20 Ways to Resolve a 100% Disk Usage on Windows

Something is making your hard drive overwork. Your Windows 10 Task Manager displays 100% disk usage. Your computer has become nearly impossible to use. You’re probably wondering what went wrong. Nothing is the answer! This issue can occur on its own. The great message is that it’s normally not a complex issue to resolve.

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What Are The Causes Of High Disk Usage On Windows 10?

Determine what’s generating 100% disk usage windows 10. You must first determine what’s making your hard disk work so hard.

Right-clicking on the taskbar. Select Task Manager. You may access the Windows 10 Task Manager.
To see all currently active processes, go to the methods tab and click the Disk column.
The most significant disk usage apps will appear first if the arrow at the top of the column is pointing downwards.
The Processes tab in the Windows 10 Task Manager. Disk use is being highlighted.
Disk use is high if there are bright orange boxes in the Disk column.

It’s normal for your disk usage percentage to jump to 100% for a few seconds now and again. It should rapidly drop to under 20%.

You regularly see figures near 100% disk usage in Windows 10. There’s a problem that has to be addressed.

High disk use is frequently just one facet of a broader problem that causes a slow system.

Methods to Solve Windows 10 100% Disk Usage in Task Manager

Restart Your System
Check For Malware
Update Windows
Uninstall Any Flash Player Update
Switch Energy Options “Balanced to High Performance”
Run Check Disk
Disable Windows Update Service
Change File Explorer Options
Disable Windows Search
Stop the Superfetch Service
Clean Junk Files
Temporarily Turn Off Your Antivirus Software
Reset Virtual Memory in Windows 10
Fix Your StorAHCI.sys Driver
Change Settings in Google Chrome and Skype
Install the Latest SATA Drivers
Disable to Fix 100% Disk Usage Windows 10
Disable Diagnostic Tracking in Windows 10
Windows Help Is Causing 100% HDD Usage.
WaasMedicAgent.exe Slowing Down Windows 10

14 Best Ways to Fix 100% Disk Usage on Windows 10

1. Restart Your System

Restarting your smartphone can help in a variety of situations. A new start will clear your computer’s RAM. It removes all of the short-term processes and data slowing it down. It can also help to prevent memory leaks and boost performance. A system restart may be just what your device requires to reduce disk use.

Open the Start Menu, select Power, and then Restart to restart your Windows device.

2. Check For Malware

Hackers produce a variety of malware that targets various elements of your computer, including your hard drive. Windows Defender is effective against malware. It may not be sufficient to guard against other dangers such as phishing assaults.

A computer virus or other malware could be blamed if you see a lot of disk consumption. There are a plethora of free and powerful antivirus software alternatives available.

Your machine will be thoroughly scanned by antivirus software. It will remove risks to your hard drive and the remainder of your device. It will also monitor your device 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to detect and stop potential infections and other dangers.

3. Update Windows

Windows 10 will undoubtedly include bugs and other concerns. As problems arise, developers provide software upgrades to address them.

Ensure you’re operating the most recent variant of Windows 10. It could include patches to aid you with your disk usage difficulties and any other problems you’re having.

Here’s how to get Windows 10 updated:

Select Settings from the Start menu.
The Settings option is highlighted in the Windows start button menu.

Select Update & Security from the drop-down menu.

Update & Security is featured in the Windows 10 Settings menu.
Select Windows Update from the menu on the left side of the page. Check for available updates from here.

Windows 10 is habitually flooding you with updates, resulting in 100% disk usage concerns. It’s possible that pausing automatic Windows 10 upgrades will help.

You’ll need to remember to check for fresh updates regularly. These are frequently required for the security of your computer.

Drivers are files that instruct your computer’s hardware on how to function. High disk consumption could result from a problem with your hard disk’s drivers.

4. Uninstall Any Flash Player Update

Adobe’s Flash Player was used for multimedia applications, including music and video streaming. Adobe no longer supports Flash Player and strongly advises that you uninstall it.

