How to find virtual memory on Windows 8.1. How to configure the swap file? What to do if you don't have enough RAM

I think everyone is familiar with the concept of random access memory (RAM) - a volatile part of the computer memory system in which input, output and intermediate data of the processor program are temporarily stored. Its advantage over other types of memory is that it works very quickly with data. In order to increase RAM, you need to buy an additional memory stick for your computer/laptop and thereby increase it. If the data does not have enough space in RAM, they can be moved to the swap file. Swap file is a file on a disk or disks (pagefile.sys is a hidden file in the root of the disk) that is used by Windows to store certain data that no longer fits in the RAM of the computer/laptop. Thus, the paging file helps to increase the performance of the computer/laptop. By default, the paging file is located on the system drive (drive C) and is equal to the amount of installed RAM, but these parameters can be easily changed if necessary, which will be discussed in this article.

How to change the page file in Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1.

In order to change the paging file in Windows7, Windwos 8, Windows 8.1, you need to go to “Start” – “Control Panel” – “System” or click on the "Computer" shortcut right-click and select "Properties".

In the System Properties window that opens, go to the "Advanced" tab and in the Performance field, click the "Options" button.

In the Performance Options window, select the "Advanced" tab. In the virtual memory field you can see how much virtual memory is currently being used. Windows sets the paging file size equal to the amount of installed RAM: if your computer's RAM is 4GB, the system will automatically set the current paging file size to 4GB. To change this value, select "Change".

After this, you will be able to set the size of the paging file. To do this, select a disk (you can create as many paging files as there are disks on your computer/laptop), select “Specify size” below and write the paging file size range.

You ask- what size of the paging file should I specify?! - It depends on the size of RAM, the less RAM, the larger the page file should be. Below are approximate data based on my experience.

1024 Mb of RAM – optimal paging file size is 2048 Mb
2048 Mb of RAM – optimal paging file size is 1024 Mb
4024 Mb of RAM – optimal paging file size is 512 Mb

8048 MB of RAM or more - you can disable the page file.

In general, disabling the paging file is not always correct, since you need to understand how much maximum RAM you are using, i.e. if your RAM is not 100% loaded, then you can safely disable the page file, if not, then add a page file. You can monitor the RAM load using the utility

Dear Alexey.

To change the paging file size in the operating room Windows system 8 you need to perform a number of simple steps, namely:

1. Right-click on the icon My computer on the desktop and in the context menu select Properties.

2. In the computer properties menu, click on the link Advanced System Settings, go to the tab Additionally and in the section Performance click Options, as in the illustration below.

3. In the options, go to the tab Additionally click Change, being in the subsection Virtual memory, as in the example shown in the image below.

4. To make changes to the paging file, uncheck the Automatically select paging file size, check the box next to the item Specify size, fill in the fields Original size (MB) And Maximum size (MB), accordingly, click on the button Set, as in the illustration below. Click OK. The paging file size has been changed.

Remember that the size of the paging file should be calculated based on the amount of RAM installed in your computer. The larger the computer's RAM, the correspondingly smaller the paging file should be. For example, if your computer has four gigabytes of RAM, the page file should be no more than 768 megabytes. Personally, my laptop has eight gigabytes of RAM, thanks to which I generally work without a page file.

Good day, dear friends, acquaintances and other personalities. Today we will talk again about what is swap file what kind of correct sizes and why.

In the first part of this series, I wrote about what a paging file is, how to create it, what size it should be and where it should be located (i.e. that article contains a block of information necessary to read this one).

Somehow it happened that the second part of the article will also touch on the paging file, namely a number of subtleties on its configuration, the size of the paging file for various volumes memory and all that stuff.

Paging file and size - theory

It was experimentally possible to prove that large paging file sizes are not good, or rather, often even bad. With large file sizes and busy RAM, the system increasingly accesses the paging file (i.e., the hard drive), and not the RAM itself, which, firstly, reduces performance (RAM is still faster than the disk).

Secondly, this heavily loads the disk (which also affects performance because the disk is also engaged in other operations with files, and here it also has to tinker with the paging file).

What is enough?

