will allow you to get larger blocks of free space) and only then full.
  3. As a rule, for daily (weekly) defragmentation, it is more reasonable to limit yourself to fast defragmentation methods - some files will remain fragmented, but in general, access to many of the files will be accelerated. But at the same time, sometimes (as needed) you should set aside time for a complete defragmentation, running it with a high priority - better at those moments when you are not using your computer. As for the continuous defragmentation mode offered in some defragmenters, its usefulness is a moot point. Of course, on the one hand, this approach can really reduce the need for frequent full defragmentation. On the other hand, continuous defragmentation leads to increased load on the hard drive, which can shorten the life of the drive.
  4. It is wiser to remove junk files from the computer before starting defragmentation, and also exclude from consideration the system files pagefile.sys and hiberfil.sys, which are used by the system as temporary files and are recreated at the beginning of each Windows session.
  5. In fact, not only user files are fragmented on the disk, but also service files of the operating system - system files and the main file table (MFT), which is a directory of all files on a particular partition and stores records about the location of each file, their attributes, etc. If the defragmenter has a built-in functionality for defragmenting the named service files, then, as a rule, the MFT is defragmented immediately after the corresponding option is enabled, and system files, access to which is blocked by the operating system, only through the so-called offline defragmentation performed after restarting the computer, but before starting Windows.

Programs for defragmenting hard drives

The list of solutions offered on the market that can be used to defragment hard drives is quite wide. Among them, there are both paid packages with wide functionality, and free, but quite useful programs. All the utilities discussed in the article, with the exception of Paragon Total Defrag, are based on the API (Application Programming Interface, an application programming interface, which is a set of basic functions that a programmer can use to access the functionality of a software component). When using this technology, defragmentation is carried out in the background (this is convenient, since some access to the computer is preserved), but some small part of the files will remain fragmented (for example, some service files), which, however, in most cases is completely uncritical. Paragon Total Defrag, in addition to background defragmentation, can also perform full low-level defragmentation, which allows you to achieve almost zero fragmentation, but requires exclusive access to the system.

Perfect Disk 10

Developer: Raxco Software Inc.
Distribution size: 47.6 MB
Spreading: Shareware PerfectDisk is one of the best solutions for defragmenting hard drives. The package supports FAT16, FAT32, exFAT and NTFS file systems and can handle large volumes up to several terabytes. It provides defragmentation of entire disks (more than one disk can be selected), as well as individual most fragmented files. The latter is useful if you need to quickly optimize access to, say, a mail database, a video clip, etc. All files are processed, including large files, system files, and the MFT area, the latter can not only be defragmented, but also relocated, taking into account optimization. Thanks to the support of Space Restoration Technology, free disk space is also defragmented, which is done by combining free sectors into the largest possible blocks. For the utility to work, a minimum of free space (from 1%) is enough, and defragmentation of files and free areas is done in just one pass (and not two, as is done in many other defragmenters). PerfectDisk can defragment automatically and manually. In the first case, the utility will independently launch defragmentation according to the specified schedule or when the computer is not active - the latter can be implemented in two ways: through the StealthPatrol mode or the screensaver mode. The operation of the utility in automatic mode is configured using the wizard, and it itself works in the background rather imperceptibly for the user. Manual defragmentation allows the user to independently manage the defragmentation by specifying the scope of its implementation and the method used. The program is presented in several editions - for home users, the Home and Professional editions may be of interest. The professional edition has all the features of the Home edition and additionally includes the Space Explorer and Space Reports modules that provide disk space analysis, and tools for removing temporary and other unnecessary files, as well as duplicate files. The demo version of the program (there is no Russian-language localization) is fully functional and operational for 30 days. The cost of the commercial version depends on the edition: Home - $ 29.99, Professional - $ 39.99. The program has a lot of settings, but the intuitive interface allows you to get used to this solution relatively quickly. The program window has three tabs - the "Defragmentation" tab combines tools for analyzing and defragmenting disks, system and user files. The "AutoPilot Schedulng" tab provides the ability to configure automatic defragmentation - on a schedule, in screensaver mode or through StealthPatrol mode. The "Product Resources" tab provides access to various kinds of help information. Access to the properties of the utility is provided on any of these tabs. To run disk analysis in PerfectDisk, open the "Defragmentation" tab, select the required disk and click the "Analyze" button, or use the command of the same name from the context menu. Based on the results of the analysis, the program will provide very extensive information. For example, after analysis, you can see not only a fragmentation map, but also find out the level of fragmentation of files, directories, free space, MFT, etc., identify the most fragmented files with their size and paths, and get recommendations on the defragmentation strategy in this particular case . You can find out more information about the number of files on the disk, as well as the most fragmented and "excluded" files (that is, files to which access is denied) To manually defragment disks in the Defragmentation tab, select a disk (or several disks), specify defragmentation method and click the "Start" button. There are three defragmentation methods available: Defragment Only Pass, SMARTPlacement defragmentation, and Consolidate Free Space. With simplified defragmentation, which requires a minimum of time, only those files are defragmented for which free blocks of the required size are found - all other files are skipped, and free areas are not combined into large blocks. When SMARTPlacement technology is connected, free blocks are merged, and files are placed in accordance with the activity of their update, which minimizes their re-fragmentation in the future. The "Consolidate Free Space" method defragments all files and free areas, but does not optimize the file layout. To speed up defragmentation, individual files can be excluded from consideration by creating a list of excluded files in the drive properties ("Drive Properties" command from the context menu, "Excluded Files" tab). You can also delete temporary files before starting defragmentation. If it is necessary to defragment individual files, click on the "Selected Files" button, in the "Defragment Selected Files" window that opens, indicate the files of interest and click on the "Defragment" button.

