You just opened the Defragment and Optimize Drives tool in Windows, and it shows your SSD is due for optimization. Maybe it even says “Last run: never.” So now you’re wondering—should you click that button? Won’t defragging help performance?
Here’s the thing: modern SSDs do not need traditional defragmentation, and forcing it can actually reduce their lifespan. Let’s break it down in plain English.
Why SSDs Don’t Need Defragmentation
- SSDs have no moving parts, so file fragmentation doesn’t slow them down like it did with HDDs.
- In fact, SSDs are built to access data from multiple locations simultaneously—it’s part of how they’re fast.
- Defragging an SSD just causes unnecessary writes, wearing out memory cells without any speed benefit.
So Why Does Windows Still Show the Option?
- Good question. Microsoft uses the same tool for SSDs and HDDs, but when you click “Optimize” on an SSD, it runs a TRIM command, not an actual defrag.
- TRIM just tells the SSD which memory blocks are no longer in use, so it can prepare them for future writes.
- This is a good thing—but it should already be running automatically in the background.
What You *Should* Do Instead
- Let Windows run TRIM automatically—check it with this command in CMD:
fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify - If it returns 0, TRIM is working fine. You don’t need to “optimize” manually.
- Keep your SSD under 80% full—this affects write speed more than anything else.
In short, don’t defrag your SSD. Windows might make it look like a good idea, but what it’s really doing is TRIM—and that’s fine. Just don’t click blindly thinking you’re speeding things up.