Hard Drive Formatting. OS X, Windows, and Linux all use different hard drive formatting for normal system operations. A hard drive format refers to how the operating system stores the data on the drive. There are three common filesystems that are used today: HFS+, NTFS, and FAT32. Mac OS X uses HFS+, Windows uses NTFS and used to use FAT32. Apr 05, 2020 The macOS does not provide a tool for defragmenting the hard drive. The only thing Apple recommends is to make a full backup of your data, format the hard drive, reinstall the operating system, and then recover the files.
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- Apple Mac Defragment Hard Drive
Fragmentation is a common phenomenon that occurs on the hard drives over the course of time and its usage. The files are written to the storage in chunks of memory and upon repeated write and read operations they leave memory chunks that cannot be used as contiguous storage locations. The most difficult to remove fragmentation type is internal fragmentation which occurs due to the rules according to which the space on the storage is allocated to the data. The memory chunks can be provided in the multiples of 4, 8 and 16. Now, if a file requires 23 bytes of storage, it has to be allocated 32 bytes. This leads to wastage of space. They remain useless in the form of isolated memory space. This slows the system gradually. It may also lead to system crash or boot time problems. Defragmentation is the method to lower the fragments and make the unused space available as contiguous storage. Defragging a hard drive populates the related files together as much as possible and speeds up the system performance.
Note: Solid State Drives (SSDs) should not be defragged. Attempting to defrag an SSD may result in serious damage to the drive.
There is a difference in how defragmentation works on Windows OS and Mac OS X. Let us look at the difference in the working on both the operating systems.
Windows 10
On Microsoft Windows 10 operating system, defragmentation can be done using an in-built utility called “Optimize”. In addition, defragmentation process is generally scheduled on the Windows system which usually runs at late night or weekly. It automatically does the defragmentation. Periodically, it scans the system for memory fragments and does the reallocation of the files to make optimum use of the storage space. However, a manual defragmentation may be required when the system is extremely slow and
OS X Yosemite
On the Mac systems, there is no built-in defrag utility available. The system does the defragmentation internally using the process called Hot File Adaptive Clustering (HFAC). Hot File Adaptive Clustering identifies the read-only files and those which are accessed frequently. Then, it allocates them to the space called “hot zone” on the storage which has fast access. This way the system maintains the performance and operating speed. A Mac generally does not require a defragmentation but may become necessary in case the system runs slow due to working with large files such multimedia files, video editing tools and more that requires read and write operations of large files frequently.
Systems with Solid Stare Drives
Newer systems are coming up with SSDs installed that does not need defragmentation. These drives use a TRIM utility to defrag the drive automatically. SSDs come with pre-allocated space for storage management. OS determines the files that are unused or redundant and TRIM informs the SSD which cleans them up.
Disk Defragmentation on Windows 10
Disk defragmentation tool shipped with Windows 10 can analyze the disk for fragmentation. It also suggests whether a defragmentation is required at all. Here are the steps to follow to defragment a drive on Windows 10:
- Go to the drive on which the operating system is installed.
- Select properties under Drive Tools tab on the top.
- Select the Tool tab on the dialogue box that appears.
- Under Error-Checking, click Check to verify there are not errors on the disk.
- If no errors found, select Analyze Optimize under Optimize and Defragment Drive.
- In Optimize Drive box, click Analyze. System will start analyzing the selected Drive for fragments. If the drive does not require any fragmentation the system will say so. It will also display the percentage of fragmentation affecting the system.
- Once fragmentation is determined, click Optimize to start the defragmentation process.
The process may take quite some time depending on the degree of fragmentation. The system should not be used while defragmentation process runs for efficient working of the process. Defragmentation cannot be done on a Network drive, a drive formatted in a filesystem other than NTFS, a drive with errors and Solid State Drive.
Defragmentation on OS X Yosemite
As explained earlier in this article, a Mac systems has an HFAC built-in process to clean the fragments, it requires a defragmentation at very less intervals. In case the Mac system is used for data heavy applications or programs involving very high data to work with, the system may become slow and requires a defragmentation. With the lack of any in-built utility to defrag as available with Windows systems, a third party tool Stellar Drive Defrag is efficient software to perform defragmentation on a Mac system. This software is very well compatible with OS X Yosemite.
Mac Drive Defrag
Mac Drive Defrag utility is a perfect option to speed up the slow Mac system. It defrags the OS X system drives and boot volume as well. Salient features of this software are listed below:
- Mac File Defrag: This feature logically related files and attempts to relocate them in nearest contiguous locations to optimize the storage allocation and reduce defragmentation.
- Metadata Defragmentation: Metadata files such as catalog, allocation extent overflow and more are defragged using this software to reduce overall fragmentation.
- Full Defragmentation: Full defragmentation functionality performs a comprehensive defragmentation of all files including metadata, catalogs and unused space.
