How to Change Virtual Memory Size on Windows 11/10?

Virtual memory (or paging file) plays a vital role in Windows 11/10. This essential component remains hidden by default. It is designed to temporarily remove less frequently used modified files from RAM to the hard drive. The Windows operating system prioritizes faster physical memory for more systematic processes and applications, improving the overall performance and preventing the device from locking up if it runs out of system memory using this technology.

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If you notice slow performance over time, you can try to increase virtual memory and see if it helps. Although virtual memory is not always required to grow, improving the virtual memory may sometimes be necessary to increase your system performance, especially when you see a message, “Your system is low on virtual memory.”

Windows 11/10 allows you to increase the size of the virtual memory. If you are experiencing issues with virtual memory or trying to improve the system’s performance, you should increase the virtual memory. There are two ways to change or increase virtual memory: The Settings app and the Command Prompt.

How to Increase Virtual Memory on Windows 11 using the Settings app?

You need to follow the below-given steps to grow the virtual memory on Windows 11 using the Settings app:-

Step 1. Press Windows + I keys from the keyboard to open the Settings app.

Step 2. Click on the System category from the left sidebar of the Windows Settings.

Step 3. From the right-side pane of the System, click on the About.

Step 4. After that, click on the link labeled with Advanced system settings.

Step 5. Then, navigate to the Advanced tab when the System Properties pop-up window appears.

Step 6. Click on the System button under the Performance section.

Step 7. Next, switch to the Advanced tab.

Step 8. Under the “Virtual memory” section, click on the Change button.

Step 9. It would help if you unchecked Automatically manage the paging file size for all drives.

Step 10. After that, select the Custom size option.

Step 11. Here, you must enter the initial and maximum size for the paging file in megabytes (MB).

Step 12. Click on the Set button.

Step 13. After that, click on OK.

Step 14. Now click the OK button again.

Step 15. Finally, reboot your computer or laptop to apply the changes.

Windows OS will use the custom virtual memory (page file) that you have specified and should increase the overall performance.

It is recommended to use one and a half times the total available memory (RAM) for the “Initial size” and three times of available memory for the “Maximum size,” if possible. One should note that the virtual memory size is unique for each device.

How to Increase Virtual Memory using Settings on Windows 10?

Step 1. You need to open the Settings app.

Step 2. Click on the System under the Windows Settings application.

Step 3. Then, click on the About in the left sidebar.

Step 4. After that, click on the Advanced system settings from the right of About

Step 5. Next, you need to click on the Advanced tab from the System Properties pop-up window that appears.

Step 6. Check the Settings button from the Performance section.

Step 7. Then, navigate to the Advanced tab from the new pop-up window.

Step 8. After that, click on the Change button under the Virtual memory section.

Step 9. Next, from the new pop-up window, uncheck the option “Automatically manage paging file size for all drivers” and then click on the Custom size radio button.

Step 10. You need to enter the initial and maximum sizes in MB. Usually, it’s recommended to set one and half times the total available memory for the “Initial size” and three times of available memory for the “Maximum size” when possible.

Step 11. Now, click on the Set button.

Step 12. After that, click on the OK button.

Step 13. Finally, click the OK button again to complete the process.

How to Increase Virtual Memory on Windows 11/10 using Command Prompt?

You need to follow the below-given steps to increase virtual memory on Windows 11/10 using Command Prompt:-

Step 1. It would be best if you opened the Command Prompt with administrative privileges.

Step 2. Next, type the following command line in the elevated command prompt, and press Enter from the keyboard to view the current status of virtual memory:-

wmic pagefile list /format:list

Step 3. Now, type the following command line to switch from manage to custom virtual memory, and hit Enter from the keyboard.

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

Step 4. Lastly, type the following command to set the initial and maximum size of the virtual memory and press Enter from the keyboard:-

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

For example, to set the paging file to initial to “9216” and maximum size to “13364”, issue the following command:-

wmic pagefileset where name="C:\\pagefile.sys" set InitialSize=9216,MaximumSize=13364

Step 5. Next, you need to restart your computer to see the result.

Your PC will start using the new values for virtual memory and should help to improve system performance when the above steps will complete.

If you no longer need to use the custom size for virtual memory, you can always revert the changes on Windows 11/10. For that, you need to use the following command:-

wmic computersystem where name="%computername%" set AutomaticManagedPagefile=true

Then, press Enter from the keyboard and restart your PC.

Thanks for reading.