Why Is My Computer Slow? Find High Disk Usage Quickly!

Which Process Is Hurting My Speed? Solve Disk Problems Fast

When a program uses a lot of your computer’s disk, everything else slows down. Figuring out which program is causing this takes just a few easy steps. All you need are built-in tools, no tough words, and no special skills. Here’s how to do it, step by step.

Quick Start: See Disk Activity in Task Manager

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Task Manager.
2. Click the “Performance” tab.
3. Pick “Disk” on the left. See the active time chart. If you see 100%, your disk is very busy.
4. Go to “Processes”.
5. Find the “Disk” column. Click its name to sort. The top process is using the most disk.
6. The process at the top is your main suspect.

Get More: Add Helpful Columns

To see what the process does:

1. Right-click any column header (like “Name” or “Disk”).
2. Click “Select Columns”.
3. Add:
   • I/O read bytes
   • I/O write bytes
   • Command line
4. Now, see which process reads or writes the most.

Still Not Sure? Check Files With Resource Monitor

1. In Task Manager, at the bottom, click “Open Resource Monitor”.
2. Or, press Windows key, type “resmon” and press Enter.
3. Click “Disk”.
4. You’ll see two lists:
   • Top: “Processes with Disk Activity”
   • Bottom: “Disk Activity” (shows which files are busy)
5. Check the highest numbers in “Total (B/sec)” to see which task reads or writes the most bytes.
6. In “Disk Activity”, you see everyone’s files and speeds. The file with the highest number is being used the most.

For Advanced Users: More Tools

Process Explorer (from Microsoft)

• Shows deep details about all running programs and files they use.
• Add columns for “I/O Read Bytes” and “I/O Write Bytes” for clear numbers.
• Check “Threads” if you want to know which part of the program does the work.

Process Monitor (ProcMon)

• Good for system or hidden tasks.
• Shows every file each system process touches, even ones hidden from Task Manager.

Handle Tool

• Lists every file a process uses.
• Helpful if you know the exact process name or ID.

Common Example: System Process or Unknown File

Sometimes, the “System” process or unnamed files eat up disk time. These can be tricky. Use Resource Monitor or ProcMon to look inside and spot the exact file or background task.

Useful PowerShell Command

To get the top 10 disk users in real time:

Get-Counter '\Process(*)\IO Data Bytes/sec' | Select-Object -ExpandProperty CounterSamples | Sort-Object -Property CookedValue -Descending | Select-Object InstanceName, CookedValue -First 10

This lists programs with the greatest disk reading or writing right now.

Tips to Ease High Disk Usage

• Pause or close heavy apps at the top of the list.
• If “System” or weird processes eat disk, check for updates or run a virus scan.
• For persistent issues, try disk check tools or seek help for repairs.
• Disabling things like Windows Search, SysMain (Superfetch), or indexing sometimes helps.

Finding which program slows your disk might look hard, but with these steps, you’ll spot the problem and fix slowdowns. Sometimes, the answer is only a few clicks away. Be patient, check each tool, and you will succeed in making your computer faster and happier.