- Right-click a system drive in File Explorer to open its Properties, select Tools, click ‘Check’, and select ‘Scan drive’ to initiate a CHKDSK Scan.
- Run CHKDSK Utility on Windows 11 from the Automatic Repair screen > Advanced options > Troubleshoot > Command Prompt, and execute the CHKDSK command.
Method 1: Run Check Disk Utility From File Explorer
File Explorer provides an easy way to run the Check Disk Utility on your selected system drive to repair its errors. Here’s what you need to follow:
Step 1: Press the Windows + E shortcut to open File Explorer, select This PC from the sidebar, and right-click a system drive to open its Properties .
Step 2: Navigate to the Tools tab, and click Check under ‘Error Checking’.
Step 3: Approve the UAC prompt and click Scan drive to commence the CHKDSK scan.
Step 4: Wait for the scan to finish. If it detects any disk errors, it’ll ask you to reboot Windows to fix it.
Method 2: Using Command Prompt
If you prefer the old-school method of executing commands, the Command Prompt app can help you run the CHKDSK Utility on Windows 11 to repair disk errors.
Step 1: Press the Windows key, search Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator .
Step 2: Paste the below command in the console and press Enter to scan your C: drive for issues and fix them.
chkdsk c: /r /scan /perf
Step 3: To run the CHKDSK Utility on a different drive (say D: drive), replace ‘c:’ in the above command with your desired drive letter. For example,
chkdsk d: /r /scan /perf
Method 3: Use Advanced Startup Options to Run Check Disk Utility
Can’t boot your computer to see the desktop? Fret not, you can run the CHKDSK Utility on Windows 11 via Advanced Startup Options. Here’s how:
Step 1: Press the Power button to boot your PC. When the Windows logo appears, press and hold the Power button to force it to shut down.
Step 2: Repeat the above step at least three times until you see the Automatic Repair screen, and click Advanced options .
Step 3: Select Troubleshoot on the next screen.
Step 4: Click Advanced options and select Command Prompt .
Step 5: Type the following command in the console and press Enter to scan and fix your system drive issues. Let’s take the C: drive for instance.
chkdsk /f C:
Step 6: Wait for the scan to complete and reboot your PC.
Yes. Replace the drive letter in the CHKDSK command with the exact drive letter of your external disk and execute it in the Command Prompt console.
No. CHKDSK Utility in Windows 11 is designed to fix file system errors such as bad sectors but can’t fix the contents of a corrupted file.
