How to change virtual memory size on Windows 10

Source: Windows Central

On Windows 10, virtual memory (or paging file) is an essential component (hidden file) designed to remove and temporarily store less frequently use modified pages allocated in RAM (random-access memory) to the hard drive. Using this approach allows the system to prioritize faster physical memory for more frequent processes and applications, improving the overall performance and preventing the device from locking up in the event it runs out of system memory.

In addition, the paging file is important to support crash dumps during a system crash (Blue Screen of Death), as without a large enough page file, a dump with all the contents of the system memory won’t be created.

Although the system does a pretty good job managing the paging file size according to various factors automatically, sometimes, you may still need to increase the default virtual memory values manually. For instance, when you see the «Your system is low on virtual memory» message. You’re noticing slow performance over time, or a particular application requires specific parameters to work as intended.

If you’re experiencing issues with virtual memory, the device doesn’t have enough memory, or you’re trying to improve the system performance, Windows 10 allows you to increase the size of the virtual memory in at least two ways using the Settings app and Command Prompt.

In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to increase the size of the virtual memory to improve the system responsiveness.

How to increase virtual memory using Settings

To adjust the virtual memory size on Windows 10, use these steps:

Warning: Although anyone can change the paging file size, it’s only recommended to use these instructions if you have a valid reason, and you know what you’re doing.

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click on About.

Under the «Related settings» section, click the System info option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the «Advanced system settings» option from the left pane.

Source: Windows Central

Under the «Performance» section, click the Settings button.

Source: Windows Central

Under the «Virtual memory» section, click the Change button.

Source: Windows Central

Specify the initial and maximum size for the paging file in megabytes.

Source: Windows Central

Quick tip: The size of the virtual memory is unique to each device, and it can’t be generalized. However, usually, it’s recommended to use a number that’s one and a half times the total available memory for the «Initial size» and three times of available memory for the «Maximum size» when possible.

Click the Set button.

Click the OK button.

Click the OK button again.

Restart your device.

Once you complete the steps, you should notice an increase in performance when navigating Windows 10 as well as when running multiple apps at the same time.

If you need to revert the changes, you can use the same instructions, but on step No. 10, make sure to check the Automatically manage paging size for all drives option, and restart your device.

How to increase virtual memory using Command Prompt

To modify the paging file size with Command Prompt, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to understand the current status of the paging file and press Enter:

wmic pagefile list /format:list

Source: Windows Central

Type the following command to switch form manage to custom virtual memory and press Enter:

wmic computersystem where name=»%computername%» set AutomaticManagedPagefile=false

Source: Windows Central

Type the following command to set the initial and maximum size of the virtual memory and press Enter:

wmic pagefileset where name=»C:\\pagefile.sys» set InitialSize=YOUR-INIT-SIZE,MaximumSize=YOUR-MAX-SIZE

This example sets the paging file to «9216» and «12288» megabytes for the initial and maxium size:

wmic pagefileset where name=»C:\\pagefile.sys» set InitialSize=9216,MaximumSize=12288

Source: Windows Central

Type the following command to restart your computer and press Enter:

shutdown -r -t 00

After you complete the steps, the device will start using the new values for virtual memory, which, if done correctly, should help to improve system performance.

If you no longer need to use the custom size for virtual memory, you can always revert the changes and allow Windows 10 to manage this feature using this command: wmic computersystem where name=»%computername%» set AutomaticManagedPagefile=true and restarting your device.

While it’s recommended to use one and a half times the available memory for the initial and three times the memory for the maximum size, make sure to test the changes and adjust the values if you’re experiencing freezes, crashes, and other problems.

Although it’s possible to disable virtual memory on Windows 10, even when you have a large amount of system memory, it’s not recommended to disable this feature. Usually, if you disable paging file, some applications may stop working, some system features may not work efficiently, and you may end up with some weird behaviors.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

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Increasing Virtual XP ‘s RAM memory in Windows 7

Take a look at the steps below to increase the size of the Virtual Memory.

