A large number of PC users store crucial documents and files on their computers. Additionally, many users back up their smartphones and cameras to their computers. So, naturally, checking the health of your PC’s Solid State Drive (SSD) once a year makes sense to avoid data loss.
Unlike earlier versions of the Windows operating system, recent versions can help you know the health status of the SSD without using any third-party software.
If you are on a Windows 11 PC, you can use the Windows 11 Settings app to check SSD health with a few clicks, in addition to the official software provided by the drive manufacturer.
How does Windows 11 calculate the SSD health?
Windows 11 itself does not calculate SSD health. Instead, it compares the total number of writes performed on the SSD with the total number of writes the SSD can perform over its lifetime (as per the manufacturer) to calculate the SSD’s health.
Method 1 of 2
Use the Settings app to check SSD health in Windows 11
Step 1: Open the Windows 11 Settings app using search, clicking its icon in the Start menu, or simultaneously pressing the Windows logo and I keys (Windows logo + I).
Step 2: On the left pane of the Settings app, click System. Now, on the right side, click Storage.
Step 3: Click Advanced Storage Spaces.
Step 4: Next, click Disk and volumes to see all internal and external drives connected to your PC and the partitions created on them.
Step 5: To check the health of an SSD, click the Properties button next to it. Please ensure to click the Properties next to the disk and not a partition.
Step 6: The resulting page shows detailed information about the selected drive. Here, the Drive health section displays, well, the health of the selected drive.
As you can see in the picture below, my SSD’s estimated remaining life is 91%, which means that approximately 9% of the rated write endurance has been used.
The estimated drive health is the approximate percentage of writes performed so far relative to the total writes predicted by the manufacturer.
Tip: The same section also shows the current temperature of the SSD.
Method 2 of 2
Use the official tool to check the SSD health in Windows 11
If you are looking for a way to find accurate information about the drive’s health, nothing beats the official tool from the SSD manufacturer. Most SSD manufacturers offer their own apps to manage the storage drive, which also helps you know about the SSD’s health.
For instance, Samsung offers Samsung Magician, and WD offers a tool called WD Dashboard to check the drive health status.
How long does an SSD last?
Depending on the usage, most modern SSDs last over 5 to 10 years without issues.
When should I back up the SSD data to another drive?
If the estimated drive health is below 30%, we recommend backing up the data to another drive. And if the value is below 10%, consider it an alarm!
Leave a Reply