How to Fix Windows 10/11 Task Manager 100% Disk Usage

It is likely that you have 100% disk use in Windows 10/11 if you are having issues with frozen apps, sluggish software, or slow system performance. 

This is a common issue that can impact any Windows 10/11 computer and may stem from various causes, such as spyware, outdated drivers, or faulty hardware.

Fortunately, there are multiple fixes for this issue; in this post, we will walk you through the procedures to restore your computer’s functionality. We know how annoying it may be when your computer is not working as it should, but with our simple instructions, you can quickly resolve the 100% disk use issue.

This post is intended to assist you in resolving this issue without the need for technical knowledge, regardless of your level of experience with Windows. So take a seat back, unwind, and let us get going!

Why Is Windows 10/11 Displaying 100% Disk Usage?

Your Task Manager’s high disk consumption could be caused by a number of things. You can use the Task Manager itself in Windows 10/11 to determine what is generating excessive disk utilization. All you need to do is find the application or applications using up the majority of the disk space, and then take the necessary action.

High disk use in Windows 10/11 is frequently caused by the following:

• antivirus program
• Threats from malware
• antiquated motorists
• System services and apps (such as Cortana, search indexing, background tasks, etc.)

To find the program in the Task Manager that is taking a lot of disk space, follow these steps:

1. To begin with, launch the Task Manager by hitting the Windows + X keyboard shortcut to see the WinX menu. Click on Task Manager from this menu.

2. Click the Disk option from the menu while you are still on the Processes tab. This will arrange the programs that are now utilizing disk space on your machine.

3. Search for any program that has a high disk use percentage.

This is probably the reason behind your 100% disk use problem. After you have determined what the issue is, you can address it.

Resolved: How to Make Windows 10/11 Use 100% of the Disk

It is time to take action now that you have located the program in Task Manager that is wasting a lot of disk space. The greatest fixes for 100% disk consumption in Windows 10 and Windows 11 have been prepared by us. Depending on what caused the issue, there are several procedures to take in order to solve it, however here are some typical fixes:

1. Turn off MSI Mode for the AHCI Driver by Default

To address the 100% disk usage issue in Windows 10/11, you should first disable MSI mode for the AHCI driver that is default. You will lessen the quantity of queries that are sent to the disk by doing this, which should assist in lowering CPU and disk utilization.

Warning: Before attempting the steps outlined below which involve making changes to Windows Registry, we strongly urge you to create a restore point in Windows.

To turn off your AHCI driver’s MSI mode:

1. Use the keyboard shortcuts Windows + R to launch the Run application. Enter devmgmt.msc here, then click OK to launch Device Manager.

2. To view all of your linked drivers, click the arrow symbol next to the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers area. Using the context menu, right-click on the Standard SATA AHCI Controller and choose Properties.

3. First, use the top menu bar to navigate to the Driver tab. After that, select the Driver Details button and confirm that the storahci.sys driver is there in your list of driver files.

4. Your high disk consumption may be caused by the presence of the storahci.sys file. To close the interface and navigate to the Details tab, click the OK button.

5. From the Property drop-down menu, choose Device instance path. When the value appears, right-click on it and choose Copy from the context menu. It is advised that you copy and paste the value into a blank Notepad document.

6. Next, type regedit into the input area to launch the Registry Editor by hitting the Windows + R keys on your computer. Click OK to launch the application.

7. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\PCI\AHCI Controller Value\Device Parameters\Interrupt Management\MessageSignaledInterruptProperties is the registry key you navigate to.

8. To determine which folder is accurate, use the value you wrote down. The primary folder that you must access in the Registry Editor is indicated by the first portion of the value, and the subfolder that you must choose is indicated by the second part.

9. Proceed to Device Parameters > Interrupt Management > MessageSignaledInterruptProperties. From the right-side pane, double-click the MSISupported key.

10. After setting the Value data to 0, click OK. To complete the modifications, exit Registry Editor and restart your computer.

2.  Turn off the Superfetch (SysMain) Service.

After turning off MSI mode for the default AHCI driver, if the excessive disk utilization persists, you may want to try turning off the SysMain (Superfetch) service. This is a Windows service that speeds up application launches by preloading them into memory.

