When some users tried to recover data from a crashed drive using the CHKDSK command, the command failed on them. The repair hangs and says ChkDsk is verifying USN journal. In this post, we will talk about this issue and see what you can do to resolve it.

CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal…

The Update Sequence Number (USN) Journal maintains a record of changes made to the NTFS volume.

Fix CHKDSK is stuck on Verifying USN Journal

If Chkdsk is stuck on Verifying USN Journal while checking your disk for errors in Windows 11/10, follow the solutions mentioned below to resolve the issue.

1. Execute CKDSK in the Windows Recovery Environment
2. Recreate the USN Journal file
3. Repair System Files
4. Detach and attach the drive
5. Clone failing drive

Let us talk about them in detail.

1] Execute CHKDSK in the Windows Recovery Environment

WinRE or Windows Recovery Environment is a separate OS installed alongside your actual one that’s the primary build for troubleshooting issues. So, we will run the Check Disk command in WinRE and see if that works. So, first of all, we need to boot into WinRE using the following steps.

1. Turn off your computer and then press the Power button to turn on the device, then immediately hold it down until the device turns off. Repeat this process three times.
2. When you turn on your device the fourth time, your system will start in the Automatic Repair mode.
3. You then have to go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options.
4. Finally, click on Command Prompt.

You can now execute the Check Disk command to resolve the issue.

2] Recreate the USN Journal file

The USN change journal logs all file changes on a particular volume. If the USN Journal file is corrupted, CHDSK will fail to run on your device. In that case, we can recreate the file to resolve the issue. To do the same, open Command Prompt as an administrator and then run the command mentioned below.

To delete the USN Journal

fsutil usn deletejournal /d c:

To create the USN Journal

fsutil usn createjournal m=1000 a=100 c:

Note: Replace c with the letter of the driver you encountered the error for.

Once done, reboot your computer and then run the Check Disk command.

3] Repair System Files

Since we are unable to run the Check Disk command, our system files are likely corrupted, that is causing this conundrum. There are various things one can do to resolve corrupted system files.

Run the Disk Cleanup utility to clear your junk files.

Next, open Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following commands.

Run SFC:

sfc /scannow

Run DISM:

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealt

Either one of the commands will scan and repair the issue for you. If neither of the commands resolves the issue, you need to repair your computer using the Installation Media. It will scan the system image; if any of its components are missing or corrupted, they will be installed or repaired.

4] Detach and attach the drive

If possible, you need to detach and attach the drive that you are trying to recover. Sometimes, the drive fails due to a glitch that can be resolved by unplugging it and plugging it back again.

Read: CHKDSK Cannot open volume for direct access

5] Clone failing drive

If you are unable to resolve the issue using the solution mentioned earlier, your drive is probably failing. So, it is essential to recover your data before things exacerbate. You need to stop scanning the disk using the Check Disk command; instead, you need to clone the drive using this guide. In case you are still unable to recover your data, do consult a recovery company to make sure that your data isn’t lost.

Hopefully, you can resolve the issue using the solutions mentioned in this post.

Read: CHKDSK alternative disk error checking software: Repair bad sectors

Is it normal for CHKDSK to get stuck?

Yes, CHKDSK has the tendency to get stuck from time to time. That is why, one has to give it an ample amount of time to run and complete the job. In case, it is still stuck even after waiting for some time, you need to check our guide to know what to do when CHKDSK is stuck at some stage.

Read: ChkDsk runs automatically at every startup in Windows

Is it safe to stop CHKDSK at stage 5?

Yes, you stop CHKDSK at stage 5 if the situation demands, however, we won’t recommend doing the same as prematurely ending the job can potentially corrupt some of your disk files. But if you have to, use the commands, Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Break, to stop the CHKDSK prematurely.

Also Read: Unable to determine volume version and state CHKDSK aborted.