To use the CHKDSK command, open an elevated command prompt window by pressing Profit + p and tap cmd. For example, you can tell it to check for bad sectors only. This command allows you to tell the utility exactly what to do. The CHKDSK command gives you much more control over the CHKDSK utility. How to use CHKDSK from the command prompt That said, if you want to scan the drive both ways, just click Scan drive in the dialog window. Otherwise, Windows does not recommend it. If any errors are found, you can scan the drive to fix those errors. Then navigate to Properties> Extras> Check.Īs soon as you click on Check by doing Bug checking Section Windows will tell you whether or not it found errors on the drive. To use it in File Explorer, open it This pcand right-click the drive you want to scan. You can use CHKDSK in File Explorer or an elevated Command Prompt window. Simply put, if something happens to the files and file systems on Windows, CHKDSK will find out what the problem is and try to fix it. This includes checking for bad files, missing file metadata, incorrect file types and sizes, and bad sectors.

The CHKDSK utility searches your hard drive for possible logical problems. The name alone reveals a lot of details about the CHKDSK utility. What is the CHKDSK utility on Windows 10?ĬHKDSK stands for 'Check Disk'. Let's see what CHKDSK is and how to use it. This is where the CHKDSK system utility comes in. If you run into a random problem on Windows 10, your first instinct should be to scan your hard drive for errors. You can experience random program crashes, data loss, or access to your files among a variety of other problems.

With an operating system as complex as Windows, things often go wrong for no apparent reason. The Check Disk (CHKDSK) tool is a handy way to check for hard drive errors, and it's easy to use too.

Run chkdsk utility windows 10