How to Check HDD Health in Windows 11

A hard drive can look normal right up until it starts failing. Slow file transfers, clicking sounds, random freezes, corrupted files, or disappearing folders can all be early warning signs.

The good news is that Windows 11 gives you several ways to check HDD health. Some methods are simple and built-in. Others give you deeper information like SMART status, bad sectors, temperature, power-on hours, and reallocated sectors.

This guide covers the most practical ways to check HDD health in Windows 11.

Table of contents

• Before you start: back up important files
• Method 1: Check HDD health from Windows Settings
• Method 2: Use Command Prompt to check SMART status
• Method 3: Use PowerShell to check disk health
• Method 4: Use CHKDSK to scan for file system errors
• Method 5: Use the Error Checking tool
• Method 6: Use CrystalDiskInfo for detailed HDD health
• Method 7: Use the manufacturer’s diagnostic tool
• How to understand common HDD health results
• When should you replace the HDD?
• Final thoughts

Before you start: back up important files

Before running repairs or deep scans, back up anything important.

If your HDD is already failing, repair tools may put extra stress on the drive. That does not mean you should avoid checking it, but you should not use a questionable HDD as your only copy of important data.

At minimum, back up:

• Documents
• Photos and videos
• Project files
• Password manager exports
• Game saves
• Work files
• Anything you cannot easily download again

If the drive is making clicking, grinding, or repeating spin-up sounds, stop using it as much as possible and copy your important data first.

Method 1: Check HDD health from Windows Settings

Windows 11 has a built-in storage area where you can view your drives.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to System.
3. Select Storage.
4. Open Advanced storage settings.
5. Select Disks & volumes.
6. Choose your HDD.
7. Click Properties.

Depending on your drive and controller, Windows may show health-related information here.

This method is easy, but it is not always detailed enough. Some HDDs may not show rich health data in Settings. If you want a clearer answer, use the Command Prompt, PowerShell, or CrystalDiskInfo methods below.

Method 2: Use Command Prompt to check SMART status

SMART stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology. It is a built-in monitoring system used by many HDDs and SSDs.

To check basic SMART status:

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Search for Command Prompt.
3. Right-click it and choose Run as administrator.
4. Run this command:

wmic diskdrive get model,status

You may see a result like this:

Model                         Status
ST1000DM010-2EP102            OK
WDC WD10EZEX-08WN4A0          OK

If the status says OK, Windows is not detecting an obvious SMART failure.

If it says Pred Fail, Bad, Unknown, or anything suspicious, back up your files immediately and check the drive with a more detailed tool.

You can also run:

wmic diskdrive get model,serialnumber,status

This is useful when you have multiple drives and want to identify the exact HDD.

Important note: this command gives only a very basic result. A drive can show OK and still have warning signs in its detailed SMART attributes. For deeper analysis, use CrystalDiskInfo.

Method 3: Use PowerShell to check disk health

PowerShell can show physical disk health information in a clean table.

1. Right-click the Start button.
2. Select Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
3. Run this command:

Get-PhysicalDisk

You may see columns like:

FriendlyName        MediaType   HealthStatus   OperationalStatus
WDC WD10EZEX        HDD         Healthy        OK
Samsung SSD 870     SSD         Healthy        OK

For a cleaner output, run:

Get-PhysicalDisk | Select-Object FriendlyName, MediaType, HealthStatus, OperationalStatus, Size

What to look for:

• Healthy usually means Windows does not detect a major issue.
• Unhealthy means you should back up your files immediately.
• Warning means the drive may have a problem.
• Unknown means Windows cannot read enough health data from the device.

This method is useful because it quickly shows all detected physical drives.

Method 4: Use CHKDSK to scan for file system errors

CHKDSK checks the file system and can also scan for bad sectors depending on the options you use.

This is important: CHKDSK is not the same thing as a full HDD health test. It is mostly used for file system errors, corrupted indexes, and disk surface checks.

To scan the C drive without repairing:

chkdsk C:

To scan and fix file system errors:

chkdsk C: /f

If Windows says the drive is in use, it may ask whether you want to schedule the scan for the next restart. Type:

Y

Then restart your PC.

For a deeper scan that checks for bad sectors and tries to recover readable data:

chkdsk C: /r

Use /r carefully. It can take a long time, especially on large HDDs. If the drive is already failing badly, back up important files before running a deep scan.

