File system corruption and weak sectors rarely announce themselves politely, but they can quietly damage data, slow Windows down, and trigger unexpected restarts. Running a disk error check catches common problems early and helps keep a minor glitch from turning into a recovery project.
In Windows 11, File Explorer exposes the Error checking feature per drive. Behind the button, Windows runs a CHKDSK consistency check against the volume’s file system (commonly NTFS), repairs issues online when possible, and schedules an offline check at reboot when the drive is locked or in use.
Scan time ranges from seconds to hours depending on drive size, performance, and health. Repairs can temporarily lock the drive and may require a restart, so keep a current backup and close open apps before starting—especially on the system drive.
Steps to check a disk for errors in Windows 11:
- Open File Explorer using Win + E.
- Open This PC to list local drives.
- Right-click the target drive and select Properties.
- Select the Tools tab.
- Click Check under Error checking.
- Approve the User Account Control prompt if shown.
- Select Scan drive to start the check.
- Wait for the scan to complete.
Drive activity can spike during the check, especially on HDD storage.
- Select Repair drive if Windows reports errors.
The repair can take longer on large or heavily used drives.
- Restart Windows if prompted to schedule repairs.
Restarting closes open apps; save work before continuing, and keep the device powered until the disk check finishes.
- Confirm the result reports no remaining errors after the scan or repair completes.
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a cloud architect with deep roots in software development and open-source advocacy. Certified in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, he specializes in designing and managing robust cloud and on-premises infrastructures.
