Windows 10 works on many different layers at once, making it fairly complex. It is also very efficient and smart, designed to be helpful and easier to use for everybody. One such example is the page file in Windows 10, which is designed to take the load off of your hardware in required times.
What Is The Windows 10 Page File?
There is a possibility that you must have heard of a virtual RAM if you have been on the internet long enough. The basic idea behind this is that the hard drive can be used as extra RAM if the memory stick installed on your computer is of lower capacity.
The page file in Windows 10 is a really efficient maneuver deployed by Microsoft, primarily to prevent system crashes due to low available system resources. When the amount of physical RAM installed on your computer comes up short for the task that you are performing, the page file is used to handle some extra data.
The pagefile.sys file is created in such situations. The extra data that the physical memory is not able to handle is written to this file, from where your system will perform normally without crashing.
How To Manage Pagefile In Windows 10?
The Windows 10 paging file manages itself automatically and is hidden by default. This is done to prevent users from tampering with the page file and corrupting an important feature in the operating system. Most users don’t even know that such a feature exists, and the location of the page file in Windows 10.
Here, I shall discuss how you can manage the Windows 10 page file easily.
Caution: Remember to take a backup of your PC and other important data before making any changes to your PC. You can also create a system restore point for extra safety.
How To Change Pagefile Size In Windows 10?
If you have virtual memory at your disposal, you may want to increase the size of the page file, to attempt running processes that require higher system performance. While the virtual memory is not highly efficient, it may end up saving your PC from crashing if you are not sure that the physical memory can handle the process weight.
Simply follow these steps to change the pagefile size:
- Open the control panel on your computer. You can do so from the start menu, or from a Run dialog.
- Change the View by to Small icons if not done previously.
- Click on System from the list of options.
- From the additional menu on the left, click on Advanced System Settings.
This will open a System Properties dialog box. - Under the Performance subsection, click on the Settings… button.
This will open a Performance Options dialog.
- Under the Advanced tab, click on the Change… button that is situated under the Virtual memory subsection.
This will open the Virtual memory dialog box. - Here, uncheck the box that is associated with the following option:
Automatically manage paging file size for all drives - Select the paging drive from the list and click on the radio button associated with Custom size.
- Enter the initial and the maximum size according to your preferences.
- Click on Apply followed by OK and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
How To Change Pagefile Location In Windows 10?
The pagefile.sys file is stored in your operating system volume by default. If you are running out of space on your system drive, you can change the location of the page file in Windows 10, using the simple steps below:
- Open the Virtual memory dialog as shown in the steps above, and follow till step 7.
- Select the drive on which the operating system is installed. You will see that the Paging File Size is set to System managed.
- Once selected, click on the radio button next to No paging file, and click on Set.
- Next, select the drive on which you want to store the page file. This can be an external drive as well.
- Once selected, click on the radio button next to System managed size and click on Set.
- This should show a prompt that asks you to restart your computer. Perform the restart.
Following this, you will have successfully changed the location of the page file in Windows 10.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know how to manage the page file in Windows 10 using the methods provided above. Comment below if you found this useful, and to discuss further the same.