- Quick Defragmentation: In quick defragmentation option user can select the files to defragment.
Version 3.0 of the software allows the users to defragment the encrypted files using any of the above method once the drive is unlocked using the password.
Not only Mac, but all computers will also get slower and slower as they keep running. You might hear about defragging disk to clear some space and speed up your computer due to your previous experience with Windows. But there's no 'Optimize Disk'or 'Defragment Disk' on Mac. So what do you do when your Mac gets slow? When does my Mac need a defragment? How to defrag my Mac? In this article, we will dive into the Mac defrag question and explain the benefits and limitations of doing this. Hope you can find the answer that suits best.
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Why do we defrag?
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First, we need to know what defragment is. Defragment is the process to reorganize the files which are scattered stored on the hard disk. It removes the gaps between the recorded parts of the files, collecting them into a single whole part. Simply put, defragging a drive traditionally moves everything back in order and fills any holes that have appeared during its use. Therefore, defragmentation reorganized your computer and saves time to find and read the files and speed up your computer.
Does Mac need defragment?
Generally speaking, Mac doesn't need to be defragged. This is simply because Mac OS X versions later than 10.2 file system were designed differently to Windows. Apple uses the HFS+ (Hierarchical File System), which provides a special function Hot File Adaptive Clustering, or HFC. The main purpose of this component is to automatically prevent fragmentation of disk storage. And it automatically defragments files on its own. That's not to say that a manual defragment is never needed. It's just rare. When updates, upgrades, installation or re-installation take place, you might need to defrag it once in a few years.
When does your Mac need to be defragged?
The only real exception you need to defrag a Mac is when your hard drive has less than 10 percent free space. At that point, the Mac operating system is unable to perform its automatic defragmentation routines, and you should consider either removing files or expanding your disk storage size.
Considering removing files to free up more space and speed up Mac, there is a useful and efficient way to do that - a powerful app- MacBooster. It will comprehensively scan Mac including old and large files, app leftovers and system clutter. It helps to boost computer performance, and you probably don't even need to defrag a Mac.
This will make your boot drive lighter by reducing the number of bulky files, such as movies and other video files. Reduce it to less than 50% because the first half portion of the drive is much faster than the second due to a large number of sectors. It is not mandatory to bring your HDD space usage below 50%. However, doing so accelerates performance. Note that boot drive occupying more than 80% of the total disk capacity will not work. You can reduce files by using Activity Monitor. Also, reboot the drive on completion of the process.
Only hard drives require defragging. SSD's no need.
If you're using a Mac that comes with an SSD (solid state drive), there's no point in wasting your time defragging as they already have a built-in maintenance process called TRIM.SSDs operating in a different way from a traditional HDD. It's flash memory used by a solid state drive has a finite lifespan because of the limited write and read cycles. And disk defragmentation is a process of reading the data from one place and writing it to another. So if you defrag SSD, you will perform thousands of write operations each time on the drive. It can speed up the degradation of a solid state drive and lead to its wear and tear. Therefore, it's actually dangerous to attempt to defrag a SSD, which can reduce its lifespan.
How to defragment a Mac?
Since there's no built-in command or utility to defragment on Mac, one of the easiest ways is to use a trusted third-party defragmentation program. It takes a certain amount of time to defragment, during this time you can't move your Mac in case the data destroy. We strongly suggest you backup your data before you defrag your Mac. And follow the program instructions to do the defragment, just be sure it's compatible with your Mac ( Mac OS 10.2 are not compatible with the latest modern defragmentation software ).
Alternatives to defragment a Mac.
Sometimes a slow Mac isn't a problem for your HDDs. You may take other ways to free up more storage and speed up your Mac instead of defragging your Mac. First of all, you should check your disk permissions. Its settings will affect the ability to read, write and execute the file. Repairing disk permission only suits for Mac earlier OS 10.10versions. For newer version, disk permissions are automatically protected.
Mac Os Defrag Hard Drive Windows 10
To repair your permissions using the Disk Utility:
1. Choose Go > Utilities.
2. Double-click Disk Utility.
3. Select the volume in the left pane for which you want to repair permissions.
Drive mount point mac os x 10.12 directory free. 4. Click the First Aid tab.
5. Click Verify Disk Permissions to check permissions.
6. Click Repair Disk Permissions to repair any inconsistent permission.
But it only fixes file permissions that were installed as part of an Apple-originated installer package - so those that came pre-installed with your Mac and files downloaded from the Mac App Store. You can do better with MacBooster, it will fix Mac disk permission issues and drive your Mac to peak performance.
If you feel it’s tedious and exhausted to do above all manually, and even looking for a comprehensive utility to do all and better. Try MacBooster, IObit's official Mac maintenance software. It will safely and quickly remove all system junk files and speed up your Mac.
Mac Os Defrag Hard Drive Mac
Thanks for reading this article and we hope that you find your answers.
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