How to Check SSD Health: Step-by-Step Guide

The quickest way to check SSD health in Windows 11 is to open Settings, go to System, then Storage, then Advanced storage settings, then Disks & volumes, select the drive, and click Properties. For NVMe drives it shows estimated remaining life, available spare, and temperature. SATA SSDs do not appear on that page, so they need PowerShell or a SMART tool such as CrystalDiskInfo instead.

What “SSD Health” Actually Means

An SSD reports its own condition through SMART data (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) or, for NVMe drives, a health log. The most useful readings are the percentage of rated life used, the remaining spare blocks, the drive temperature, the count of media or data integrity errors, and total data written. A drive with a low life-used figure and no errors is healthy. A drive near its rated endurance, or one reporting growing error counts, deserves a backup and a closer look.

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Prerequisites

• Windows 11 (the Settings method needs an NVMe drive connected directly; recent Windows 10 builds have a different layout).
• An administrator account for PowerShell commands and most utilities.
• A current backup of anything you cannot lose. Checking health is read-only, but a drive that is failing can fail at any time.
• Optional: the maker’s utility for your drive, such as Samsung Magician, WD Dashboard, Crucial Storage Executive, or Kingston SSD Manager.

Method 1: Windows Settings (NVMe Drives)

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
2. Choose System, then Storage.
3. Scroll to Advanced storage settings and open Disks & volumes.
4. Select your SSD and click Properties.
5. Read the Drive health section. It lists estimated remaining life, available spare, and temperature.

What to expect: a high remaining-life percentage and normal temperature. If Windows detects a possible hardware problem, it can also show a notification that a storage device may be at risk. If there is no Drive health section, the drive is probably a SATA SSD or a hard drive, and you should move on to the next methods.

Method 2: PowerShell (Any Drive Windows Can See)

1. Right-click Start and open Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
2. Run Get-PhysicalDisk to list drives and see a basic HealthStatus and OperationalStatus.
3. For more detail, run Get-PhysicalDisk | Get-StorageReliabilityCounter | Format-List.

What to expect: HealthStatus should read Healthy. The reliability counters can include Wear, Temperature, ReadErrorsTotal, and PowerOnHours. Not every drive or driver exposes every counter, so blank fields do not necessarily indicate a problem.

Method 3: A SMART Tool Such as CrystalDiskInfo

1. Download the free utility from the developer’s official site.
2. Run it and select your SSD from the drive tabs.
3. Read the overall status, which summarizes the drive as Good, Caution, or Bad.
4. Look at Total Host Writes, Power On Hours, and the raw SMART table.

What to expect: a Good status in blue for a healthy drive. Caution (yellow) means a threshold was crossed, such as low spare capacity or reallocated sectors, and Bad (red) means the drive reports a serious problem.

Method 4: The Maker’s Own Utility

SSD makers publish tools that read their drives’ extended data and can also update firmware. Menu names vary by tool and version, so use the maker’s support page for exact steps. These tools are useful because the maker knows how to interpret its own attribute codes, which are not fully standardized across brands.

Quick-Reference Table

How to Read the Numbers

Wear and TBW

Makers rate each SSD for terabytes written (TBW) during its warranty. Reviewers point out that ordinary gaming and office use rarely approaches those ratings in a drive’s usable life, so a modest wear figure is normal. Treat the rating as a warranty guide rather than a failure date; the maker’s listed warranty terms are the reference.

Temperature

Fast PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 NVMe drives can run hot under sustained writes and may throttle. Check the maker’s listed operating range. Frequent throttling suggests a missing heatsink or poor airflow rather than a failing drive.

Errors

A single stray count is less important than a rising trend. Note the value, check again after a week, and compare. A climbing error count is the strongest sign that the drive should be replaced.

Common Mistakes

• Relying on chkdsk alone. Sources note that chkdsk checks the file system and does not read the SMART or NVMe health log, so a drive can pass while its wear counter is high.
• Running a full-drive write benchmark repeatedly. It adds wear and does not reveal health.
• Believing a Good status means no backup is needed. Controllers can fail suddenly with no warning.
• Ignoring a USB enclosure. Many enclosures block SMART data. Test the drive inside the PC if possible.
• Trusting a single tool. Compare two methods if the result looks odd.
• Misreading raw values. Raw attribute numbers are defined by each maker, so read the normalized status or the maker’s tool.

When Not to Run Extra Tests

If the SSD is already behaving erratically, such as disappearing from the system, freezing during writes, or showing read errors, copy the important files first and avoid long repair or full-surface scans. Contact the maker’s support, and do not open or modify the drive. If the drive holds sensitive data and is under warranty, check the maker’s replacement and data policy before sending it in.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I check SSD health?

Once every few months is enough for most gaming PCs, and after any unexplained crashes or file errors. Some utilities can alert you automatically. Regular backups matter more than frequent checks.

Why does Windows not show drive health for my SSD?

The Settings page covers NVMe drives connected directly to the system. SATA SSDs, hard drives, and drives in some enclosures do not appear. Use PowerShell or a SMART tool instead.

What does “available spare” mean?

NVMe drives keep spare flash blocks to replace worn ones. The available spare percentage shows how much of that reserve remains. When it falls toward the maker’s threshold, back up the data and plan a replacement.

Is a Caution status an emergency?

It is a warning, not a guarantee of failure. Back up your data immediately, look at which attribute triggered the warning, and consult the maker’s tool or support. If the status turns to Bad, replace the drive.

Can firmware updates improve SSD health?

Firmware updates can fix bugs and sometimes improve reliability, but they do not restore worn flash. Follow the maker’s instructions closely, back up first, and do not interrupt an update.

Do I need third-party software at all?

Not always. For an NVMe drive, the built-in Settings page may be enough. A SMART utility helps for SATA drives and for seeing detailed counters such as errors and total writes.