If you’ve been using computers for a while, you probably remember defragmenting hard drives to keep them running faster. But in the present world of Solid State Drives (SSDs) , that old advice no longer applies. Should you defrag an SSD? The answer is no. SSDs operate differently, unlike traditional hard drives, and defragmentation actually causes harm. In the sections below, you’ll know why defragmentation isn’t needed for SSDs, what the TRIM command does, and how to maintain SSD speed and performance safely in Windows. Why you Shouldn’t Defrag a Solid State Drive Defragmentation was designed for mechanical hard drives (HDDs) , where data is stored on spinning disks. Over time, data fragments, pieces are scattered across the drive, causing slower read times because the drive’s magnetic arm must move around to access everything. An SSD has no moving parts. It uses flash memory cells to store data electronically, meaning it can access any location instantly, regardless ...