Activate TRIM in Windows 10 to optimize performance and extend the life of your SSD

Solid state drives (SSDs) are a popular choice for data storage due to their speed and energy efficiency. But to maintain its optimal performance and extend its lifespan, it is important to activate TRIM in windows 10 or your operating system.

TRIM is a feature specific to SSDs that allows the operating system to notify the disk controller which blocks of data are no longer in use, so they can be marked as available. This helps prevent unnecessary disk wear and improves long-term performance.

We invite you to read more about enabling and optimizing TRIM to improve the performance of your SSD

How to know if TRIM is enabled on your Windows 10?

Before activating TRIM on your Windows 10, it is important to check if it is already enabled on your system. There are different methods to verify this:

Method 1: Use Device Manager

1. Open the Windows Start menu and search for “Device Manager.”
2. In Device Manager, expand the “Disk Drives” or “Storage Controllers” category.
3. Find your SSD drive in the list and right click on it.
4. Select “Properties” and then go to the “Policies” tab.
5. Check if “Enable write caching on this device” and “Enable SSD TRIM” are selected. If they are not, activate both options.

Method 2: Use Command Prompt

1. Open the Windows Start menu and search for “command prompt.”
2. Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator.”
3. Type the following command and press Enter:fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify
4. If the result is "0", TRIM is enabled on your Windows 10. If the result is "1", TRIM is disabled.

Method 3: Use a third-party utility

1. Research and download a reliable third-party utility that allows you to check and enable TRIM on your Windows 10.
2. Follow the instructions provided by the utility to check if TRIM is enabled and activate it if necessary.

Steps to activate TRIM in Windows 10

Method 1: Use Device Manager

1. Open the Windows Start menu and search for “Device Manager.”
2. In Device Manager, expand the “Disk Drives” or “Storage Controllers” category.
3. Find your SSD drive in the list and right click on it.
4. Select “Properties” and then go to the “Policies” tab.
5. Make sure “Enable write caching on this device” and “Enable SSD TRIM” are selected. If they are not, activate both options.

Method 2: Use Command Prompt

1. Open the Windows Start menu and search for “command prompt.”
2. Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator.”
3. Type the following command and press Enter:fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0
4. Verify that the command was executed correctly and that TRIM is enabled.

Method 3: Use a third-party utility

1. Research and download a reliable third-party utility that allows you to activate TRIM on your Windows 10.
2. Follow the instructions provided by the utility to activate TRIM on your SSD drive.

Additional recommendations for maintaining your SSD drive

In addition to enabling TRIM on your Windows 10, there are other best practices you can follow to optimize the performance and extend the life of your SSD:

• Update SSD firmware: Regularly check if firmware updates are available for your SSD and perform updates as these can improve performance and resolve potential compatibility issues.
• Prevent file fragmentation: Unlike traditional hard drives, SSDs are not affected by file fragmentation. However, file fragmentation can reduce disk life due to increased data writing. Keep your files organized and, if necessary, use specific defragmentation tools for SSD drives.
• Proper use of available space : Do not completely occupy your SSD drive as this may affect its performance. Always leave some free space to allow the disk controller to perform cleanup and maintenance operations.
• Avoid overfilling: SSDs have a limited number of write cycles, so filling them to their maximum capacity reduces their lifespan. Maintain a reasonable amount of free space on your SSD to prolong its life.
• Make regular backups: Make sure to make regular backups of your data stored on the SSD. Although SSD drives are reliable, they can fail occasionally, and having a backup of your data will ensure that you don't lose it in the event of a drive failure.

Conclusion

Enabling TRIM on your Windows 10 is crucial to maintaining optimal performance of your SSD and prolonging its lifespan. Be sure to follow the steps mentioned above to enable TRIM on your system and also consider following the additional recommendations for maintaining your SSD drive.

Keeping an SSD drive optimized has several benefits, such as faster performance, greater durability and reliability , as well as longer device life. Get the most out of your SSD and follow these best practices for a more efficient and reliable storage experience.