Defragmentation of system files, access to which is blocked by the operating system, is started by clicking on the "System Files" button and is performed after a reboot. First, in the drive properties ("Drive Properties" command from the context menu, the "Offline Defragmentation" tab), you need to specify which objects you want to defragment.

It is possible to carry out defragmentation without user intervention, in automatic mode. This is configured on the "AutoPilot Schedulng" tab, where you can, for example, enable defragmentation in screensaver mode, which will ensure that this process is carried out when the user is definitely not on the PC. It is not difficult to do this - you just need to specify the disk, select the defragmentation method and determine the frequency of this procedure.

There is functionality for setting a certain defragmentation threshold, upon reaching which defragmentation stops, and controlling the priority level - by changing it, it is easy to block the utility for a while, or vice versa - to provide it with large resources. All this is regulated through the program properties, which can be accessed on any of the tabs.

Diskeeper 2009

Developer: Diskeeper Corporation
Distribution size: 28.5 MB
Spreading: Shareware Diskeeper is one of the most popular hard drive defragmentation solutions. The package supports NTFS, FAT16 and FAT32 file systems, can work with volumes up to 1 TB and provides defragmentation of various types of files, including large files, system files and MFTs, as well as very fragmented files containing millions of fragments. However, it is slower than many other solutions. According to the developers, it can defragment disks with only about 1% of free space, but in practice, with such a small volume, the utility usually ignores large files. Diskeeper allows you to defragment a disk in automatic or manual modes. In the first case, the utility works as a background application, without interfering with the user's normal work (this is implemented thanks to continuous monitoring using InvisiTasking technology), and independently decides on the defragmentation method, the process time (taking into account the degree of fragmentation) and its priority. You can also set the program to run defragmentation according to a specific schedule. With manual defragmentation, launched on demand, the choice of the defragmentation method and the priority of this process is carried out by the user. If necessary, at certain intervals of time, the defragmentation process in manual mode is easy to block, and at others (if you are not working at a computer), on the contrary, set the process to high priority . Manual defragmentation can be performed in parallel with other activities on the computer, because thanks to I/O Smart technology, the defragmentation process is paused during disk I/O operations. It is possible to simultaneously run analysis / defragmentation not only for one, but also for several disks at once, but there is no defragmentation of folders and files. There is also Boot-Time Defragmentation, designed to defragment the MFT and the swap file. The program is presented in several editions - for home users, the Home and Professional editions may be of interest. The professional edition has all the features of the Home edition and can already work with volumes up to 2 TB. It also additionally has support for I-FAAST (Intelligent File Access Acceleration Sequencing Technology) optimization technology and FragShield 2.0 tools (reduce the degree of fragmentation of critical system files and help configure paging files in such a way that future fragmentation is less likely). The demo version of the program (partial Russian-language localization) is fully functional and operational for 30 days. The cost of the commercial version depends on the edition: Home - $29.95, Professional - $59.95 does not provide. By default, the program window has three panels - two basic horizontal and one additional vertical ("Quick Launch" panel), which can be easily disabled through the "View" menu. The horizontal panels display disks and operations with them, while the vertical one contains tabs with help information. To start disk analysis, just select one of them (or several at once) and select the "Action" > "Analyze" command from the main menu or the "Analyze" command from the context menu. Based on the results of the analysis, very detailed reports are generated, according to which you can not only identify the initial state of the disk and its level of fragmentation after reorganizing the files, but also, for example, find out what the performance loss was due to the level of fragmentation that took place. By default, the program enables automatic defragmentation for all disks found in the system - to disable it, click on the "Properties" button and uncheck the "Enable automatic defragmentation on the selected volumes" item. Manual defragmentation is started using the "Defragment" command (from the "Action" menu or the context menu). Two methods of defragmentation are offered - Quick and Recommended, the choice of the desired method is carried out through the properties of manual defragmentation ("Manual Defragmentation Properties" button). When using the first method (this method is not available in the Home Edition), the time spent on defragmentation is less, but its effectiveness is lower, since free areas are not merged in this case. In the case of the Recommended method, which is set by default, the defragmentation process is longer and includes not only file defragmentation, but also partial consolidation of free disk space. In the same window, you can also activate the function to automatically reduce the priority of defragmentation during disk I / O operations ("Enable I/O Smart" checkbox).