Flash is still one of the most dangerous components of modern computing and should be turned off. The most prominent cause of 100% hard disk consumption in Windows 10 while using the Google Chrome browser.

To turn off Flash in Google Chrome, follow these steps:

Select Menu > Settings> Privacy and Security from the drop-down menu.

Select Site Settings from the dropdown menu.

Set the toggle to Block sites from running Flash to find Flash.
To confirm, click Back, then restart the browser.
The next step is to update Chrome to the most recent version.
It should happen automatically in most circumstances. If it doesn’t, go to Menu > Help > About Google Chrome and wait for the update to finish.

Don’t worry if you can’t see any of the selections. It simply signifies that your Chrome version has been updated and does not support Flash anymore.

5. Switch Energy Options “Balanced to High Performance”

Switching energy settings from Balanced to High Performance works well on Windows 10 with 100% disk usage.

Suppose you continue to have 100% disk usage on Windows 10. Changing your energy option to High performance may help. It is a general performance suggestion that may or may not directly affect 100% disk usage.

Here’s how to alter your Windows 10 energy options:

On your keyboard, push the Windows key and open the control panel. Select Power Options from the pop-up menu.

Click Additional power settings in the Power & sleep menu.
Change advanced power parameters in the Edit Plan Settings window.
Select High performance from the drop-down arrow next to Balanced in the Power Options window that appears.

6. Run Check Disk

Malware, corruption, power outages and physical damage are all possible causes of disk problems. Disk issues should be addressed quickly. They might result in data loss. Windows 10 will typically prompt you if it detects a hard disk problem.

However, if you don’t receive a message and 100% disk usage, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Here’s how to use CHKDSK to check for disk issues on Windows 10:

In the taskbar’s search box, type Command prompt, click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

On Windows 10, a search for the command prompt program yielded the following results. The option to run as the administrator has been highlighted.
When prompted, select Yes to allow the app to make changes.
Type chkdsk.exe /f /r into the Command prompt and hit Enter. Then, the next time you reboot, type Y to complete the disk check.

7. Disable Windows Update Service

According to some of our users, Windows Update Service could also boost Windows 10 high disk usage. You might simply try disabling it and checking later.

Open the Run window by pressing the window+R key.
Press “OK” after running “services.msc.”

Double-click “Windows Update” at the bottom of the page.
Drop down the Startup type box in the pop-up window and select “Disabled.” Then, in that order, press “Stop,” “Apply,” and “OK.”

8. Change File Explorer Options

Navigate to “View” and select “Options” in Windows 10 File Explorer.

Uncheck the following two settings on the “Search” tab:
- “Add compressed files (ZIP, CAB, etc.).”
- “Search file names and contents every time” Click “Apply” and then “OK.”

9. Disable Windows Search

A known flaw can result in a search loop, leading to significant disk use. Temporarily disable Windows Search and see if it helps with your disk problem, open an admin prompt and type net.exe to stop “Windows search.” It will block Windows from searching.

It turns out that Windows Search is to blame for your high disk usage in Windows 10. You can forever disable it by following these steps:

Enter services.msc by pressing the Windows key + R and pressing Enter.
The window for services will appear. To update the properties of the Windows Search entry, select it and double-click it.

To save your settings, select Stop under Startup type and then OK.

10. Stop the Superfetch Service

SuperFetch aids in reducing boot time and increasing the efficiency of must-load apps. It has been discovered as a possible cause of high disk usage of Windows 10 and disk performance difficulties.

Hold the Windows key on your keyboard, type the command prompt, and select Run as administrator.
In the User Account prompt, select Yes.
The command prompt will appear once more. Fill in the blanks using the following command:
- net.exe stop superfetch
On your keyboard, press Enter.
If the above command isn’t working, try the following instead:
- net.exe stop sysmain
Wait a few minutes to see if your computer begins to run more smoothly.
Alternatively, you can look at your computer’s disk usage.
- Select Task Manager from the Windows search bar after typing “task manager” in the search box.
- Then look at the percent at the top of the Disk column in the Processes tab.

