If your Windows 11 PC uses an SSD, there are actions you can take to make your SSD last as long as possible. These tips help reduce your drive’s wear and tear, and I’ll show you how to use them.

Reduce Unnecessary Writes to the SSD

Solid-state Drives (SSDs) have a limited number of write cycles, which means the more often the data is written to the drive, the less lifespan the drive has. To mitigate that, you should avoid writing unnecessary data to the drive. You can configure a few Windows 11 options to prevent certain data from being written to the drive.

Turn Off Hibernation

If you’ve enabled hibernation, your Windows 11 PC writes a large amount of data to your SSD when you shut down your machine. While this allows you to quickly get back to your work when you turn on your computer, it shortens your SSD’s lifespan.

Fix that by disabling hibernation. To do that, open Windows Search (press Windows+S), type Command Prompt, and select “Run as Administrator.” Choose “Yes” in the User Account Control prompt.

On the CMD window, type the following command and press Enter:

powercfg /hibernate off

In the future, to re-enable hibernation, run the following command:

powercfg /hibernate on

Disable Paging File

When your PC needs to use more amount of RAM than the actual amount of RAM you have, the system designates certain areas on your SSD to be used as RAM storage. This increases the number of write operations to the drive, shortening its lifespan.

To get around that, disable paging file for your SSD. Open Run by pressing Windows+R, type the following in the open box, and select “OK” or press Enter:

sysdm.cpl

Open the “Advanced” tab. In the Performance section, click the “Settings” button.

On the Performance Options window, open the “Advanced” tab. In the Virtual Memory section, select “Change.”

At the top, select your SSD. Turn on the “No Paging File” option and select “Set.” Then, click “OK.”

Enable Write Caching

By activating write caching for your SSD, you allow some data to be written to the cache, preventing further writes to your drive. This helps extend your SSD’s lifespan.

To do that, launch Device Manager. One way to do that is to right-click the Start Menu icon and select “Device Manager.”

When Device Manager opens, expand the “Disk Drives” section. Right-click your SSD and choose “Properties.”

Access the “Policies” tab and turn on the “Enable Write Caching on the Device” option. Then, choose “OK.”

Make Your Web Browser Store Cache on RAM

Web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera use a folder on your SSD to store cache files. These browsers write data to your SSD too often, shortening the drive’s lifespan. You can fix that by making these apps write data to your RAM instead.

There are a few things you should know before moving your cache files to the RAM. As you may know, RAM is volatile, and any cache you store on your RAM will be erased when you turn off or restart your PC. If your web browser has any sessions saved on its cache, those will be lost. It’s possible some web browsers or extensions might malfunction if they don’t find a persistent cache. Also, some web browsers keep frequently accessed web pages in your cache. When your cache is erased, those pages will take longer to load.

With that said, to perform the process, download and install the SoftPerfect RAM Disk app. This app allows you to create a disk using your RAM. Launch the app and select “Add a New Disk” (the plus sign). On the open window, click the “Size (MB)” field and type the size for your disk. This should be half of or less than half of your total RAM amount. Configure other options and click “OK.”

Download and launch the SoftPerfect Cache Relocator app. This app helps you make your web browsers store cache on your RAM. In the app, for your web browser, click the “Move” button. Then, choose the RAM disk that you created earlier.

Your selected web browser will now store its cache on your RAM disk (essentially on your RAM). You can do this for all your web browsers by clicking their “Move” button if you want.

Later, if you notice issues with your web browsers, browser extensions, or your PC’s RAM, you can turn off the app’s feature. Do that by clicking “Restore Default” for each web browser you clicked “Move.” This then brings your web browser’s cache back to the SSD.

Use TRIM

TRIM helps your SSD better manage data storage blocks, leading to an increased drive lifespan. To check if Windows has enabled TRIM, open Windows Search (press Windows+S), type Command Prompt, and select “Run as Administrator.” Choose “Yes” in the User Account Control prompt.

On the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:

fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify

If the command result says “DisableDeleteNotify = 1,” TRIM is disabled. In this case, to enable the feature, type the following command and press Enter:

fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0

Update Your SSD’s Firmware

Older firmware often has bugs and performance issues, which can cause more wear and tear on your SSD. You can fix that by updating your SSD’s firmware version.

One way to do that is to access your SSD maker’s site and download and install the latest drivers. Another way is to update Windows 11, which automatically downloads and installs the latest device drivers.

If your PC has already downloaded the latest drivers but those aren’t installed, apply them using Device Manager. Right-click the Start Menu icon and choose “Device Manager.” Expand “Disk Drives,” right-click your SSD, and choose “Update Driver.”

Select “Search Automatically for Drivers” to let Windows automatically find and install the latest drivers.

Make sure to turn off and back on your computer when you’ve installed the drivers.

Keep Your SSD Away From Extreme Temperatures

SSDs perform better and last longer in cool environments. If your drive is exposed to extreme heat, that can reduce its lifespan. Therefore, ensure your CPU cabinet receives good airflow so that your SSD doesn’t get heated up. You can also use an SSD heatsink.

If you think your SSD gets too hot, use a free and open-source app like CrystalDiskInfo to monitor the drive’s temperature.

Don’t Fill Up Your SSD

Lastly, ensure you don’t fill the entire storage on your SSD. Your drive needs some free space for wear leveling, which helps increase its lifespan. Ideally, you should have 15 to 20 percent of free storage space on your drive. For example, if your drive’s capacity is 500 GB, keep 75 to 100 GB of free space on it.

You have various ways to free up space on your Windows 11 PC. One way is to head into Settings > System > Storage and turn on “Storage Sense.” Another is to use Disk Cleanup to remove unwanted files from your system. You can also clear your system cache to free up storage.

And that’s how you get the most lifespan out of your SSD drive on Windows 11. If you use an HDD drive alongside an SSD, there are some steps you can take to increase your HDD’s lifespan as well.