The Storage Sense Squeeze
As solid-state drives (SSDs) became standard, storage space became more expensive. To help users manage limited drive capacity, Windows includes features designed to automatically save space. Historically, this included NTFS file compression, where Windows would silently compress rarely used files in the background. While this saves disk space, it creates a performance bottleneck. Every time you try to open one of those compressed files, your CPU must decompress it on the fly, leading to slower load times. If you have plenty of storage space and value raw performance (especially for gaming or video editing), automatic file compression is an unnecessary annoyance.
How to Disable NTFS Compression on a Drive
You can tell Windows to stop using the legacy NTFS compression algorithm on an entire hard drive.
1. Open File Explorer (Windows Key + E).
2. Click on This PC in the left-hand navigation pane.
3. Locate the drive you want to modify (usually the C: drive).
4. Right-click the drive icon and select Properties.
5. At the bottom of the “General” tab, look for the checkbox labelled Compress this drive to save disk space.
6. Uncheck the box.
7. Click Apply.
Windows will ask if you want to apply this change to the drive only, or to all folders and subfolders. Choose Apply changes to drive C:\, subfolders and files and click OK. Depending on how many files were previously compressed, this decompression process could take several minutes to several hours.
How to Manage Storage Sense
Windows 11 also uses a modern feature called “Storage Sense” that can automatically archive or delete files to save space, though it relies more on cloud offloading than local compression.
1. Open the Settings app (Windows Key + I).
2. Go to System > Storage.
3. Under the “Storage management” section, look for Storage Sense.
4. If you want absolute, manual control over all your files, turn the Storage Sense toggle switch Off.
By disabling both NTFS drive-level compression and automated Storage Sense archiving, you ensure that your files remain exactly where you put them, in their full, uncompressed, instantly-accessible state.