How to Run DISM and SFC on Windows 11 to Repair System Files and Fix Component Corruption

✅ These Windows command-line tools repair Windows 11 system files and fix component corruption. Always run DISM first, then SFC.

Step 1 — Open Command Prompt as Administrator

1. Click Start.

2. Type cmd or Command Prompt.

3. Right-click Command Prompt → choose Run as administrator.

4. If asked by UAC, click Yes.

You should now see a black window titled Administrator: Command Prompt.

Step 2 — Run DISM RestoreHealth

Copy and paste the following command and press Enter:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
 

What to expect

• This can take 10–30 minutes.

• It may pause at 20%, 40%, or 62% – this is normal.

• When finished, you should see:
  “The restore operation completed successfully.”

If DISM finds corruption but cannot repair it, you may need to run the command again after a restart.

Step 3 — Run System File Checker (SFC)

After DISM finishes, in the same Administrator Command Prompt, run:
 

sfc /scannow
 

What to expect

• Takes 5–15 minutes.

• It will verify system files and automatically repair any it can.

Common results:

• “Windows Resource Protection found no integrity violations.”
  → Everything is fine.

• “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.”
  → Repairs done.  Recommend running it again until it reports no integrity violations

• “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.”
  → Requires running SFC again, possibly more than once, until it reports no integrity violations.