I used Windows 10 Pro’s native NTFS compression on my C: drive via: Right-click C: → Properties → General tab → Compress this drive to save disk space The process took between 45 minutes (on a fast NVMe SSD) to over 9 hours (on a 5400 RPM HDD). The tool gives you zero ETA and zero progress bar detail—just a vague animation. During compression, the system becomes barely usable. Expect stuttering, frozen apps, and a general sense that your PC is having a stroke.
Compressing your C: drive feels like a hacker’s magic trick—freeing up tens of gigabytes with a single checkbox. But after running this on three different systems (an old HDD laptop, a modern SSD desktop, and a budget tablet), I’ve concluded that for the average user, it’s a net negative. You sacrifice performance, stability, and peace of mind for storage you probably don’t need to save. compress c drive
A Double-Edged Sword: My Deep-Dive Experience Compressing the C: Drive Rating: ⭐⭐☆☆☆ (2/5 – Situationally useful, but fraught with risk for most users ) I used Windows 10 Pro’s native NTFS compression
Two stars – it works exactly as advertised, but “as advertised” ignores how badly it sabotages modern computing. Proceed with extreme caution and a full backup. Expect stuttering, frozen apps, and a general sense