February 7, 2023

4 Ways to Enable or Disable NTFS File Compression in Windows 11

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Enable NTFS file compression and save some room on Windows 11.

Is your Windows computer running out of storage? There are plenty of ways to remove redundant data and free up some extra space. Among all, the most preferred method is using NTFS file compression.

NTFS file compression is a Windows feature that compresses files and folders by removing reductant data from them. The best part about this feature is that it does its job without damaging the file and losing the data.

Nevertheless, let’s check out some ways to enable NTFS file compression in Windows 11.

1. Enable NTFS File Compression Through the File Explorer

The quickest way to enable NTFS file compression is through File Explorer. Below are the steps to compress a folder:

1. Open the File Explorer and head toward the folder you want to compress.
2. Right-click on the target folder and choose Properties from the context menu.
3. In the General tab, select the Advanced option.
4. Under the Compress or Encrypt attributes section, check the Compress contents to save disk space box and click OK.
5. Click Apply > OK to save the changes.
6. In the confirmation dialog box that crops up, choose the Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files option.
7. Click OK.

That’s it, the folder has now been compressed. You can confirm this by comparing the current folder size with its previous size.

From now on, every file or folder that you will move inside the compressed folder will be compressed automatically. To disable compression, uncheck the Compress contents to save disk space box and save the changes.

Similarly, you can compress an entire drive. Here’s how:

1. Open the File Explorer, and right-click on the drive you want to compress.
2. In the General tab, check the Compress this drive to save disk space box.
3. Click Apply and then click OK on the confirmation box that crops up.

2. Enable NTFS File Compression Using the Command Prompt

If you are a power user, you can use the Command Prompt to enable file compression on Windows 11. Here are the steps to do it:

1. Press the Win + S hotkeys to open the Windows Search.
2. In the search bar, type Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator from the right pane. If this method is not working, you can use any other way to open Command Prompt with admin rights.
3. Type the following command and press Enter to enable file compression.

    fsutil behavior set disablecompression 0 

You’ll see the ‘A reboot is required for this change to take effect‘ message on the console. So, restart your computer to apply the changes.

If you want to disable File Compression, execute the following command in the elevated Command Prompt window, followed by a system restart.

 fsutil behavior set disablecompression 1 

3. Enable NTFS File Compression Using the Registry Editor

Another quick way to enable compression is through the Registry Editor. Follow the below steps to do it:

1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Win + R hotkeys.
2. Type regedit in the text field and click OK.
3. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the below location:

    Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Policies 

4. Right-click on the Policies folder in the left sidebar, hover the cursor to New, and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value from the context menu.
5. Right-click on the newly created value and choose Rename.
6. Type Ntfsenablecompression in the text field.
7. Select and right-click on Ntfsenablecompression again, and choose Modify.
8. Type 1 in the Value data.
9. Click OK to save the changes.

File compression is now enabled on your computer. If you want to disable it, type 0 in Value data and save the changes.

4. Enable NTFS File Compression Using the Local Group Policy Editor

The Local Group Policy Editor is the go-to place to configure important Windows policies. To use it to enable file compression, follow the below instructions:

1. In the Run dialog box, type gpedit.msc and click OK.
2. Head towards the following location in the Local Group Policy Editor:

    Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Filesystem\NTFS 

3. Double-click on the Do not allow compression on all NTFS volumes policy to open its properties window.
4. Choose the Disabled option.
5. Click Apply > OK to enable file compression.

You can disable the file compression by choosing the Enabled option in the Do not allow compression on all NTFS volumes policy properties window.

Free Up Space on Windows 11 With File Compression

Enabling file compression is a great way to free up some space on Windows 11. Using this feature can come in handy when you are running out of space but also don’t want to compress your files using third-party compression tools.

Meanwhile, you might be interested in learning more about the NTFS file system.

Reference: https://www.makeuseof.com/enable-disable-ntfs-file-compression-windows-11/

Ref: makeuseof

MediaDownloader.net -> Free Online Video Downloader, Download Any Video From YouTube, VK, Vimeo, Twitter, Twitch, Tumblr, Tiktok, Telegram, TED, Streamable, Soundcloud, Snapchat, Share, Rumble, Reddit, PuhuTV, Pinterest, Periscope, Ok.ru, MxTakatak, Mixcloud, Mashable, LinkedIn, Likee, Kwai, Izlesene, Instagram, Imgur, IMDB, Ifunny, Gaana, Flickr, Febspot, Facebook, ESPN, Douyin, Dailymotion, Buzzfeed, BluTV, Blogger, Bitchute, Bilibili, Bandcamp, Akıllı, 9GAG