Useful CHKDSK options:

Command	What it does
chkdsk C:	Scans and reports errors
chkdsk C: /f	Fixes file system errors
chkdsk C: /r	Finds bad sectors and tries to recover readable data
chkdsk C: /scan	Runs an online scan without forcing an immediate reboot

For an external HDD, replace C: with the correct drive letter:

chkdsk E: /f

Method 5: Use the Error Checking tool

If you do not want to use commands, Windows 11 also has a graphical disk checking tool.

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Go to This PC.
3. Right-click the drive you want to check.
4. Select Properties.
5. Open the Tools tab.
6. Under Error checking, click Check.
7. Follow the instructions.

Windows may say you do not need to scan the drive. You can still choose to scan it manually.

This method is good for quick checks, especially for external HDDs.

Method 6: Use CrystalDiskInfo for detailed HDD health

CrystalDiskInfo is one of the easiest tools for checking HDD health in detail.

It can show:

• Overall health status
• Temperature
• Power-on hours
• Power-on count
• Reallocated sectors
• Current pending sectors
• Uncorrectable sectors
• Read error information
• SMART attributes

After opening CrystalDiskInfo, check the health label at the top.

Common results include:

Result	Meaning
Good	The drive does not show serious SMART warnings
Caution	The drive has warning signs
Bad	The drive may be failing
Unknown	The tool cannot read enough information

For HDDs, pay close attention to these SMART attributes:

SMART attribute	Why it matters
Reallocated Sectors Count	Bad sectors were replaced with spare sectors
Current Pending Sector Count	The drive has unstable sectors waiting to be remapped
Uncorrectable Sector Count	The drive has sectors it could not read correctly
Read Error Rate	Can indicate read problems, depending on the drive brand
Spin Retry Count	Can suggest mechanical spin-up issues
Power-On Hours	Shows how long the drive has been used

If CrystalDiskInfo shows Caution because of pending sectors or reallocated sectors, do not ignore it. Back up your files and monitor the drive closely.

If the number keeps increasing, replace the HDD.

Method 7: Use the manufacturer’s diagnostic tool

For a more official test, use the diagnostic tool from your HDD manufacturer.

Common tools include:

Brand	Tool
Seagate	SeaTools
Western Digital	Western Digital Dashboard
Toshiba	Toshiba Storage Diagnostic Tool
Hitachi / HGST	Usually supported through Western Digital tools

Manufacturer tools often include:

• Short drive test
• Long drive test
• SMART check
• Firmware information
• Drive identification
• Erase or repair options

Start with the short test. If it passes but you still suspect a problem, run the long test.

The long test can take hours on large HDDs.

How to understand common HDD health results

Here is a simple way to interpret the results.

Result	What you should do
Healthy / OK	The drive looks fine right now
Warning / Caution	Back up your data and check detailed SMART values
Bad / Pred Fail	Replace the drive as soon as possible
Unknown	Try another tool like CrystalDiskInfo or the manufacturer utility
CHKDSK found errors	Let Windows repair them, then check SMART health
Bad sectors found	Back up your files and consider replacing the drive

A single warning does not always mean instant failure, but it should change how much you trust the drive.

For example, one old HDD with a few reallocated sectors may continue working for a long time. But if the number increases over days or weeks, that is a serious warning sign.

When should you replace the HDD?

You should strongly consider replacing the HDD if you notice any of these signs:

• Clicking or grinding sounds
• Frequent freezes
• Files randomly becoming corrupted
• Windows taking unusually long to boot
• The HDD disappearing from File Explorer
• CrystalDiskInfo showing Caution or Bad
• Increasing reallocated sectors
• Increasing pending sectors
• CHKDSK repeatedly finding errors
• Very slow read or write speeds compared to normal

If the HDD contains important data, replace it before it fully fails.

Also, if this is your main Windows drive, consider upgrading to an SSD. Even a budget SATA SSD can make Windows 11 feel much faster than a traditional HDD.

Final thoughts

The easiest way to check HDD health in Windows 11 is to start with built-in tools like Settings, Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Error Checking.

For a deeper and clearer result, use CrystalDiskInfo or your drive manufacturer’s diagnostic tool.

A healthy result is good, but it is not a replacement for backups. Hard drives are mechanical devices, and they can fail suddenly. If your HDD stores anything important, keep at least one backup on another drive or cloud storage.