This is when, when performing any tasks you need, there is always free RAM above 30% and the system does not complain that it does not have enough virtual memory;
In general, for example, I rarely noticed that 4 GB of RAM (even with a system heavily loaded with processes and games) had little free RAM left, just as with a bunch of running applications in Windows there were some problems on 8 GB. So why load the disk by accessing the paging file and lose performance?

Many, of course, will say that it’s a no-brainer to install so much memory and leave it free... I don’t know, if performance is more important to you, then the extra 100 rubles should not bother you, since the price of RAM is now simply ridiculous (at at the time of writing, 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 cost less than 1300 rubles), especially since the performance gain is obvious. Anyway, to the point.

Paging file and sizes, practice: which are correct and why

In the course of a year's practice, I derived a series of numbers for each amount of memory so that I could adequately set the paging file, based on the amount of RAM. Here they are.

512 Mb 5012-5012 Mb;
1024 Mb RAM, - the optimal size of the paging file from 4012-4012 Mb;
2048 Mb RAM, - the optimal size of the paging file from 3548-3548 Mb;
4096 Mb RAM, - the optimal size of the paging file from 3024-3024 Mb;
8 GB RAM, - the optimal size of the paging file from 2016-2016 Mb;
16 GB RAM (and more) - most often, without a swap file.

In fact, the more RAM you have, the less you need a paging file and the faster the system will work without it at all (by reducing access to the disk, as well as unloading data there, i.e. everything will be taken directly from memory ).

Note 1. These dimensions are not extremely accurate and are not recommended for everyone. Rather, this is some kind of average value for the majority, but it all depends on how optimized your system is, what you do on the computer, in what mode, etc., etc., i.e. you can select the paging file specifically for yourself based on your needs and increase/ reduce the value if necessary.
Note 2. Some applications (games, software, etc) require a swap file, regardless of the amount of memory. In this case, the file should be left even at 16 GB. Even more (by orders of magnitude) than the values mentioned above.
Note 3. The paging file is needed in larger sizes (different from the above) if you minimize applications and switch to others, leaving the application(s) running (this is important), because minimized applications are often unloaded into this very file. In this case, increase the swap.. Or add memory :)
Note 4. Recommendations do not apply to server-side operating systems and relate strictly to user OSs.

My personal opinion is that if the amount of RAM exceeds 6 GB, the paging file is not needed at all, which gives a noticeable breakthrough in system performance, extending the life of the hard drive and reducing its fragmentation.

Page file and why we choose the same sizes

The swap file, like any other, tends to fragment, which raises the question of the need for defragmentation (read about what defragmentation is and why it is needed) in order to return to its former performance. However, there is a way to reduce the speed and severity of file fragmentation.

To do this, you just need to set the maximum and minimum size the same:

If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them in the comments or using .

PS: The last adjustment to the paging file size was made in August 2017, the data was tested on Windows 7, 8 and 10 (x64 bit size).

Don't have enough random access memory (RAM) to surf the Internet or run a modern game? Before increasing its size, try setting up the swap file. It is quite possible that your PC or laptop will work much faster. Read below about what it is and how to enable the page file in Windows 7, 8 or 10.

First, a little theory. The page file is a special file that Windows accesses if the PC does not have enough current RAM to operate. Simply put, this is virtual memory that is added to the current one, as a result of which the speed of the laptop or computer improves.

Let me give you a simple example. You want to run a game that requires 4GB of RAM. And you only have 3 GB. What to do in this case? Increase virtual memory and Windows will “take” the missing 1 GB from this special file. This way you can launch the game and play it.

Of course, there are several points here:

Increasing virtual memory can slow down your computer. After all, the speed of access to RAM is much faster than to a hard drive (namely, the paging file is stored on it).
Using this function creates an extra load on the HDD drive and reduces its operating time.

How to increase virtual memory in Windows 7

To do this:

Go to Start - Control Panel - System.
Click on “Add. parameters".
Find the Performance section and click on Settings.
In the new window, select the “Advanced” tab.

This is where virtual memory is configured. As a rule, the currently used size is already indicated here (in the screenshot below it is 8173 MB, i.e. 8 GB). To increase virtual memory in Windows 7, click on the "Change" button.

The same window will appear where you can configure the paging file.

