AOMEI Partition Assistant
How to Check For Corrupted Files In Windows 11?
This tutorial will list some methods about how to check for corrupted files in Windows 11. You can follow it to repair Windows 11 and the corrupted files in Windows 11.
By Irene / Updated on December 26, 2024
About corrupted files in Windows 11
Corrupted files have been a common issue across all versions of Windows, often caused by improper shutdowns, failed updates, malware infections, software glitches, or hardware problems. In Windows 11, these issues can occur more frequently, as with any new system. You might encounter problems like boot failures, slow performance, unexpected crashes, compatibility errors, or even the dreaded black screen of death—despite the system’s modern interface, enhanced reliability, improved stability, and robust security features.
If you're facing any of these challenges, don’t worry—you’re in the right place. This guide provides practical methods to repair Windows 11 and get your computer running smoothly again. For instance, corrupted files are a frequent culprit behind boot issues and malfunctioning applications. Thankfully, fixing these problems is straightforward, and this guide will show you how.
How to check for corrupted files in Windows 11?
The Windows System File Checker (SFC) is a built-in tool available in all modern versions of Windows. It helps repair corrupt system files to restore your system’s functionality. You can run SFC with administrator privileges, either directly within Windows or through Windows recovery media. In Windows 10 and Windows 11, you can follow these steps:
Step 1. From the desktop, press the Windows + X shortcut key combination. In the menu, select (Admin).
Note: System File Checker (SFC) can be run from Windows PowerShell (Admin).
Step 2. On the User Account Control (UAC) prompt, click Yes. In the command prompt window, type SFC /scannow and press Enter.
Step 3. The System File Checker (SFC) utility checks the integrity of Windows system files and repairs them if required. After the process is complete, reboot the computer.
How to repair Windows 11?
After learning how to check for corrupted files in Windows 11, you can read this part to get 3 ways to repair your Windows 11 that lead to the file corruption.
Before repairing your Windows 11
Repairing Windows 11 may result in data loss, and there are no guarantees that all your files will remain intact. For this reason, it’s strongly recommended to back up your data before attempting any fixes. Tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant can help you recover important files such as photos, videos, documents, emails, and over 1,000 other file types, even in cases of complex data loss.
If your Windows 11 system fails to boot, you can still rely on AOMEI Partition Assistant to recover data from an inaccessible computer or a non-functional hard drive.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. In the Main Tab, please click "Recover"> "Recover Data".
Step 2. The Recover Windows Data tool will pop up. Please select the partition location to start data recovery and click "Start Scan".
Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bin, and other missing files will be displayed. Please select data you would like to recover and then click "Recover".
Step 4. Please select a folder path on your PC to save the recovered data.
Step 5. The recovery progress will start and data will be saved to the path you select once the recovery process is successful.
Way 1. Run SFC Scannow command to repair corrupted system files
If there is corruption in Windows system files, the automatic repair probably fails to work. SFC (System File Checker) is a Windows built-in command-line utility that can scan and repair any corrupted system files it detected. Thus, you can perform SFC command to diagnose problems and fix them.
Type sfc /scannow command line when you boot Windows 10 startup repair Command Prompt.
Way 2. Repair Windows 10 using DISM Command
If sfc /scannow command offers no help, you can try another Windows command-line tool DISM which is designed to scan and fix corrupted Windows 10 image. The command lines are below.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Way 3. Use a professional tool
If you want a safe and easy way to check your disk, using a third-party tool is a great option. One highly recommended choice is AOMEI Partition Assistant. This multifunctional disk partition manager can help you check and repair errors on disk partitions, as well as test disk speed. It supports a wide range of Windows versions, including Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, and 7, for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
AOMEI Partition Assistant features a user-friendly interface, making it simple for even beginners to resolve disk issues. Below, we’ll guide you through the steps to check and fix disk partition errors using this free tool.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
★★★Notice: If you are a Windows Server user, the powerful software offers the Server edition.
Step 1. Free download the software, install and launch it. It will display to you the basic situation of your hard drives. Select the partition that you want to check for, right-click it, select Advanced -> Check Partition.
Step 2. It will pop up a small window that you can select the way of checking errors to perform. Choose one according to your needs and click OK. It will proceed immediately.
Notes:
①There are 3 ways you can select to perform: check partition and fix errors in this partition by using chkdsk.exe; check the partition for errors by using chkdsk.exe; check whether there are bad sectors on the partition. Select the one as your command.
②If the partition you selected is being used by another process, you cannot continue the operation. A window will pop up to tell that you can continue the operation again if this partition is dismounted. But it will make all the running programs invalid. When asked “would you like to force a dismount on this partition”. click Yes, it will execute the task, click No, it will cancel the operation.
Further reading: How to delete corrupted files in Windows 11?
A corrupted file or folder is damaged and no longer functions properly, often preventing you from opening it. Such files can be dangerous and harmful, as they may lead to hard drive crashes or, worse, the loss of critical data. For this reason, it’s essential to completely and thoroughly delete corrupted files. If you directly delete corrupted files in Windows 11, you may receive the message like The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable. Here we would like to share 2 methods to help you effectively delete corrupted files in Windows 11.
Option 1. Forcibly remove corrupted files with CMD
Windows built-in tool CMD also provides you with a way to force delete corrupted files.
Step 1. Type "cmd" in the Windows search bar and click "Run as administrator".
Step 2. In the new window, type "Del /F /Q /A" and press "Enter".
Option 2. Shred the corrupted files in Windows 11
AOMEI Partition Assistant also supports removing the corrupted files or folders from your PC permanently.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Warning: The "Shred files" function ensures that the folders or files are completely emptied, making them nearly impossible to recover, even with data recovery software. Before using this option, be sure that you really want to permanently delete the corrupted files or folders, as they cannot be easily restored.
Step 1. Install AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard, click "Wipe" in the top interface and click "Shred Files".
Step 2. Click "Add Files" and select the corrupted files to be forcibly deleted.
Step 3. Select "Write Zero" as the shredding method and click "Shred".
Step 4. There's a popped prompt, read it carefully and click "Yes".
To sum up
This tutorial shares how to check for corrupted files and other practical methods for solving this issue. Fixing corrupted files and system issues in Windows 11 doesn’t have to be complicated. With tools like System File Checker (SFC), DISM commands, and AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can repair your system and recover lost data efficiently. If corrupted files persist, use CMD or the "Shred Files" feature in AOMEI Partition Assistant to delete them permanently. By following this guide, you can quickly restore your system’s performance and keep Windows 11 running smoothly.
