Software & Apps Backup & Utilities 37 37 people found this article helpful Smart Defrag v6.7 Review A Full Review of Smart Defrag, a Free Defrag Program by Tim Fisher General Manager, VP, Lifewire.com Tim Fisher has 30+ years' professional technology support experience. He writes troubleshooting content and is the General Manager of Lifewire. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tim Fisher Updated on January 13, 2021 Backup & Utilities Design Cryptocurrency MS Office Windows Linux Google Drive Apps File Types Backup & Utilities View More Tweet Share Email Smart Defrag is a free defrag program that intelligently determines the best time to defrag your PC. You can set up Smart Defrag to continually defragment your computer throughout the day, and even do so while it's rebooting. Download Smart Defrag This review is of Smart Defrag version 6.7. Please let us know if there's a newer version we need to review. More About Smart Defrag Smart Defrag works with the following operating systems: Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XPSupports running and scheduling a defrag during a rebootMoves commonly used files to faster parts of the disk for quicker accessOption to replace the default Windows Disk Defragmenter programA portable version of Smart Defrag can be found at PortableAppsWhen a defrag completes, Smart Defrag shows a detailed report of every file that was defragmentedOption to shut down, sleep, hibernate, or reboot the computer once a defrag has completedCan remove several different types of junk files before starting a defragAble to defrag individual folders and files instead of the entire hard drive Smart Defrag Pros & Cons Smart Defrag has plenty of features to like: Pros Scheduled regular and boot time defraggingCan automatically shut down after a defragOption to defrag just Windows Metro AppsOption to auto analyze for defrag alertsBoot time defragmentingOptimization and/or prioritization can be scheduledExclude files and folders from a defragIntegrates with the Windows right-click context menuCan defrag just the free space Cons Doesn't allow checking a drive for errorsDoesn't support idle defragsMight try to install a toolbar or unrelated program during or after setupSome options seen in the free version are actually only usable in Smart Defrag Pro Advanced Defrag Options Smart Defrag has some unique features you may not find in other free defrag software. Boot Time Defrag Under normal conditions, particular files in Windows are locked. You're unable to move these files because they're constantly being used. This causes a problem when you want to defrag those files, so Smart Defrag has an option to defrag the locked files. The way this works is you set up Smart Defrag to defragment the locked files when Windows isn't in use. The only time Windows isn't using the locked files is during a reboot, so Smart Defrag must run this type of defrag while your computer is rebooting. It's from the Boot Time Defrag tab of Smart Defrag that you can enable this option. This is where you'll find the options for a boot time defrag. Choose to enable boot time to defrag and then select any of the hard drives you have connected. The boot time defrag can be configured for the next reboot only, the first boot of every day, on every reboot, or the first boot on a specific day like every 7 days, 10 days, etc. Next, choose the files that you want Smart Defrag to defrag during a reboot. You can defrag page files and hibernation files as well as MFT and system files. There's a Specify files section in the settings that lets you defrag specific files but it's only available if you pay. Disk Cleanup Disk Cleanup is an area in Smart Defrag's program settings that you might miss if you're not looking for it. It lets you define portions of Windows that get scanned for junk files. You can have Smart Defrag clear out these files so it's not defragmenting them, which otherwise might make a defrag last longer than is necessary. When you run a manual defrag, you can have these junk areas cleaned up. Some of the areas included in the scan are the Recycle Bin, Internet Explorer temporary files, clipboard, old prefetch data, memory dumps, and chkdsk file fragments. There's even an extra setting to enable secure file deletion using DoD 5220.22-M, one of the most popular data sanitization methods. To run a disk cleanup with Smart Defrag, use the dropdown menu below the specific drive that should be cleaned, and select Disk Cleanup. Now when you run a defrag the hard drives you selected to be cleaned will run through that process first before starting the defrag. Final Thoughts on Smart Defrag Smart Defrag is one of the best free defrag programs. You can install it and completely forget about it. It can be set up to constantly run in the background and automatically adjust its actions depending on what you're doing. We really like that you can do a system cleanup during a disk analysis to clean up junk files that you no longer need. Smart Defrag cleans more areas than all the other defrag programs we've used. However, it doesn't do it automatically. If the program could auto-clean the files before every defrag, there'd be little to complain about. At the top of the program, under the disk drives, there's an option to add a file or folder to the list. You can include common files and folders that you wish to defrag on a regular basis. Also, when you right-click a file or folder in Windows and choose to defrag it with Smart Defrag, the data shows up on this list. We really like this feature. It's a simple way to track things you may know are always fragmented and have direct access to defragment them. We're glad Smart Defrag has an exclude list in the settings. If you have data you don't mind contains fragments, then adding them there will exclude them from both an analysis and a defrag. Also, in the settings, you can choose to skip files that are over a particular file size, which is nice if you have many large files that would normally extend a defrag time if included. Not all defrag programs support boot time scans, so the fact that Smart Defrag does just adds to its awesomeness. Something we're not a fan of in any program is when the installer tries to get you to install additional software. Smart Defrag might try to install a toolbar during setup, but you can easily dismiss it by choosing No, thanks, Decline, or Skip. Download Smart Defrag Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit