When duplicating or shifting files between your operating system and an external hard drive, sluggish transfer speeds can be quite irritating. If your external hard drive's transfer speed is extremely low, you've come to the right place. This guide will equip you with some straightforward and effective solutions.

Why Does My External Hard Drive Transfer So Slowly?

Transferring data between an external hard drive and a personal computer is quite common. But what should you do when the process takes forever? Several factors can contribute to slow external hard drive transfer speeds, including fragmentation on the hard drive, different connection ports, virus and malware infections, overall system performance, and more.

Now, scroll down to learn detailed instructions on how to boost the transfer speed of your external hard drive!

How to Boost External Hard Drive Transfer Speed on Windows 10/11?

Solution 1: Use MiniTool System Booster

The speed at which your external hard drive transfers data depends on both your system's performance and the hard drive's capabilities. To enhance the transfer speed of your external hard drive, you can scan your computer with a free PC optimization tool—MiniTool System Booster.

This tool helps accelerate CPU, RAM, and hard drive resources, making your computer operate more efficiently. Additionally, it offers features like cleaning junk files, boosting internet speed, optimizing Windows startup programs, and removing potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). Follow these steps to boost your external hard drive's transfer speed with this tool:

Step 1. Download, install, and launch MiniTool System Booster Trial Edition to access its services for free.

Step 2. On the home screen, click on Performance Home and select Deepclean from the dropdown menu.

Step 3. Click on START CLEAN and the tool will sequentially run seven tasks. You can choose to run them consecutively or skip some based on your preferences.

The Program Accelerator task will realign programs on the hard drive, significantly improving drive efficiency and file access speed.

Solution 2: Switch USB Ports

While USB 3.0/3.1/3.2 have been widely available for some time, many users are still utilizing USB 2.0 or 1.0, causing slow transfer speeds. Most modern computers and laptops come equipped with USB 3.0/3.1/3.2 ports. Identify these ports on your device and connect your external hard drive to them.

For further guidance on testing and enhancing USB 3.0 speeds, refer to this guide.

Solution 3: Enable Disk Write Caching

Disk write caching stores write requests in RAM instead of directly on the disk, speeding up application performance. It also delays writing files to the hard drive, thus improving file transfer speeds. Here’s how to enable it on your external hard drive:

Step 1. Enter disk management in the search bar and press Enter.

Step 2. Right-click on the target external hard drive and select Properties from the dropdown menu.

Step 3. In the Hardware tab, select your external hard drive and click Properties.

Step 4. In the General tab, click on Change settings.

Step 5. In the Policies tab, check Enable write caching on the device and click OK to save the changes.

Solution 4: Defragment the Hard Drive

Whenever you create, delete, or modify files on an internal or external hard drive, some data becomes fragmented. Over time, more fragments scatter across the drive, reducing its overall performance. Defragmenting your hard drive can help address poor disk performance caused by accumulated fragments. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Enter defragment and optimize drives in the search bar and press Enter.

Step 2. Select the drive you wish to defragment and click Optimize in the bottom-right corner.

Solution 5: Perform a Quick Format

Another approach is to format your external hard drive to create more space for new entries, thereby improving data transfer performance between your system and the hard drive. Here’s how to perform a quick format:

Caution:

Step 1. Press Win E to open File Explorer.

Step 2. Navigate to This PC and locate your external hard drive.

Step 3. Right-click on it and select Format.

Step 4. Set NTFS as the file system type and check Quick Format.

Step 5. Click on Start to initiate the process.

Solution 6: Replace the Drive with a New One

If you’ve been using the hard drive for a long time, the available memory cells may degrade, resulting in slower read and write speeds. In such cases, replacing the old hard drive with a new one is advisable.

For additional information on upgrading to a larger hard drive without losing data, consult this resource.

Final Thoughts

Following the solutions outlined in this guide, you should notice a significant improvement in your external hard drive’s transfer speed. Moreover, you’ll gain access to an all-in-one tool called MiniTool System Booster to enhance your computer’s performance. For more insights into our product, feel free to reach out to us via .

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