If you regularly encounter problems with the virtual memory in Windows 11, it is advisable to adjust the virtual memory.
For example, you may receive a message that Windows 11 is running low on virtual memory. This message arises from the fact that Windows 11 itself manages the virtual memory. To make this message disappear, you can, among other things, increase the virtual memory.
Virtual memory is better known as the “paging file” or “page file”. It is a way for the computer to store pages that cannot be placed in RAM Hard Drive or SSD.
It is always faster to “pages” through it RAM memory via the virtual memory, the (“paging file”). So if you regularly use the get a message that Windows 11 is low in virtual memory then it is best to add RAM to your computer. As a workaround, you can increase the virtual memory.
Keep in mind that increasing the virtual memory can also slow down the computer. If the data does not fit in RAM, it is moved to the hard drive. Writing and reading data from the hard drive is always slower than from RAM.
It is not recommended to adjust the virtual memory if you do not know what you are getting into. In that case, I would let Windows 11 manage the virtual memory itself, as it is set by default.
If you know what you are going to do, you can adjust the virtual memory as follows.
Adjust or increase virtual memory in Windows 11
Right-click on the Start button. Click on Settings in the menu. Then click on System on the left and on Info at the bottom.
In the related links, click the “Advanced system settings” link.
Click on the “Advanced” tab and then on “Settings” in the performance settings.
To open the virtual memory settings, click on the “Advanced” tab and then click on the “Change” button in the “Virtual Memory” settings.
To adjust the virtual memory (“paging file”) or (“swap file”) yourself, first disable the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” option.
Then click on the “Custom Size” option. You can now enter the initial size in MB and the maximum size in MB for the virtual memory.
By default, virtual memory in Windows 11 is managed by the operating system itself.
You can also choose to have the virtual memory managed by the system or not to set up a paging file. By the way, I don't recommend disabling the paging file.
I hope this has helped you adjust virtual memory in Windows 11. Thanks for reading!
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Thanks again for the various good tips…!!