But because the service pulls data from your drive continuously, it can also result in a hard disk use issue, which causes your hard disk to spike. To turn it off:

1. Using the keyboard, press the Windows + R keys. The Run utility will launch as a result.

2. After entering services.msc, press the OK button. The Services window will open as a result, and it may take some time to fully load.

3. After you reach the SysMain service, scroll down. From the context menu, select Properties after performing a right-click on it.

4. Continue using the General tab. If the service is currently running, make sure the Startup type is set to Disabled and then click the Stop button beneath the Service status. By doing this, you can prevent the service from starting on your computer’s startup automatically.

5. To close the window, click Apply and then OK. Check to see whether, after doing these steps, you are still seeing 100% disk use.

3.  Turn off the telemetry service and connected user experiences.

A Windows feature that gathers information about user activities on your computer is called the Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service. If you are having problems with 100% disk usage, you should disable this as it can result in high disk usage.

1. To access the Services applet, follow the instructions in the preceding solution. Find “Connected User Experiences and Telemetry” here, then click on its Properties.

2. Continue using the General tab. If the service is currently running, make sure the Startup type is set to Disabled and then click the Stop button beneath the Service status.

3. To close the window, click Apply and then OK.

Your device should now have the Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service disabled. After completing these procedures, check to see if the Task Manager still displays 100% disk utilization.

4. Turn off Windows Search Service.

The Windows Search service is another program that may result in excessive disk consumption. Although this indexing tool speeds up file searches on your computer, it has been known to occupy large amounts of disk space. Disabling this service will cut down on the amount of reads and writes to the disk if you do not require it.

1. To access the Services applet, follow the instructions in the second solution. Locate “Windows Search” here, then select its Properties.

2. Continue using the General tab. If the service is currently running, make sure the Startup type is set to Disabled and then click the Stop button beneath the Service status.

3. To close the window, click Apply and then OK.

Check the Task Manager to check if you are still getting 100% disk utilization after turning off the Windows Search service.

5. Turn off the scheduled fragmentation.

Windows has a disk optimization tool called scheduled defragmentation that keeps your hard drive operating at peak performance. However, if you do not require it, it can also result in excessive disk consumption. You should only perform manual defragmentation when necessary and disable scheduled defragmentation to conserve resources.

1. Click the Windows + S keyboard shortcut to launch the taskbar search tool. Type in “defragment,” then select “Defragment and Optimize Drives” from the list of results.

2. Choose your system drive, usually C:, and see if Scheduled optimization is turned on. Click the Change Settings button if it is on now.

3. To disable scheduled drive defragmentation, remove the tick next to “Run on a schedule (recommended)”. To save your changes, navigate on the OK button.

4. Check to see whether the disk usage issue persists after making this change to your system settings.

6. Turn Off the Apps That Launch You

Many applications launch in the background as soon as Windows boots up. Applications that do not need to execute at startup should be disabled because they can lead to significant disk utilization and slow down your computer.

1. To launch Task Manager, use your keyboard’s Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys. As an alternative, you can choose Task Manager from the WinX menu by using the keyboard shortcut Windows + X.

2. Go to the Startup applications tab in the Task Manager.

3. Examine the apps that are currently running during startup to determine if any stand out. Disabling any programs that you do not use frequently or that you did not enable at launch is advised.

4. To choose an app to block it from starting upon startup, click on it. Click the Disable button once an application has been chosen.

5. Restart your computer after completing this step for every program you do not need to run at startup. Check to see whether this resolves the issue of high disk utilization.

7. Rebuild the Index for Windows Search

You might try rebuilding the Windows Search Index if you have disabled any superfluous apps but the disk consumption is still high. Resetting the index will make your PC run more smoothly.

1. Select the Start menu from your taskbar, type “Control Panel,” and then select the appropriate application from the list of results.

2. Click on Indexing Options after confirming that Large Icons is the viewing option you have selected.

3. To access the Indexing Options window, click the Advanced button. This will cause a new window to open, displaying more possibilities. Here, under the Troubleshooting header, select the Rebuild button.

4. Hold off until Windows updates the search index. Your computer’s performance may determine how long this takes. Try searching your files after the procedure is finished to see if you can get rid of the “No results found” issue.