If your PC or laptop slows down, it means there is not enough RAM and it needs to be increased. To begin, uncheck this box. All buttons will become active and you can enable the page file in Windows 7 and configure it as you wish. To do this, check the box next to the “Specify size” line and write down the original and max. volume. For example – 4096 MB (that’s 4 GB).

Important: to avoid brakes and glitches, the initial and max. the size must be the same. For example, 4096 MB (as in the screenshot above).

By the way, what is the optimal size of the paging file? There is a lot of advice on this issue on the Internet, and the calculation formulas are also intricate.

The best option would be to increase your computer's virtual memory by 50% of your RAM. That is, the swap file for 4 GB will be 2048 MB. And for 8 GB of RAM you can specify 4096 MB. As a result, the total memory will be 6 and 12 GB, respectively - this should be enough for all occasions.

If your PC has a lot of RAM installed (for example, 8 GB), and you only work on the Internet, then you can completely disable the page file. After all, as I said above, it loads hard drive, which sometimes slows down your PC.

However, this is not recommended. Perhaps after a while you want to start a game or video processing, and an error will pop up that there is not enough memory. And you will most likely forget about virtual memory. As a result, you will waste a lot of nerves before you fix this problem.

In general, if you need to increase virtual memory in Windows 7, specify it manually. And if you need to restore the previous values, check the very first box and close this window.

How to increase the performance of Windows 8. Increase RAM using the page file. What is a paging file, why is it needed and how to install it.

RAM is one of the important elements in the computer responsible for the speed of performing the tasks assigned to it. The more RAM (Random Access Memory) you have, the faster running processes on your computer will run.

In modern computers running Windows 8, it is recommended to install at least 6 GB of RAM, and a minimum of 4 GB. If you have 8 GB or more, then you don’t have to worry about increasing it; this amount can cope with all the tasks of an ordinary user.

But for those who have 4 GB it is better to increase it. There are two ways to do this - buy in the store and using a swap file. For those who cannot afford the first method, today I will tell you about the second.

What is a paging file and why is it needed?

This is simply allocated space on your hard drive specifically to help your RAM. When you run several processes at the same time (programs, browser, ISQ, etc.) your memory may not cope.

That's when the paging file works, adding RAM space on the hard drive for processing processes.

Of course, such a process requires more time than performing tasks only in the most operational way, but for lack of it, it will be better than nothing, as they say - for lack of fish, fish for cancer. 🙂

For users who have 8 GB or more and who do not use graphic editors (Photoshop, 3Dmax) and do not play computer video games (where graphics are used), they can completely disable the page file.
Because RAM itself processes user tasks faster without using a page file.

By default, for all operating systems, the paging file is installed on the partition (disk) on which the system itself is located and has a dynamic (changeable) size to be able to allocate space as much as RAM is needed.

Today we will install it on another partition and configure it for your computer.

How to properly install the paging file and configure it

You need to install the paging file on a partition where you do not have the system itself and the most free space. Usually the system is installed on the partition with the letter “C”, and other partitions can have letters starting with “D”.

Also, after installing on the “D” partition, make sure that you have disabled the paging file on other partitions, so as not to create additional load on the disk.

Do not install a paging file if you have less than 10% free disk space left after you add paging, this will lead to increased disk load, which is not even more desirable than low RAM.

There are two versions of setting up the paging file:

static - of a certain size,
dynamic - resizable.

In the first case, we ourselves set the amount of space that the RAM can request. Accordingly, we set the minimum and maximum numbers equal to your RAM.
It is believed that in this case the paging file is not subject to fragmentation (empty spaces on the disk) and works better.

The second case suggests making dynamic paging, when the minimum volume is equal to the amount of your RAM, and the maximum is its double value.

I recommend using the second option, because... I find it more productive. And you can fight fragmentation by setting it up to be cleaned after work is completed.

So let's move on directly to the steps to configure the paging file.

Open the right tab and select “Options”

Go to “Computer Information”

We look at the amount of installed RAM (RAM)

Open “Advanced system settings”, a small new “System Properties” window will open. In the “Performance” section, click “Options”

In the new “Performance Options” window that opens, go to the “Advanced” tab and in the “Virtual Memory” section, click the “Change” button

Select a disk with more space or simply not the one on which the system is installed
Check the box next to “Specify size”
We write down our values
Click the “Set” button
And click “OK”