Methods to Fix CHKDSK Not Working on Windows 10

Windows embeds a free disk check and repair tool named CHKDSK. It is a command-line tool that you can run from Windows Command Prompt. You can run the CHKDSK command to check disk errors and fix them. If you add the /r switch in the CHKDSK command, it can also automatically check bad sectors on the hard drive.

However, some of you may encounter CHKDSK not working issue in Windows 10. Below we cover some scenarios and solutions to fix check disk not working error.

Table of Contents

Fix 1. Run chkdsk /f /r /x Command

If CHKDSK is not working and you see cannot lock the current drive message.

You can press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open and run Command Prompt as administrator.
Next type chkdsk <drive letter:> /f /r /x command in Command Prompt window, and press Enter. This should force dismount the target hard drive and make CHKDSK run.

Fix 2. Run SFC Scan to Repair System File CorruptionThis method may also work if you meet CHKDSK cannot continue in the read-only mode error message when trying to run CHKDSK.

To exclude the system file corruption which may also cause CHKDSK not working error, you can run another Windows built-in tool, SFC (System File Checker).

Still, follow the same operation above to run Command Prompt as administrator.
Then type sfc /scannow command, and press Enter to start scanning and repairing corrupt system files.

Fix 3. Run CHKDSK by Booting into Safe Mode

You can try to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode, open Command Prompt in Safe Mode, and then run CHKDSK command to see if it works well.

If CHKDSK can run smoothly in Safe Mode, then the CHKDSK not the working problem may be caused by recently installed third-party programs, antivirus software, malware/virus infection, etc. You can try to remove recently installed software, perform a malware/virus scan, and temporarily disable antivirus software to see if it helps.

Fix 4. Run Disk Checking Tool

You can see if you can run the check disk process by using the following way.

Open File Explorer, right-click the hard drive you’d like to scan and choose Properties.
Click the Tools tab, and click the Check button under Error-checking. Windows will start checking disk for errors and fix them.

Fix 5. Turn to a Free CHKDSK Alternative

You can use many other free tools to easily check disk and fix detected errors. MiniTool Partition Wizard is very easy-to-use.

You can download, install and launch MiniTool Partition Wizard, the best free disk partition manager, on your Windows computer.
Right-click the target partition and choose the Check File System, and it will automatically check disk and fix errors. You can also choose the Surface Test option to explore bad sectors on the disk.

Fix 6. Check Registry Settings

You can follow the instructions below to check if the registry settings related to CHKDSK is correct.

Press Windows + R, type Regedit, and press Enter to open Registry Editor in your Windows 10 computer.
Click as the following in Registry Editor window: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession Manager.
Double-click BootExecute in the right window, and check if its value data is set to auto-check autochk*.

Fix 7. Perform a System Restore

If nothing helps in helping you fix CHKDSK not working problem in Windows 10, then you may choose to restore your computer to an earlier date.

Fix 8. Recover Disk Data and Reformat the Drive

If CHKDSK is not working on an external hard drive, it might because the disk is write-protected or has some corruption. For corrupted/damaged disks, you can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery to recover data from the corrupted hard drive and use MiniTool Partition Wizard to reformat the hard drive for reuse.

Bottom Line

CHKDSK cannot run in Windows 10? I hope these 8 tips can do help.