In terms of optimization, Diskeeper implemented I-FAAST technology (Professional edition only), which takes into account the degree of activity of accessing files when placing files. In addition, the package provides for the possibility of more efficient defragmentation of large files - this means their partial reorganization, after which the files remain fragmented, but to a lesser extent (perhaps this option is useful if there is not enough free space or there is very little time to complete the process) . An exception is allowed when defragmenting specified files and folders - say, temporary files that will be deleted soon. This is done through the list of exclusions (command "Action" > "Configure Diskeeper" > "Diskeeper Configuration Properties", tab "File Exclusion").

One of the ways to increase the efficiency of a modern computer is a disk defragmenter program - an application that rationally distributes data across a storage device.

With it, even an inexperienced user can speed up your computer.

And, if their size has increased, it may turn out that new information will be placed not in the neighboring sector, already occupied by other data, but in another part of the hard disk.

As a result, access to the file takes longer, and the overall program startup time increases.

All this happens gradually, but if the disk has not been defragmented for a long time, the speed of work can drop by 10-20 percent or even more.

Defragmentation is a process that allows you to move parts of files so that they are located continuously.

This simplifies access to programs by reducing the distance traveled by the read heads of the hard drive. The best programs for defragmenting

Useful information:

Defraggler

IObit SmartDefrag

The high-speed Russian program provides file placement in one of the best ways, as it uses the most efficient scripts.

The data is placed on the fastest sections of the disk, and the system runs much faster.

The main advantages of the application include a high degree of file security, which is not threatened even by a sudden accidental shutdown of the computer while SmartDefrag is running.

In addition, defragmentation can be carried out in three modes (simple, deep and optimized).

O&O Defrag

A well-known program - if not the best, then at least one of the most popular.

It is often used by advanced users to move parts of files to places where they can work with maximum efficiency.

With the help of O&O Defrag, the performance of both a desktop computer, a laptop, and a workstation can be restored.

The advantages of a defragmenter are:

  1. Special installers for embedding a user script;
  2. Automatic setting of the defragmentation mode;
  3. High speed analysis and optimization;
  4. Process charts;
  5. Extended functionality when working in the network;
  6. The presence of a multilingual interface (there is also a Russian version);
  7. Support for all types of Windows, from XP and Vista;
  8. Automatic selection of bit depth (32 or 64) for better performance in the corresponding operating system;
  9. Special mode for mobile PCs (netbooks and laptops).

Windows Tools

If for some reason (for example, there is no Internet access, Windows is protected from installing third-party applications, or there is a possibility of a virus infection), you cannot download the defragmentation utility, you can use the standard program that is built into operating systems.

To access it, you need:

  1. Open the "Start" menu;
  2. Start typing the word "defragmentation" in the search bar;
  3. Go to the corresponding utility that appears in the search results;
  4. Run disk defragmenter.

The same can be done if in the "Start" menu, first find the item "standard", and then "service".

This method is suitable for Windows 7 and XP. And for Windows 8 and 8.1, you can open the search bar even faster - by pressing the Win + Q combination.