11. Clean Junk Files

Junk files are temporary files generated by your computer. It can do things like browse the internet or look at a picture. These files are only utilized once, and if they are permitted to gather, they quickly become overwhelming. They can cause your system to slow down, cause performance issues, and cause excessive disk consumption.

Clearing away unwanted files, like deleting bloatware, is one of the simplest ways to clean up your PC.
Type disk cleanup into the taskbar’s search box. From the list of options, choose Disk Cleanup.
Select OK after selecting the drive you want to clean.
Select the file types to delete under Files to delete. Select OK after selecting Downloaded Program Files and Temporary Internet Files.
You can also make more space by selecting other file kinds, such as Recycle Bin. Make sure you don’t remove anything you don’t want to lose.

12. Temporarily Turn Off Your Antivirus Software

Open the Start menu in Windows.
Type Windows Security into the search box.
On the keyboard, press Enter.
On the left action bar, select Virus & Threat Protection.

Click Manage settings after scrolling down to Virus & Threat Protection options.
To temporarily disable Windows Defender Antivirus, click the toggle button under Real-time protection.

If prompted, select Yes to confirm the change.
Check to see if the Acronis software issue has been repaired.
To switch Windows Defender Antivirus back on, click the toggle button again.
If you don’t explicitly turn on real-time protection, it will resume after the next machine restart.

13. Reset Virtual Memory in Windows 10

Virtual memory can be considered an extension of your computer’s physical memory. It’s a mix of RAM and storage space on your hard disk. When the RAM is insufficient to complete a task, Windows will store files in virtual memory. Then, when needed, swap them back to RAM.

To clear virtual memory, follow these steps.

Push the Windows key with your keyboard’s Pause/ Break key simultaneously. Then, select Advanced System Settings (left panel).
Select Advanced from the drop-down menu, then Settings.
Return to the Advanced tab and select Change from the Virtual memory section.
Ensure the item labeled “Automatically manage paging file size for all disks” is not checked.
Select your Windows drive and input the following values for your virtual memory’s initial and maximum sizes:
- Maximum size: This number should not be set too high. It should be roughly 1.5 times the amount of actual RAM you have.
- Initial size: Depending on your computer, this figure changes. Suppose you’re unsure what value to use, but whatever number you want in the Recommended category.
Click Set after inputting your virtual memory numbers, then OK to continue.
Delete all of your computer’s temporary files. Press the Windows key and the R key on your keyboard simultaneously. Then type temp into the Run form and press Enter.
Select and remove all of the files in the Temp folder.
Examine the amount of space on your computer’s hard drive. You’ve solved the problem if it’s no longer high disk usage.

14. Fix Your StorAHCI.sys Driver

Advanced Host Controller Interface PCI-Express models are running with the StorAHCI.sys driver. It may also cause a 100% disk usage windows 10 problem.

The Solid-state drive (SSD) does not correctly finish input/output due to a firmware problem. MSI (Message Signaled Interrupt) mode is turned on. After waiting on unresponsive read/write, the Windows storage stack tries to reset the device.

Check the Inbox AHCI Driver (StorAHCI.sys)

Open the Run box, use “Win+R,” then type “devmgmt.msc” and press Enter.
Right-click “Standard SATA AHCI Controller” under “IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers” and select “Properties.”
Click on “Driver Details” under the “Driver” tab. You’re using the inbox driver if “storahci.sys” appears in the list.

Under the Registry, disable MSI for the Controller.

Navigate to the “Details” tab in the same properties window and pick “Device instance path” from the Property drop-down menu. Pay close attention to the Value that begins with PCI/VEN.
In the same Run box, type “regedit” to open the registry editor.
Navigate to “”HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Enum\PCI\\Device Parameters\Interrupt Management\MessageSignaledInterruptProperties.”
It refers to the device instance path. Then alter the MSISupported key’s value from “1” to “0.”
Reboot the computer to check if this fixes the 100% disk usage windows 10 issue.

15. Change Settings in Google Chrome and Skype

According to some users, these modifications to your Google Chrome and Skype settings can help you save space on your hard drive.

