How to fix 100% disk usage in Windows 10

With Task Manager identifying the processes causing high disk usage, the solution may be straightforward. Here, we’ve compiled the ways to fix Windows 10 100% disk usage — no matter what’s driving up your disk usage, you’ll be able to resolve the issue.

1. Update Windows 10
   Microsoft frequently releases Windows 10 updates that fix bugs and plug security holes. These updates should be installed automatically, but if you’ve missed the latest release, updating Windows 10 can fix a variety of issues.

To update Windows 10, open the Start menu and click Settings. From there, select Updates and Security and initiate the update. Once your PC finishes and restarts, the problem should be fixed.

In some cases, you might see 100% disk usage because Windows is in the middle of updating. Windows replaces tens of thousands of files when updating, so everything else will slow down during the update process. In some cases, Windows may even become unresponsive.

Windows updates usually download in the background and install automatically. If your disk usage spikes all of a sudden, Windows may have begun the update process. In such cases, when you navigate to Start > Settings > Updates and Security, you’ll see that the Windows update is in process:

Wait until Windows finishes the installation, and your disk usage should come back down. If you instead see “You’re up to date,” then you need to figure out what else could be causing Windows 10 to reach 100% disk usage.

2. Disable Superfetch
Superfetch, or Service Host Superfetch, is a Windows feature introduced in Vista that analyzes your usage patterns, such as when you launch certain applications and how often. Superfetch then preloads data from those programs into your memory. In most cases, this works quite well, especially on older hard disks. But it’s not perfect.

 

Some users complain that Superfetch causes constant hard disk usage. Gamers especially seem to hate Superfetch because it tends to preload the files of a game it thinks you want to play, while you’re actually playing a different game. Luckily, you don’t need Superfetch — and there are other ways to speed up your PC.

If your hard disk is full, and if the following item shows up high on the list in Task Manager, you’re dealing with a Superfetch problem.

Disable Superfetch to see if disk usage drops without any decrease in performance — it’s trial and error with this one. To disable Superfetch, press the Windows and R keys at the same time. Type in services.msc.

Hit OK. You’ll see a long list of services that Windows is running. Scroll down until you see SysMain.

Under Startup type, click Disabled and hit OK. Reboot your system and see if performance improves. If not, turn Superfetch back on by completing the same steps — at the end, just select Automatic instead.