What Are Unmovable Files in Disk Defragmenter?
Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that keeps your files in one piece to speed up your hard drive. Some files, called unmovable files, cannot be defragmented by this utility.
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Most common
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The most common unmovable files are the swap file (paging file) and the MFT (master file table). Others are system files or any files in use.
Easy fix
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The best way to defragment your hard drive is to temporarily disable the swap file, reboot your computer in safe mode and run Disk Defragmenter before restoring your swap file. Make sure you have enough memory for the computer to function before disabling your swap file to defragment it.
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Swap file details
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To prevent your swap file from becoming fragmented again, set a custom size with minimum and maximum sizes the same.
MFT
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The Master File Table (MFT) on NTFS file systems cannot be defragmented by Disk Defragmenter. There are utilities that claim to do this, but they are not recommended.
Prevention
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Unmovable files are a fact of life with Windows computers. With a bit of work, they can easily be kept under control.
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