How to Run CHKDSK on Windows 11: Find & Fix Disk Errors

Use this command from File Explorer or the command line tool

Windows 11 » How To

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by Milan Stanojevic 

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Key notes

  • Chkdsk commands can be used to verify the integrity of files on your hard drive.
  • It can also be used to repair errors and recover some of the damaged files.
how to run chkdsk windows 11
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Running CHDSK commands on Windows 11 will help you find out important information about your hard drive.

It can diagnose potential issues, such as driver errors, and prevent file loss from occurring on your PC. To learn how to do that, be sure to keep on reading.

Chkdsk takes from 20 minutes to a couple of hours. This depends on the size of the drive as well as the number of damaged sectors. The larger the drive with more bad sectors, the longer the scan will take.

List of CHKDSK commands

The following are the most commonly used chkdsk commands:

  • chkdsk /f – will scan and try to repair the bad sectors
  • chkdsk /r – will scan and try to recover data from damaged sectors

How do I scan and repair drivers in Windows 11? 

1. Use chkdsk from CMD

  1. Press Windows key + X and choose Windows Terminal (Admin). You can use Command Prompt or PowerShell since the command works in both command line tools.
  2. Once the command line starts, type chkdsk C: and press Enter. Of course, you can use any other drive letter instead of C.
  3. The scan will now scan your PC for disk errors and let you know if there are any damaged sectors on your drive.

2. Use chkdsk from File Explorer

  1. Open File Explorer, and navigate to This PC.
     
  2. Locate the drive you wish to scan. Right-click the drive and select Properties from the menu.
  3. Navigate to the Tools tab and click on the Check button.
  4. Click on Scan drive to start the scan.
  5. Disk integrity check will now start.

3. Use chkdsk from the W11 installation disk

  1. Boot your PC from the installation media.
  2. Click Next, and then choose Repair your computer.
  3. Select Troubleshoot.
  4. Next, navigate to Advanced options.
  5. Lastly, click on Command Prompt.
  6. Run the chkdsk /f command.

Chkdsk parameters and exit codes

What do chkdsk parameters mean?

/fused to fix bad sectors
/r locates the bad sectors and recovers readable information
/vdisplays the name of each scanned file
/xforces the drive to dismount
/iperforms a less vigorous check (only on NTFS drives)
/cdoesn’t check cycles within the folder structure (only on NTFS drives)
/I[:<size>]changes the size of the log file
/bclears the bad clusters and scans all allocated and free clusters for errors (only on NTFS drives)
/scanruns an online scan (only on NTFS drives)
/forceofflinefixit’s used with /scan to bypass online repair and queue defects for offline repair (only on NTFS drives)
/pref it’s used with /scan in order to allocate more resources in order to complete the scan faster (only on NTFS drives)
/spotfixruns spot fixing on the volume (only on NTFS drives)
/sdcleanupit cleans unnecessary security descriptor data (only on NTFS drives)
/offlinescanandfixit performs an offline scan and fixes the drive
/freeorphanedchainsfrees orphaned cluster chains (only on FAT/FAT32/exFAT)
/markcleanmarks the volume clean if no corruption was detected (only on FAT/FAT32/exFAT)
/?displays the list of all supported parameters

Some of these commands will need to lock your drive. In case there are any issues, we have a guide on what to do if chkdsk cannot lock current drive.

What do chkdsk exit codes mean?

0the scan found no errors with your drive
1the errors have been found and fixed
2performed disk cleanup or didn’t perform it because /f parameter wasn’t used
3couldn’t check the disk or fix the errors; errors weren’t fixed because /f was not specified.

Using chkdsk on your PC is important since you want to diagnose and fix hard drive problems before the file loss occurs. However, if chkdsk is stuck on your PC or CHKDSK is not working with Vanguard, we have a special guide to fix it.

To learn how to effectively fix issues, be sure to learn the difference between CHKDSK, SFC and DISM on your PC.

This is a great tool if you want to run hardware diagnostics on Windows, so be sure to know how to properly use it.

How often do you use chkdsk on your PC? Let us know in the comments below.

More about the topics: chkdsk, Windows 11

Milan Stanojevic

Milan Stanojevic Shield

Windows Toubleshooting Expert

Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He's a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology. Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he's one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.

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