Keeping your computer fast is important. One way to do this is by defragmenting (defragging) your hard drive. This lesson will teach you the basics of defragging.

What is Defragging?

Over time, data on your hard drive gets scattered. This makes your computer work harder to find files. Imagine your hard drive is like a pile of laundry. Clothes get mixed up after washing. You need to sort them before putting them away. Defragging works the same way. It organizes data so your computer runs faster.

Why Defrag?

Defragging helps your computer in many ways. If you don’t defrag, your computer may run slowly. It could take longer to start up. In severe cases, your computer might freeze or fail to start at all.

How to Defrag Your Hard Drive

If you use Windows 7 or newer, your computer defrags automatically every week. You can check or change this schedule easily.

1. Open the Start menu and type defragment in the search bar.
   
   
   
2. Click Defragment and Optimize Drives.
   
   
   
3. In the Optimize Drives menu, check the schedule at the bottom.
   
   
   
4. Click Change settings to adjust how often defragging happens.

If your computer is not defragging automatically, you can do it manually:

1. Select the drive you want to defrag.
2. Click Optimize.

Defragging can take a long time. It's best to do it overnight or when you don’t need your computer.