How to Increase Virtual Memory (Page File) in Windows 11

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My Technician
Windows 11PerformanceSystemOptimization

The Problem

Windows warns that your system is low on memory, apps crash with out-of-memory errors, or the page file is disabled after a “optimization” tweak. Virtual memory lets Windows spill RAM to disk—but a missing or tiny page file makes heavy apps unstable.

RAM always at 90%+? Fix leaks first with high RAM usage before relying on disk as RAM.

Symptoms

  • Your system is low on memory toast during photo/video editing or many Chrome tabs.
  • Crash dumps or games exit with memory errors despite free disk space.
  • Someone disabled paging to “speed up SSD”—stability suffers.

The Fix: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Check Physical RAM and Real Usage

  1. Ctrl + Shift + Esc → Performance → Memory—note In use and total Installed.
  2. Settings → System → About → confirm installed RAM matches what you expect.
  3. If you are below 8 GB for modern Windows, plan a hardware upgrade with check and upgrade RAM.

Step 2: Open Virtual Memory Settings

  1. Press Win + R → type sysdm.cpl → Enter.
  2. Advanced tab → Performance → Settings → Advanced → Virtual memory → Change.

Step 3: Set a Custom Page File (Recommended)

  1. Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives (only if you need a custom size).
  2. Select the fastest drive (usually C: on an SSD)—avoid slow USB drives for paging.
  3. Choose Custom size:
    • Initial size (MB): at least 1.5 × RAM (e.g. 24576 for 16 GB RAM).
    • Maximum size (MB): 3 × RAM or leave Windows automatic if unsure.
  4. Click Set → OK → reboot when prompted.

Step 4: Let Windows Manage (Often Best on SSDs)

  1. If you are unsure, re-check Automatically manage paging file size for all drives—Windows 11 usually sizes well on SSDs.
  2. Ensure No paging file is not selected on all drives unless you are an expert running fixed workloads with enough RAM.

Step 5: Free Disk Space for the Page File

  1. The page file needs contiguous free space—if C: is full, paging fails.
  2. Follow free up disk space when C: is full.
  3. Slow disk thrashing? Also see 100% disk usage and slow SSD speeds.

Step 6: When Virtual Memory Is Not Enough

  1. Close memory-heavy startup apps (disable startup programs).
  2. Add RAM if you routinely exceed physical memory—virtual memory on SSD is slower and wears SSD slightly more under extreme swap.
  3. For overall slowness not just memory, use speed up a slow Windows 11 PC.