It's also worth checking whether your data has already been backed up in the cloud, since Windows' OneDrive and macOS' iCloud both offer these services, which you may not have realized were turned on.Īlternatively, if your connection isn't up to the task, or if you're racing against time before meltdown occurs, you may want to copy or clone your disk's contents to another drive.

The easiest way to do this may be by using a cloud storage service, since this requires no additional hardware and is relatively simple. If, after running checks, you discover your drive is dying, what do you do? Well, the first thing you'll want to consider is how to backup all your data. If you'd prefer to go first-party, it's worth seeing if your disk manufacturer has its own tool, such as Western Digital's Drive Utilities (opens in new tab), or Seagate's handy SeaTools (opens in new tab). That's where standalone programs come in handy, which can offer more extensive info.įor Windows, CrystalDiskInfo (opens in new tab) is a free tool that can delve a bit deeper into your disk's status, while macOS users should take a look at DriveDX (opens in new tab), which costs $19.99 but comes with a free trial.

tool is quick and easy, it doesn't do much beyond telling you whether your disk is fine or about to die. Note: This information won't appear if you're running a post-2015 machine with an SSD installed. status' section in the bottom-left, or by clicking the ' i' icon in the top-right. Click the drive you want to check, and its status will read either ' Verified' or ' Failing' in the ' S.M.A.R.T. To do this on macOS, open the Disk Utility tool by going to Applications, then Utilities.

Hdd health checker