If your computer lacks the random access memory (RAM) needed to run a program or operation, Windows uses virtual memory to compensate.

Virtual memory combines your computer’s RAM with temporary space on your hard disk. When RAM runs low, virtual memory moves data from RAM to a space called a paging file. Moving data to and from the paging file frees up RAM to complete its work.

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

Refer the following link to know about “Virtual Memory”.

What is virtual memory?

Method 1: Here are the steps to be followed to change the size of the Virtual Memory:

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.

1. Open System in Control Panel.

2. On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.

3. On the Advanced tab, under Virtual memory, click Change.

4. Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file you want to change.

5. Under Paging file size for selected drive, click Custom size, and type a new paging file size in megabytes in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set.

If you decrease the size of either the initial or maximum page file settings, you must restart your computer to see the effects of those changes. Increases typically do not require a restart.

Refer the following link for more information:

Increasing virtual memory windows

Like all applications, UltraCompare uses your system’s memory for faster access to data that needs to be accessible while you use the application. But what happens when UltraCompare uses its entire allotment of system memory? That’s where virtual memory comes into play.

What is virtual memory, and why is it important?

Virtual memory is basically space on your hard drive that is allocated by your operating system to be used as a supplemental reserve of memory when your an application’s RAM limit has been maxed out by that application.

For instance, if you compare two 50 MB files in UltraCompare, obviously this is a very memory-intensive process. Like most PC users, you’re ALSO concurrently running UltraEdit, a web browser, an email client, anti-virus, and other utilities. and the memory-intensive large file compare coupled with the RAM usage by these other utilities may exceed your system’s available RAM.

In this case, Windows will typically move some of the information stored in RAM over to your hard disk, where there is plenty of free space.

Once a certain internal threshold is reached, your operating system may direct any further memory usage of UltraCompare over to virtual memory so other applications running on your system are not affected by the large amount of memory required for the compare.

If your virtual memory setting is too low and all virtual memory is in use, you may see a warning from Windows like the one to the right.

In such cases, it may be helpful to increase the size of virtual memory on your hard disk. We’ll walk through the steps for doing this below.

The first step to increasing your virtual memory is locating your system settings area. You can do this very easily by going to Start -> Run, typing sysdm.cpl and then pressing Enter.

Windows XP users should click the Advanced tab. Vista users should click on the Advanced System Settings link on the left, and then click the Advanced tab.

Next, under «Performance» click the Settings button. Finally, click the Advanced tab.

You’ll now see the «Virtual Memory» section at the bottom of this dialog. You should see a value following «Total paging file size for all drives» — this is the size in MB of your system’s virtual memory.

To increase your virtual memory, click the Change button.

In the ensuing dialog are some options for changing your system’s virtual memory. You’ll want to make sure «Custom size» is selected — you can then set the initial (base) size of disk space that Windows will then set aside to be used solely for the purpose of virtual memory. You can change this to match the maximum size, or you can increase both beyond the maximum size.

Microsoft recommends that you set virtual memory to be no less than 1.5 times and no more than 3 times the amount of RAM on your computer. For power PC owners (like most UE/UC users), you likely have at least 2GB of RAM so your virtual memory can be set up to 6,144 MB (6 GB).

How to Increase Virtual Memory in Windows 10: A Quick Guide

What is Virtual Memory?

In computing, virtual memory is a memory management technique that provides an «idealized abstraction of the storage resources that are actually available on a given machine» which «creates the illusion to users of a very large memory.» The computer’s operating system, using a combination of hardware and software, maps memory addresses used by a program, called virtual addresses, into physical addresses in computer memory.

Step 1: Go to Start Menu and click on Settings.

Step 2: Now type performance on search bar and select Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.

Step 3: A new Window will open before you. Go to Advanced tab in it.

Step 4: You’ll see a Virtual memory section in it. Click on Change

Step 5: If the current setting is considerably less than the recommended, unselect the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives box on this window and click on Custom size.

Step 6: Now enter the recommended value in the Initial Size box, and a larger figure in the Maximum size

Step 7: Click on OK to save the changes.