Then, in the same way, the defragmentation utility is located and the process starts.

The need for manual defragmentation

Manual defragmentation is not always appropriate on some operating systems and modern hard drives.

So, for example, SSD media not only do not need optimization, but even wear out from the frequent use of this process.

Moreover, such disks will not work faster even after defragmentation.

In Windows 7 and later, the ability to defragment an SSD is disabled by default, and standard utility from time to time it starts automatically, which is quite enough to optimize the system.

Older versions of Windows require mandatory manual defragmentation. Although this problem can be solved by updating the system.

If this is not possible, you will have to use either the built-in software or a third-party one - preferably one of the most popular and free ones, since paid applications do not give any advantage.

And in this article, the best programs for defragmenting a hard drive will be considered. All of them are free, and you can easily find them on the office. developer site (links will be provided). Some of them are in Russian, some are in English. But to understand the programs is very simple, because they have a simple and intuitive interface. And most importantly: it is almost the same everywhere.

All of the utilities below work on Windows 7, 8 and 10, and some on XP. And you can install them on any computer or laptop running on these operating systems.

Do you need a fast defragmenter? In this case, Smart Defrag from IObit is the best choice. This is one of the fastest utilities for defragmenting a hard drive, and this does not affect the quality of the process itself. And all because the developers managed to create effective scripts that can significantly speed up the execution time of this procedure on large hard drives. Today, this is very relevant - especially considering that HDD drives with a capacity of 1 TB or more are installed on almost all computers and laptops.

The main advantages of the Smart Defrag program:

  • 3 modes of hard disk defragmentation - simple, deep, with optimization;
  • works in the background (does not prevent you from doing your own business);
  • high security of files (if the electricity is suddenly turned off, nothing will happen to them);
  • optimized to work on Windows 7, 8, 10 and XP;
  • completely in Russian;
  • free.

By the way, this utility can be configured to automatically defragment the hard drive at the right time. And it's very convenient.

Auslogics Disk Defrag

Another great free defragmentation program (in Russian) is Auslogics Disk Defrag. This is also a fairly fast defragmenter, which, moreover, takes up very little space. The impressive speed of this process is ensured by the fact that the utility transfers files to the fastest part of the hard drive - and as a result, this has a positive effect on the operation of the OS itself.

Main advantages:

  • supports Windows XP, 7, 8 and 10;
  • works in the background;
  • can run defragmentation in automatic mode.

By the way, it has a distinctive feature - it can defragment both local drives and individual folders with files.

It is recommended to use the Auslogics BoostSpeed ​​program on your computer or laptop. This is a great utility for optimizing and cleaning your PC, which has many useful tools - including the Disk Defrag mentioned above. With Auslogics BoostSpeed, you can not only defragment your hard drive, but also clean up the registry, speed up the Internet, optimize services, and more.

Defraggler is the best disk defragmentation software. At least that's what many users think. It is very simple, convenient, and most importantly - free.

Its main advantages:

  • quickly and efficiently defragment your hard drive;
  • supports all versions of Windows (32 and 64-bit);
  • completely in Russian;
  • can defragment the registry, as well as individual files.

Also, this defragmentation utility supports automatically shutting down a laptop or computer after the process is completed. Therefore, it can be safely run at night or before leaving for work.

MyDefragGUI is a simple utility that will be a great replacement for the built-in Windows defragmenter.

Main advantages:

  • efficient file defragmentation;
  • the presence of a task scheduler;
  • small size;
  • there is a portable version.

In addition, MyDefragGUI can defragment all types of drives - built-in and external hard drives, USB flash drives and memory cards.

Ashampoo Magical Defrag

Another great free defragmenter is Ashampoo's Magical Defrag. By the way, products from these developers are always warmly received by ordinary users, and this utility for defragmenting a hard drive is no exception.

It belongs to the programs of the category "turned on and forgotten." The developers themselves emphasize that Ashampoo Magical Defrag works quietly and imperceptibly, i.e. starts the defragmentation process only when almost all the resources of the computer or laptop are free. Therefore, you simply will not notice any glitches and brakes.

Instead of a conclusion

The top five freeware (or shareware) hard drive defragmenters have been listed above. Therefore, if you do not like the built-in Windows defragmenter (or it does not work for some reason), install any utility. The links to them are given above, so you can easily install the program that you liked the most.

Personally, I use IObit Smart Defrag. But this is just purely my opinion.