Make the following change in Chrome:

Show advanced settings (Settings, then Show advanced system settings).
Uncheck the choice “Use a prediction service to load websites more quickly” option under the Privacy section.
Disabling Flash on Google Chrome is also a good idea.

Use the following steps to change your Skype settings:

Select the Start menu from the bottom left of your screen to launch Skype for Windows 10.
Scroll down to Skype for Windows 10 in the list of available applications and select it to open it.
Select the Edit option under the Security tab.
Select “ALL APPLICATION PACKAGES” from the option of “Groups or Usernames.” Checking the Write option allows Skype to write to your disk.
Select OK.

16. Install the Latest SATA Drivers

SATA connectors are probably used for hard disks, SSDs, and optical devices on your Windows 10 machine. The 100% disk usage windows 10 error can arise if the drivers are not up to date.

Start with a right-click.
Pick Device Manager from the Power User menu.
Increase the number of storage controllers.
Determine which controller is appropriate for your SATA devices.
Right-click each controller and select the Update driver from the context menu.
Select choice “Browse my computer for driver software” from the menu.
After that, decide. Allow me to select a driver from a list of options on my PC.
Select Standard AHCI Controller from the drop-down menu to observe how it affects performance.

You may have to restart Windows for this to take effect. You can attempt this by looking for a fresh driver on the manufacturer’s website. The instructions that come with it can be used to install it.

17. Disable to Fix 100% Disk Usage Windows 10

The check disk service has also been discovered as a possible cause of the 100% disk usage issue in Windows 10. Check Disk in PowerShell is also a good idea.

To stop this service from causing the disk use problem, start a new Windows PowerShell (Admin) window and type:
- chkdsk.exe /f /r
You’ll be told that Check Disk needs to be rebooted before it can finish. First, make sure you’ve closed all of your applications.

If this doesn’t work, you’re probably dealing with a problematic variant of this problem that’s easy to fix.

18. Disable Diagnostic Tracking in Windows 10

When conserving space on your hard drive, it’s easier to turn off the DiagTrack function simply. If this is the cause of the 100% disk usage in windows 10, you can disable the service.

However, you’ll need to use Command Prompt in administrator mode.

To find cmd, go to Start and type cmd into the search box.
Select Run as administrator from the list of options.
- Input sc config “DiagTrack” start= disabled
- Input sc stop “DiagTrack”
Close the command prompt when you’re finished. You might also try reinstalling Windows.

19. Windows Help Is Causing 100% HDD Usage

The operating system’s built-in active help tool. It has also been linked to 100% disk usage in Windows 10. You’ve probably noticed that a feature with helpful hints and suggestions appears. You’re doing anything for the first time.

You can disable it if you feel it’s causing a disk use issue with Windows 10:

To open Settings, press WIN+I.
Select System > Notifications & actions from the drop-down menu.
Locate and disable As you use Windows, get tips, techniques, and suggestions.
Suggestions for Windows tips and tricks can cause your computer to slow down.
Things should improve in a few moments.

20. WaasMedicAgent.exe Slowing Down Windows 10

WaasMedicAgent.exe was incorrectly recognized as a virus or malware. It’s a Microsoft system process that examines Windows Update files that have been downloaded. If there is an issue with the data, the files will be redownloaded, which may leave your HDD at 100%.

To open a Run box, use WIN+R.
To open Registry Editor, type regedit and then OK.
Make a registry backup using File > Export and save it somewhere safe before continuing.
Paste the following path into the browser bar: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WaaSMedicSvc.
Right-click Start in the right panel and select Modify.
Set the Value data to 4 and click OK to end the window.
It’s a drastic step to disable the update medic. It is, however, one approach to keep Windows 10’s disk use from reaching 100%.

Conclusion

In general, your hard disk should never be at 100% usage in windows 10. You must resolve the problem or risk a prolonged computer. If these approaches fail to fix your issue with 100% disk usage on Windows 10, consult a professional. You may need to replace your hard disk.