8. Execute the command Chkdsk.

A tool to check and repair faults on your disk is the chkdsk command. In Windows 10/11, executing this command can assist in resolving any disk issues that are causing 100% disk use.

1. To easily open Command Prompt in administrator mode, navigate “Command Prompt” into the taskbar search box (or hit Windows + S). When you find it in the results, choose Run as Administrator by doing a right-click on it.

2. To give the app administrator rights, click Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) popup shows.

3. Input the following command on the Command Prompt and hit Enter to begin the CHKDSK scan: chkdsk C: /r.

4. Let the CHKDSK scan go through to the end. Once everything has been done, see if your computer’s blue screen fault has been fixed.

9. Disable Hibernation

Windows has a feature called hibernation that lets you end a session and pick it back up later. But, it can also result in excessive disk utilization, so if you are having problems with 100% disk usage, you should turn it off.

1. Enter Command Prompt into the taskbar search bar by opening it or by navigate Windows + S. Once you see it in the results, right-click on it and select “Run as Administrator.“

2. To give the app administrator rights, click Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) popup shows.

3. To run the powercfg hibernate off command, type it in and hit Enter.

4. Check the Task Manager to see if you are still seeing high disk consumption after disabling this feature.

10. Clear Out Virtual Memory

When your RAM runs out, your hard drive’s virtual memory, or VRAM, is what is used as memory. You should reset it to resolve the issue because it may become corrupted and result in excessive disk consumption. To reset virtual memory in Windows 10 and Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Using the keyboard, press the Windows + R keys. The Run utility will launch as a result. After entering “sysdm.cpl,” click on the “OK” button.

2. Using the toolbar at the top, select access the “Advanced” tab and proceed by clicking the “Settings” button located under the Performance title.

3. On your screen, the Performance Options window ought to appear. Once more, select the Advanced tab and click the Virtual memory Change option.

4. The setting titled “Automatically adjust paging file size for all drives“ must first be unchecked from the window’s top menu. Once this is disabled, choose Custom size from the list of choices below.

5. Enter the value in the “Initial size” field after first making sure the recommended paging file size is met. Next, enter the value for the “Maximum size” field after multiplying your RAM size by 1.5. Your maximum size would be set at 1024 x 8 x 1.5 = 12288 MB, for instance, if you have 8 GB of RAM. Click the Set button when finished.

11. Examine any malware.

Should your computer continue to operate slowly even after attempting the aforementioned fixes, there is a chance that malware has infiltrated your computer. Use an antivirus tool to perform a thorough check to ensure your computer is clear of any harmful software.

12. Put in an SSD

One of the greatest ways to speed up your computer and lessen the dreaded 100% disk usage issue on Windows is to install a Solid State Drive (SSD). SSDs provide you with a more streamlined computing experience because they are dependable, quick, and significantly shorten system boot times.

Since there are no moving parts, this revolutionary storage technology is more durable and quieter than conventional hard drives. These drives may be a little more expensive than conventional hard disks, but they are definitely worth the definitely a worthy investment for their outstanding performance and dependability.

13. Upgrade Windows

If none of the solutions mentioned above work, confirm that the Windows operating system is up to date. Microsoft provides updates on a regular basis to aid with bug fixes and performance enhancements.

How to Upgrade Windows 10

1. To access the Start menu, click the Windows logo situated at the bottom left corner of your screen. Alternatively, you can utilize the Windows + I shortcut or opt for Settings.

2. Go to Windows Update under Update & Security. After selecting the “Check for updates” button, let Windows search for any updates that are available.

3. To view and install any available updates, select the View all optional updates link.

4. Windows will initiate the automatic installation process on your machine upon discovering a new update. Hold off as Windows downloads and installs the required updates.

How to Upgrade Windows 11

1. To open the Start menu, simply click on the Windows icon. located in the lower-left corner of the screen. From there, choose Settings. The keyboard shortcut Windows + I is another option.

2. Using the menu on the left, select the Windows Update section, and then select the Check for updates option option. If your device is compatible with a new update, Windows will automatically find it.

3. Let Windows install any available updates available, and then restart your computer by following the prompts.