{"id":50072,"date":"2023-05-02T08:06:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T15:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/\/?p=50072"},"modified":"2026-03-19T07:24:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T14:24:27","slug":"what-causes-hard-drive-clicking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/en-au\/blog\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\/","title":{"rendered":"What Causes Hard Drive Clicking?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_raw_code wpb_raw_js\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<script src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/embed\/medias\/fwewcgvjba.jsonp\" async><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/assets\/external\/E-v1.js\" async><\/script><div class=\"wistia_responsive_padding\" style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><div class=\"wistia_responsive_wrapper\" style=\"height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;top:0;width:100%;\"><div class=\"wistia_embed wistia_async_fwewcgvjba seo=false videoFoam=true\" style=\"height:100%;position:relative;width:100%\"><div class=\"wistia_swatch\" style=\"height:100%;left:0;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0;transition:opacity 200ms;width:100%;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/embed\/medias\/fwewcgvjba\/swatch\" style=\"filter:blur(5px);height:100%;object-fit:contain;width:100%;\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" onload=\"this.parentNode.style.opacity=1;\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"translation-block\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Click. Bang. Ping. Tick. No matter how you describe the sound your hard drive is making, the reality is the same. There\u2019s a strange noise, and you\u2019re worried. As long as there have been hard drives, they\u2019ve been making weird noises. Sometimes, these <\/span><b>hard drive noises <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are relatively benign. So hopefully, what you\u2019re experiencing turns out to be the drive\u2019s fan or another part of your computer that isn\u2019t significant.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But unfortunately, there are cases when that <\/span><b>hard drive clicking <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a sign of a serious hard drive issue and an imminent crash.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re in this situation, you want to know what that hard drive clicking sound is and what it means as soon as possible. Should you be worried? Or can you safely ignore the noise? Here are a few of the possible issues your hard drive may be having.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-vc-full-width-row wpex-vc-full-width-row--no-padding wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_dashed vc_sep_border_width_4 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_separator_no_text vc_sep_color_white wpb_content_element  wpb_content_element\" ><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why is My Hard Drive Clicking?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In newer model hard drives, the cause can be either software or hardware. In older models, the issue is almost always in the hardware. Either way, you should definitely try to determine why the hard drive is clicking, before you lose any data.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Most Common Cause of Hard Drive Clicking<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every hard drive has a read-write actuator to input and interpret data from the disc. The actuator scans over the hard drive\u2019s platters either reading or writing that data. When the actuator is in use, the motion to read and write data from the disc should be fluid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When this movement isn\u2019t so smooth, the actuator tries repeatedly to reset itself. This is what results in the familiar <\/span><b>hard drive clicking sound<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. And, in most cases, this is what\u2019s causing your <\/span><b>hard drive noise<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what\u2019s at the root of the problem? What\u2019s causing the actuator arm to move this way?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-4\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h3>Physical Damage<\/h3>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">This is probably the most obvious cause of hard drive damage, so it deserves to be mentioned.&nbsp;<b>Hard drive clicking<\/b> can start after the drive has been dropped, moistened, exposed to fire, subjected to high magnetic fields, and more.<\/p>\n<p>These scenarios are a sure sign your hard drive is in need of professional assistance!<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-4\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h3>Wear and Tear<\/h3>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">No piece of equipment is perfect, and hard drives are complex pieces of machinery with many opportunities for failure. Even brand new hard drives can have issues. But over time, the actuator arm can become worn out and begin to malfunction, resulting in a&nbsp;<b>hard drive clicking sound<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-4\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h3>Damaged Platters<\/h3>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">If a platter is damaged, the actuator arm simply cannot function properly. The arm continues to seek out a platter but with no success. This constant swinging back and forth to find an intact platter can cause a rhythmic ticking sound. The repetition of this&nbsp;<b>hard drive noise&nbsp;<\/b>is very frustrating.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-vc-full-width-row wpex-vc-full-width-row--no-padding wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_dashed vc_sep_border_width_4 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_separator_no_text vc_sep_color_white wpb_content_element  wpb_content_element\" ><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Else Causes Hard Drive Clicking Sounds?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h3>Poor Power<\/h3>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">In some cases, an insufficient amount of power from a defective power supply unit can cause&nbsp;<b>hard drive clicking sounds<\/b>. This one may be easy to troubleshoot if you have an alternate power supply you can test.