chkdsk for Windows (disks)

Document Scope

The chkdsk command, short for "check disk," is a Windows utility used to check the integrity of a file system and repair any errors it finds, similar to fsck in Linux. Its primary purpose is to scan the file system for logical and physical errors, such as bad sectors, lost clusters, and cross-linked files, and attempt to fix them.

Run chkdsk from a command prompt

This method is a little more familiar to users who have command line experience or are used to a Linux environment but the method is relatively straightforward.

Step 1: Run ‘cmd’ as Administrator

This will open the Command Prompt app so that you can specify a program name to be run.

Step 2: Enter ‘chkdsk’

And that's it! The chkdsk program will automatically perform its scan and report any issues.

Run chkdsk from File Explorer

A more graphical way to run chkdsk is to run it from within the Windows GUI. While a little less descriptive, the scan should perform identically. 

Step 1: Open File Explorer and select This PC

Step 2: Right-click the drive containing Windows OS (usually C:) and select Properties.

Step 3: Navigate to the Tools tab and click Check.

If no errors are found, a prompt tells you: "You don’t need to scan this drive." If you want to scan the drive anyway, click Scan drive.

When CHKDSK is finished, click Show Details to view any errors that were repaired, or click Close to close the window.

NOTE

Command Prompt gives you more actions related to CHKDSK. The disk check process may take some time, especially if there are many files or bad sectors on the disk. Be patient and avoid interrupting the process.