Windows operating systems use the so-called pagefile.sys paging file, which is a kind of "extension" of the computer's RAM (otherwise - virtual memory) and ensures the operation of applications even when there is not enough physical RAM. Windows 10 also tries to move unused data from RAM to the paging file, with each new version doing it better, according to Microsoft.

This instruction details how to configure the paging file of Windows 10 and previous versions of the system: increase it, decrease it, disable it altogether. And also about the existing recommendations regarding the correct configuration of virtual memory.

Windows 10 paging (swap) file

In addition to the pagefile.sys paging file, which was in previous versions of the OS, in Windows 10 there is a new hidden system file swapfile.sys also located at the root of the system disk, which is a kind of paging file used not for "classic" applications and for UWP.

The new swap file swapfile.sys was required due to the fact that universal applications have changed the way they work with memory and, unlike conventional applications that use the swap file as normal RAM, the swapfile.sys file is used as a file that stores the complete state of individual applications, a kind of application hibernation file.

How to increase, decrease or disable the paging file in Windows 10

  1. Hold the Win + R keys on your keyboard, type sysdm.cpl and press Enter.
    How to manage paging (swap) file in Windows 10
  2. Click the Advanced tab, then in the Performance section, click the Settings button.
  3. In the window that opens, select the Advanced tab, and in the Virtual memory section, click the Change button to configure the virtual memory.
  4. By default, the options will be set to "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives", uncheck this item. In order to increase or decrease, i.e. manually set the size of the paging file, uncheck the automatic size detection, check the Custom size box and set the required sizes and click the Set button. Then click OK.
    In order to disable the paging file and delete the pagefile.sys file from the C drive, select the No paging file item, and then click the Set button.
  5. After making all the changes, be sure to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Recommended paging file size in Windows 10.

I believe that if the computer has more than 16 GB of RAM, then the paging file can be disabled altogether. I believe that a large amount of paging file only slows down the computer. Of course, if the amount of RAM is less than 8-16 GB, then it is better of course to set a certain amount of additional virtual memory, or leave everything as it is.

The minimum paging file size must be the same as the maximum. For example: 4096-4096. The same minimum and maximum paging file sizes reduce the fragmentation of this file, and this therefore speeds up the process of reading information from it.

Recommended paging file sizes in Windows 10
RAM sizePage file size
512 Mb5012 Mb
1024 Mb4012 Mb
2048 Mb3548 Mb
4096 Mb3024 Mb
8 GB2016 Mb
> 16 GBno swap file
Of course, this is a subjective view and these values cannot be absolutely accurate, but in practice they gave the effect. You can experiment yourself and find the best combination for your computer.

Conclusion

I hope the tips given in this article will help you properly configure the paging file on your computer and optimize its performance. If you have any questions, write in the comments, I will try to give exhaustive answers to them.