![]() It means a file can be divided into 8 or more fragments, written into different drive sectors. This sometimes leads to significant fragmentation of a file. Windows tries to use the faster area of the disk and writes new data to the recently freed sectors in this area. Why is defragmentation good for a PC but not for a Mac? ![]() However, for an SSD it isn’t beneficial and may be even harmful. This totally makes sense for an HDD where data is accessed with a physical movement of a magnetic head. This way it’s easier and faster to read a file. This process is called fragmentation.ĭefragmentation is a process of organizing files on a hard drive so that parts of large files are grouped together. 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?
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