How To Find Out What's Taking Up Memory On Computer

Updated June 22, 2020

Optimizing Virtual Retention in Windows has always been an easy way to fine-tune the performance of a computer. When I started working with Windows computers in the 90s, the measurement of memory was Megabytes (MB), at present information technology's Gigabytes (GB). The adding contained in this article is for Windows computers that have viii GB or less of memory. If your system has 16 GB or more of memory, you tin give this Virtual Retentivity calculation a try, but you might discover that letting Windows automatically manage the paging file volition work. Requite it a try and let us know how y'all brand out in the comments below.

Your estimator has ii types of memory, Random Admission Memory (RAM) and Virtual Memory. All programs employ RAM, only when there isn't enough RAM for the application you're trying to run, Windows temporarily moves information that would usually be stored in RAM to a file on your hard disk called a Paging File. The data temporarily stored in the paging file is likewise referred to as virtual retention. Using virtual retentiveness, in other words, moving information to and from the paging file, frees upwards enough RAM for running programs correctly.

The more RAM your computer has, the faster your programs will generally run. If a lack of RAM is slowing your computer, yous might be tempted to increase virtual memory to compensate. However, your computer can read information from RAM much more quickly than from a hard deejay, so adding RAM is a amend solution.

If you receive error messages that warn of depression virtual memory, yous need to either add together more RAM or increase your paging file size and then that y'all can run the program on your computer. Windows usually manages this automatically, but you can manually change the virtual retentiveness size if the default size isn't large enough for your needs.

If you take more than one drive in your figurer, you can have more than 1 pagefile. If you take a Solid State Drive (SSD) and a Hard disk drive (HDD), I recommend placing the paging file on the HDD, as Windows is continuously reading and writing to the virtual retention. This wear and tear tin shorten the life span of an SSD.

How to calculate Windows 10 Virtual Memory / Paging File

There is a formula for calculating the correct pagefile size. The Initial size is one and a half (1.5) x the amount of full organization retentivity. The Maximum size is three (3) x the initial size. So permit's say you have 4 GB (1 GB = i,024 MB x four = four,096 MB) of memory. The initial size would exist 1.5 x 4,096 = six,144 MB and the maximum size would be iii x 6,144 = xviii,432 MB.

How to change Windows 10 Virtual Memory / Paging File

All the information and links you volition demand are going to exist on the System page.

Bring up the System page by either:
Brand a note of the installed memory (RAM)
Click on the Avant-garde arrangement settings link
Click on the Advanced tab of the Arrangement Backdrop dialog box
Click on the Settings ... push in the Performance section
Click on the Advanced tab of the Functioning Options dialog box
Click on the Change ... button inside of the Virtual memory department
Deselect the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives checkbox
Select Custom size and enter the initial size and maximum size using the calculation shown above
Click on the Set button