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h3>Misaligned Read\/Write Heads<\/h3>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">If the hard drive is dropped or not handled with care, the heads or spindle arms can get out of alignment. When they do, their malfunction often results in an audible&nbsp;<b>hard drive clicking sound<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h3>A Malfunctioning Printed Circuit Board<\/h3>\n<p>The printed circuit board in your hard drive connects electronic components. Sometimes, that board or the head stack assembly is damaged by a power surge or surges. When either of these are damaged, the hard drive cannot function properly, and the result is a hard drive noise that sounds like a click or tick.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h3>Service Area Issues<\/h3>\n<p class=\"translation-block\">The service area is a part of the hard drive where manufacturer-specific data is stored. This information is critical for HDD operation, and it can be damaged by module reading errors or bad sectors. If the service area is damaged, its information is no longer available to the drive. The actuator arm, seeking out service area information, swings back and forth in an effort to find the data. When this happens, once again, the&nbsp;<b>hard drive clicks<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-vc-full-width-row wpex-vc-full-width-row--no-padding wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_dashed vc_sep_border_width_4 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_separator_no_text vc_sep_color_white wpb_content_element  wpb_content_element\" ><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Can You Do if Your Hard Drive is Clicking?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"translation-block\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The short answer is nothing. If your <\/span><b>hard drive is clicking <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or making a noise of any kind, and you are without a backup, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact DriveSavers<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> right away.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They have the know-how, tools, and technical expertise to diagnose your <\/span><b>hard drive noise <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and rescue your data. Unfortunately, the damage has probably been done to the clicking hard drive, and you\u2019ll need to replace that one. But the most important thing in these circumstances is recovering your data.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"translation-block\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you choose not to use a hard drive recovery specialist and attempt to repair <\/span><b>hard drive clicking <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on your own, there\u2019s a very real possibility you\u2019ll lose your data forever!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t take the risk. The best chance of saving your data is to <a href=\"https:\/\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/en-au\/contact\/\">call a data recovery specialist today<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid wpex-vc-full-width-row wpex-vc-full-width-row--no-padding wpex-relative\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_dashed vc_sep_border_width_4 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_separator_no_text vc_sep_color_white wpb_content_element  wpb_content_element\" ><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Click. Bang. Ping. Tick. No matter how you describe the sound your hard drive is making, the reality is the same. There\u2019s a strange noise, and you\u2019re worried. As long as there have been hard drives, they\u2019ve been making weird noises. Sometimes, these hard drive noises are relatively benign. So hopefully, what you\u2019re experiencing turns&hellip;","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":64222,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[264],"tags":[59],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-50072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-data-recovery","post_format-post-format-video","entry","has-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Causes Hard Drive Clicking?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you hear a click coming from your hard drive? There are a few causes of hard drive clicking. Here\u2019s what you should do if you have a clicking hard drive.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/en-au\/blog\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Causes Hard Drive Clicking?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/en-au\/blog\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"DriveSavers Data Recovery Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DriveSavers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-02T15:06:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-19T14:24:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/What_Causes_Clicking.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"627\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mike Cobb\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drivesavers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@drivesavers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mike Cobb\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"TechArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/blog\\\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/blog\\\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mike Cobb\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71a038c3b180b1f2df821d2b015b8ee6\"},\"headline\":\"What Causes Hard Drive Clicking?\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-02T15:06:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-19T14:24:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/blog\\\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1244,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/blog\\\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/09\\\/What_Causes_Clicking.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"data recovery\"],\"articleSection\":[\"DriveSavers Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/blog\\\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/blog\\\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\\\/\",\"name\":\"What Causes Hard Drive Clicking?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/blog\\\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/blog\\\/what-causes-hard-drive-clicking\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/09\\\/What_Causes_Clicking.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-02T15:06:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-19T14:24:27+00:00\",\"description\":\"Do you hear a click coming from your hard drive? There are a few causes of hard drive clicking. 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