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Windows can show an NVMe SSD’s estimated remaining life in its disk properties. Open Start > Settings > System > Storage > Manage disks and volumes, select the NVMe drive, then choose Properties. The figure is an estimate of drive wear—not a failure countdown or a measure of how much file space remains.
Find the NVMe health details in Windows
- Open Start > Settings.
- Go to System > Storage.
- Select Manage disks and volumes.
- Choose the NVMe disk, then open Properties.
- Review the health details and any warning shown. Windows may also display a notification if it detects a critical storage warning.
Microsoft documents this health monitoring for NVM SSDs. The same Windows view does not monitor these attributes for SATA SSDs or hard disk drives, so a missing wear figure on one of those drive types is not evidence of a problem—or proof that it is healthy. Labels can vary by Windows release; Microsoft’s documented route is Settings > System > Storage > Manage disks and volumes.
What “estimated remaining life” means
The NVMe health log includes a Percentage Used field. Microsoft defines it as “a vendor specific estimate of the percentage of NVM subsystem life used, based on the actual usage and the manufacturer’s prediction of NVM life.” Windows uses the drive’s estimate of percentage used and the manufacturer’s life prediction to present estimated remaining life. See Microsoft’s NVME_HEALTH_INFO_LOG field definition.
- It is not remaining storage capacity. The number concerns estimated subsystem life used, not the proportion of space available for files.
- It is not a precise failure date. It depends on the manufacturer’s prediction and the drive’s reported usage; it cannot tell you exactly when a drive will stop working.
- Interpret it alongside warnings and symptoms. A wear estimate is different from a critical reliability warning. Microsoft says a critical warning can reflect significant media-related errors or an internal NVM subsystem error.
Check for other reported counters with PowerShell
PowerShell can expose additional reliability counters when the drive and its storage provider make them available. Open PowerShell and run:
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Get-PhysicalDisk | Get-StorageReliabilityCounter | Format-ListMicrosoft says Get-StorageReliabilityCounter can return information such as temperature, errors, wear, and time in use. The returned fields vary: a missing counter means it was not available through this device and provider path, not that the drive has passed a health test. Get-PhysicalDisk lists physical disks visible through available Storage Management Providers, and a provider is required. See Microsoft’s documentation for Get-StorageReliabilityCounter and Get-PhysicalDisk.
What to do if Windows shows a critical warning
- Back up important files promptly. Treat a critical warning as a reason to protect your data, not as a routine wear reading.
- Open the disk’s Properties using the Settings path above and review the reported details.
- Contact Microsoft support if you have additional concerns, as Microsoft advises for critical storage warnings.
- Consider replacement only when the evidence supports it. Do not replace a drive solely because of its wear percentage. If a warning or other signs indicate a drive problem, verify the replacement’s capacity, physical format, interface, and system compatibility before buying. Software cannot reverse physical flash wear.
Microsoft’s guidance on warning meanings and backups is in What to do about a critical warning for a storage device.
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When a drive-maker utility may help
If you want a manufacturer-specific reading, check the SSD maker’s support pages or utility. For example, Kingston’s SSD Manager user guide describes an SSD Wear Indicator gauge showing remaining write endurance as a percentage for a selected Kingston SSD. That is a Kingston-specific feature and should not be assumed to apply to other brands; consult the Kingston SSD Manager User Guide.
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