Windows 10 Scheduled Defrag

In the modern world, most new computers come with Solid State Drives (SSD) and it is likely that most people today are using an SSD. SSDs are a totally different animal in that defragging them is contraindicated. Windows 10 is smart enough to recognize an SSD when it sees one and can also differentiate between HDDs and Virtual drives, too.

Scheduling

Windows 10 comes bundled with a defragmentation utility. You can open it by clicking on the Start Menu and typing defrag; it will likely be at the top of the list and labeled Defragment and Optimize Drives. By opening this utility, a window should come up looking something like this:

If you take a look at the Date and Current Status for the indicated system drive in this image, you will notice that it has been 10 days since Windows last optimized this drive. (The vernacular changes depending on whether it is an SSD or an HDD– Optimize or Defragment, respectively.)

By clicking the Change settings button, you can tell Windows to schedule these operations daily, weekly, or monthly. You will also be given the option to choose which drives you want Windows to monitor.

Even if you schedule this, it is probably a good idea to check once in a while to make sure Windows is behaving itself and adhering to your desired schedule.