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Is the Disk in Windows Task Manager the same as the actual disk usage on a computer? This guide on “disk in task manager” answers this question.
In this guide, you’ll learn about a disk in task manager. Not only that, but this guide will also teach you about the numeric values you see in the Disk column of the Windows Task Manager tool.
So, section-wise, I will first overview the concept of “disk in task manager” and then discuss how it works. After that, we will look into the features of this Microsoft Windows OS technology.
Section four is all about the pros and cons of this Windows OS feature. Thereafter, I will answer questions that people frequently ask about disk in task manager.
Disk In Task Manager: An Overview
Every Windows Operating system has a task manager that you can access.
To access the Windows Task Manager, press the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys together and select “Task Manager.” You can also press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on the keyboard to open the Task Manager straight from the desktop.
One of the tabs on the Task Manager window is the “Processes” tab. The Processes tab has several information columns, including the ” Disk ” column.
Like other columns in the processes tab, the disk column has values in MB/s for every running application. Above the Disk header, another percentage value (1% in my screenshot above) shows the disk utilization by running processes.
Moreover, you can view a graphical presentation of the disk usage by switching to the “Performance” tab and clicking on “Disk.” The performance tab simulates the disk usage graphically.
In effect, disk in task manager indicates the disk’s capacity currently being used (disk utilization) by your computer to run programs. Therefore, it relates more to the performance of your hard disk rather than its storage capacity.
How Does Disk In Task Manager Work?
In the context of Disk in Task Manager, a disk’s capacity is different from how much storage space you have on a disk. Specifically, Disk in Task Manager indicates how much of a disk’s read/write capability all running programs utilize.
In a Windows operating system’s Task Manager, the value of disk usage can rise up very high at times. This happens when the capacity of the computer’s disk is fully used to run programs.
You may notice that disk usage rises up to 70% or 100% when your computer boots up. At that point, your computer is opening applications that run at the computer’s startup.
Some applications that may run at a computer’s startup include Skype, antivirus programs, and so on.
Nevertheless, during normal day-to-day operation, the value of disk space usage falls to about 5% or less. If the usage of the disk in task manager remains high always, then something may be wrong with the computer.
A constant high disk usage value slows your computer down or causes a “System not responding” error. Speaking of constant high space usage, it could be that too many apps are running in the background.
Simply put, your computer will perform better if the value of disk usage in the task manager is low.
Features Of Disk In Task Manager
At this point in our discussion, you should be able to differentiate a disk in task manager from a physical disk. Moreover, you can tell how this Windows Operating Systems feature works.
In this section, we’ll focus properly on the features of Disk in Task Manager.
Disk In Task Manager Does Not Depend On Actual Storage Capacity
As I have hinted more than once, Disk in Task Manager means how much of a disk’s capacity is currently used to perform read/write operations. Meanwhile, storage capacity is the maximum amount of data an HDD or SSD storage can store.
Therefore, the total capacity, used space, or available space on a disk is not the same as its utilization in the Task Manager.
In short, disk utilization in Task Manager can read 0% even when you have 30GB of files on your hard drive.
It Is Measured As A Percentage Of The Total Disk Capacity
The total usage of a disk in task manager is measured in percentage. The percentage value changes every second, just like a digital clock.
Specifically, this percentage value is expressed in relation to the disk’s average read and write speed.
By read speed, I mean the rate at which the disk opens a file or program. Also, the write speed is how fast the disk can save files.
Thus, when many programs are open and running simultaneously, the disk utilization rises significantly. For PCs with a hard disk drive, you will notice the platters spinning faster at that point.
Individual Processes On Disk Are Measured In Megabytes Per Second (MB/s)
All running applications (including background processes) in the Processes tab have distinct values.
Unlike the total value of Disk utilization measured in percentage, disk usage by individual applications is measured in MB/s.
This shows the average speed at which the disk is reading the application’s program and data.
