How to Disable the File Access Timestamp in Windows

Every time you or an application accesses a file on your computer, the file system records the access date and time and stores the timestamp in two locations. Simply accessing a file requires the system to write to the master file table (MFT) and the directory in which the file is located, which results in two writes for every file read.

All these file reads add up to extra timestamp writes, resulting in slower performance.

Disabling the file access timestamp is a great way to speed up Windows Explorer, but it is not without side effects. Often, backup applications utilize the file access timestamp to determine which files to back up when performing a sequential backup operation (a backup operation that copies only the files that have newer timestamps since the last backup date).


The process for disabling the file access timestamp is very easy just follow these steps:

1. Open the Command Prompt by clicking Start Menu --> All Programs --> Accessories, right-click on Command Prompt, and open it as an administrator. In Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 10 type cmd.exe into Start Screen or Start Menu, right-click on Cmd.exe, and open it as an administrator.

2. Execute following command:

Code:

fsutil behavior set disablelastaccess 1


How to Disable the File Access Timestamp in Windows GXIEfmU

3. Close Command Prompt and restart your computer for the change to take effect.


If you run into any problems with this change to your backup application or any other applications, you can easily undo the tweak. Just type fsutil behavior set disablelastaccess 0 at the Command Prompt instead.


Below tutorial is designed to help you transform your slow PC into a faster PC.

Tweaking & Optimizing Window Operating System