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Bit rot

(also data degradation, data decay, data rot)

Bit rot definition

Bit rot refers to the phenomenon where digital information (software, files, or data) degrades over time.

See also: network degradation

Why bit rot occurs

  • Physical degradation. All storage media, whether magnetic (hard drives) or solid-state (SSDs, flash drives), have a finite lifespan.
  • Software decay. Older software might not run correctly on newer systems. If not properly maintained or updated, the software becomes unusable, even if the data hasn't been altered.
  • Data format obsolescence. Older data formats become unreadable when new software no longer supports them.

Examples of bit rot

  • Digital photos. You open an old digital photo with strange colors, streaks, or pixelated sections.
  • Music and video files. An audio track plays with hiccups or a video freezes at certain parts and displays visual artifacts.
  • Archived software. You try to open an old program on a new computer, but it crashes or doesn't run correctly.
  • Document files. An old document doesn’t open in a modern word processor.
  • Video games. A game crashes because of corrupted saved game files.
  • Hard drives and SSDs. Over long periods without use, sectors on a disk become readable, and data gets corrupted.
  • Optical media. CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays degrade over time, especially in poor conditions.