Disk Utilization Contributes To Your PC’s Overall Performance
When the usage value of a disk rises very high, the computer’s performance drops significantly. In severe cases, the computer may freeze or show “Apps not responding” errors.
Normally, one may encounter this challenge when the disk usage is at or near 100%. This is quite different from the high value of disk usage you may experience after a computer startup.
Windows 11 operating system does suffer the disk usage problem at times. So, if you’re using Windows 11, one way to minimize disk usage is disallowing several apps from running in the background.
Pros And Cons Of Disk In Task Manager
Now, let’s look into the pros and cons of the Disk in Task Manager.
In particular, I’ll discuss the pros and cons of Disk in Task Manager in terms of having high and low disk usage. Also, I’ll look at how some other computing activities can affect the disk, positively or negatively.
Pros Of Low Disk Usage In Task Manager
- Low disk usage lets a computer perform faster. When the level of disk usage in the task manager is between 0% and 5%, you’ll notice your computer performing faster.
- It gives additional information about a disk. Apart from the read/write speed of a disk, the performance tab of the task manager gives additional information.
The additional information you’ll find on the Performance tab includes the type of disk (HDD or SSD) [labeled (2) in the screenshot below]. Also, you will see some other useful information like the disk’s Active time, Average response, Read speed and write speed.
- Disk usage performance can be improved. If your disk usage is too high for a long time, here are a few easy steps to reduce it.
i. Clean junk files, cached data, or temporary files. These tasks can also be performed with a tool like Ccleaner.
ii. Scan your PC with powerful antivirus software; don’t just depend on Windows defender alone.
iii. Uninstall apps that you don’t use often; you can install them when you need to use them.
iv. Perform a clean boot. A clean boot will restart Windows OS but will load only some drivers and programs, not all of them.
v. Update your Windows OS, making sure the update includes patches for fixing disk usage errors. - The Task Manager provides information on background processes. A background process is software that runs behind the scenes and is not visible to the person using a computer. Moreover, such software does not need the user to start them before it can start running.
Interestingly, the disk usage information is presented alongside that of other processes. Therefore, the task manager gives information about background processes that ordinarily are not visible to the user.
For instance, Task Manager displays processes using the CPU, RAM, and network.
Cons Of High Disk Usage In Task Manager
- High disk usage slows a computer down. I mentioned earlier how significant the effect of high disk usage could be on a computer.
If the level of disk usage remains close or is at 100% long after booting, it slows the computer’s performance. Moreover, the programs you’re running may not respond sometimes.
- You do not have control over the information displayed by Disk in Task Manager. You can not customize the disk usage level by yourself. Rather, it depends on the apps’ activities in the foreground and background.
Nevertheless, you can minimize disk usage by having updated driver software and operating systems on your computer.
- High usage value can affect users’ experience in gaming. Heavy graphics games load slower when disk usage is high. Furthermore, the frame rate at which the game plays might stutter.
This would cause motions in games not to be smooth even when other components like the GPU are good.
- High disk usage may lead to further problems on a computer. Other factors beyond a user’s control can increase disk usage. Such factors as computer viruses and disk faults are notable causes of high disk utilization.
If these problems are not solved on time, they may result in loss of data on the disk.
Frequently Asked Questions About Disk In Task Manager
100% disk usage in task manager shows that a hard drive’s read/write capacity is being used to the fullest. In other words, the hard drive is reading (opening) or saving too many programs at the same time.
Every hard disk has a specific read/write speed.
In general, the read/write speed for a 7200 RPM HDD is about 100 MB/s to 150 MB/s. As for SSD storage, the read/write speed ranges from 200 MB/s to 550 MB/s
A lot of factors can cause disk usage to be so high in the task manager. Some of the factors are as follows.
i. It could result from disk errors due to corrupt sectors on a disk.
ii. Sometimes, a computer virus or other malware may be the reason.
iii. Adobe Flash Player is well known for causing high disk usage on a computer. So, you may want to uninstall it if you have the software.
iv. Outdated driver software can also cause it.
v. Virtual memory can as well take up huge capacity on a disk. Virtual memory is a memory management technique that allows swapping out excess data from RAM to disk during program execution.
