Run chkdsk to check a disk for errors

Steps written for Windows 11 and Windows 10 (the steps are the same).

1. 1

   Open Command Prompt as administrator

   Type cmd in the search box on the taskbar, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Select Yes when Windows asks for permission.

2. 2

   Scan the drive without changing anything

   Type the command below and press Enter. Replace C: with another drive letter to check that drive. This scan only reports; it does not fix anything.

   chkdsk C:

   Copy

   

3. 3

   If errors were found, run the repair

   Run chkdsk with /f to fix file system errors. On the Windows drive (C:) chkdsk cannot lock the drive while Windows is running, so it offers to check it at the next restart.

   chkdsk C: /f

   Copy

   

4. 4

   Schedule the check and restart

   Type Y and press Enter, then restart the PC. chkdsk runs before Windows starts. Do not turn the PC off while it runs.

5. 5

   Read the result after the restart

   The report of a check made at startup is not shown on the desktop. Open PowerShell and run the command below to see it, or open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) > Windows Logs > Application and filter by the sources Chkdsk and Wininit.

   Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='Application'} | Where-Object { $_.ProviderName -match 'wininit' } | Select-Object -First 1 | Format-List TimeCreated, Message

   Copy

Steps written for Windows 11 and Windows 10, without commands.

The same check without typing commands. Windows decides whether a repair is needed and offers it.

1. 1

   Open the drive's properties

   Open File Explorer, select This PC, right-click the drive (for example Windows (C:)) and select Properties.

2. 2

   Start the check

   Open the Tools tab and, under Error checking, select Check. Select Yes if Windows asks for permission.

   

3. 3

   Scan the drive

   If Windows says it found no errors on the drive, you can still choose to scan it from the same window. Wait for the scan to finish.

4. 4

   Repair if offered

   If errors are found, follow the offer to repair the drive. For the Windows drive the repair runs at the next restart.