The computer will store some of these big files in the free space at the edge of the disk until it’s filled up and then store the rest of your file elsewhere on your hard drive. What happens when you add a new big file?

That’s why the data is usually written on the faster (outside) edge first and then makes its way to a slower inside part of the disk. Reading and writing data at the beginning of the hard drive is the fastest, and as you move inward, things get slower, since the needle needs more time to reach the data. To understand why disk defragmentation might be useful for an HDD, let’s find out how data is stored on a computer.Īs we mentioned before, data on HDDs is read and written on a rotating disk with a mechanical needle. Go to Storage What is disk defragmentation? Go to the Apple menu in the upper left corner of the screenĤ. It’s easy to check what type of drive your Mac has:ġ. This kind of storage device was introduced in a MacBook Air in 2008 and was increasingly used by Apple ever since. Among the recent Mac models, only certain iMacs come with HDDs.Īn SSD (solid-state drive) uses flash memory to store information and does not have a spinning disk inside. How to find out whether you have an HDD or an SSDĪn HDD (hard disk drive) is an older type of storage device equipped with a rotating disk and magnetic heads, which read and write data to the disk. Will defragging a MacBook do it any good? Here’s a short answer:ĭo you have an older Mac with an HDD storage?ĭo you have a modern Mac with an SSD storage?

Can defragmentation harm a hard disk drive?.

Why is defragmentation good for a PC but not for a Mac?.

In this article we will answer the following questions: Get MacKeeper and optimize the productivity of your device in a few clicks! With the app, you’ll always be made aware of when your Mac needs optimization. So it’s necessary to optimize your Mac’s performance regularly. The more you ignore optimizing your Mac, the harder it may become to correct its operation at a later date. It’s also not a magic pill to increase the speed of your Mac.

Please, note that defragmentation is not the only way to optimize your Mac. So what should you do? Is there a way to manually defrag your Mac’s hard drive? Is it necessary to do so and is it safe? Let’s take a look. (However, it has Disk Utility and Apple Diagnostics to fix your Mac’s hardware). Moreover, Windows OS has always included built-in defrag software.īut what if you’re using a Mac? macOS (previously Mac OS X) doesn’t come loaded with any sort of a disk defragmenter. If you are an experienced computer user, or you used to have a Windows computer, you might have relied on disk defragmentation as a way to optimize your computer’s performance.

How do i defrag my mac