In short: in Windows 10 and 11, open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), go to the Performance tab and select the disk: SSD or HDD is shown under its name. On macOS, go to Apple menu → About This Mac → System Report → Storage: Medium Type will say "SSD" or "Rotational" (HDD).
Method 1. Task Manager (Windows 10 and 11)
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, or right-click the taskbar and choose Task Manager.
- Open the Performance tab.
- In the left column, select "Disk 0", "Disk 1" and so on. The type (SSD or HDD) is shown next to the disk name.
Method 2. Optimize Drives (Windows)
- Press Win + R, type
dfrguiand press Enter. - In the Optimize Drives window, check the Media type column: "Hard disk drive" means HDD, "Solid state drive" means SSD.
Method 3. PowerShell (Windows)
Open PowerShell and run:
Get-PhysicalDisk | Select FriendlyName, MediaType, Size
The MediaType column shows HDD or SSD, along with the model of each drive.
Method 4. macOS
- Apple menu → About This Mac → More Info or System Report.
- The Storage section (or SATA/NVMe for detailed data).
- Medium Type: "SSD" or "Solid State" means SSD, "Rotational" means HDD.
Method 5. By drive model
The model name appears in any of the methods above or in CrystalDiskInfo. Search for it: the manufacturer's specs list the drive type and, for an HDD, the spindle speed. In CrystalDiskInfo, a filled-in Rotation Rate field with a number like 5400 or 7200 rpm means it is an HDD.
What next
If it turns out your system runs on an old HDD and the computer boots slowly, the most noticeable upgrade is moving the system to an SSD and keeping the HDD for data. How to split the roles is explained in HDD vs SSD.
If you need to replace an old hard drive that has become noisy or sluggish:
- for a desktop PC - a 3.5" HDD for PC;
- for a laptop - a 2.5" laptop HDD (check the height; 7 mm is the most common);
- for a budget revival of an old PC - 500 GB drives.