To get rid of 100% disk usage, one of the most effective solutions is to restart your computer. If restarting the computer doe not solve the issue, you can try the following.
i. Clean junk files, cached data, or temporary files.
ii. Scan your PC with powerful antivirus software; don’t just depend on Windows defender alone.
iii. Uninstall apps that you don’t use often; you can install them when you need to use them.
iv. Perform a clean boot. A clean boot will restart Windows OS but will load only some drivers and programs, not all of them.
v. Update your Windows OS, making sure the update includes patches for fixing disk usage errors.
Immediately after your computer boots, the disk usage will rise to a high value for some seconds.
Thus, up to 70% or even 100% usage after booting is normal, as many programs will be starting up at that time.
However, after loading the necessary drivers and software, the disk usage should go down for normal day-to-day computing activities. At that stage, the disk usage should be under 10% to be considered normal.
Not necessarily. Disk usage fluctuates regularly.
At some points, it can jump to 100% and come down immediately. That may not have any noticeable effect on performance.
However, when the usage of a disk remains at 100% always, it can make the computer lag. Moreover, such a situation can cause other apps to open slower or not respond to clicks.
Yes, disk usage affects gaming performance on PC.
If disk usage is constantly high, other applications will load slower. This will affect how long it takes your computer to load games.
If you’re playing a game that’s stored on a slow hard drive, you may experience an irregular Frames-Per Second rate. That is, the game graphics may not play smoothly since they take a longer time to load.
For normal day-to-day computing tasks, the disk usage should be under 10%. Most times, you will see the disk usage in the task manager ticking between 0% and 3%.
Your disk usage will be at 100% on startup because the amount of reading/write operations on disk is higher at that moment.
The disk reads the operating system files and other startup programs during booting. Thus, the disk usage will heighten to 70% or 100%.
Disk in Task Manager means how much of a disk’s read/write capacity a computer is using to run tasks at a particular time. On the other hand, disk speed refers to a disk’s standard/average read/write speed.
A disk’s usage is, therefore, a measure of the disk’s capacity in use with respect to the standard capacity of the disk.
Thus, the Task Manager measures the total usage of a disk in percentage. Meanwhile, disk speed is measured in megabytes per second (MB/s).
Yes, low RAM can lead to high disk usage. Some operating system creates a swap space on the hard drive where excess data on RAM are kept temporarily.
So, whenever the RAM is running out of space, it pushes the extra data to the disk from where it fetches them later. This memory management technique is called paging.
While paging helps to reduce the load on RAM, it gives more load to the disk.
Disk In Task Manager: My Final Thoughts
Disk in Task Manager is one area that many computer users pay less attention to. As you have seen in this guide, it can affect how fast or slow a PC performs.
Therefore, you shouldn’t wait until your PC quits before checking the disk usage. Once you notice an unusual lag with your PC, one troubleshooting step is to check the disk usage.
So, always clean junk files and avoid setting too many apps to run at startup. Also, uninstall unnecessary and old apps.
You can install them later when you need them.
Paying attention to your PC’s disk usage level may save you the troubles of an unresponsive PC.
I hope I was able to explain Disk in Task Manager and how it works. I also hope that you found the article easy to understand?
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However, if you have any questions regarding Disk in Task Manager or if you’re having any problem with high disk utilization, please post your question at Itechguides Community Forum. Our team and other community members will come back to you with a fix as soon as possible.
Finally, you may find other helpful articles on our Storage & Disk Technology Explained page.
References And Further Reading
- Fix 100% Disk Usage in Windows 10 Task Manager
- What is Disk Usage in Task Manager?