If you have found your Windows 11 computer that has problems with virtual memory, don’t worry because we are going to explain everything you need to know to get everything back to normal.
It may be that you have received some type of warning about your virtual memory in Windows 11 and you do not know very well how to react, since this part of the operating system is not very well known by many users.
Resetting virtual memory in Windows can improve system performance or release additional space on the hard drive.
Although before getting to this, it is best that you know what virtual memory is and how it works, so that later, you can include yourself in everything that would be the resolution of problems derived from this part of Windows 11.
Let’s see all the necessary information so that virtual memory is no longer unknown and we know how we can manage it from the Microsoft operating system.
How to reset Windows 11 virtual memory:
What is Windows 11 virtual memory and how it works
Virtual memory is a memory management technique in which the secondary memory can be used as if it were part of the main memory. This is a common technique used in the operating system of any computer.
Something that may even be curious is that virtual memory uses hardware and software to allow a computer to make up for a shortage of physical memory by temporarily moving data from RAM to disk storage.
Assigning chunks of memory to files on disk allows our computer to treat secondary memory as if it were main memory.
The operation is clear. At the time when the system runs large applications or open many at once, it is the time when the memory RAM of the system can be filled completelywhich causes the data that is not actively used, can be temporarily moved to virtual memorywhich is physically located on a hard drive, a ssd or other types of storage.
The windows 11 virtual memory has multiple advantages:
- can be run more apps at the same time on the same system without the user noticing performance loss.
- The larger applications can be run in more limited computers in terms of RAM memory
- As usual, if we want increase memory physical with the virtual, we it will be much less expensive to buy more RAM.
- This system can also be used to increase memory on those computers that have already reached their limit on how much RAM your hardware accepts.
Using virtual memory is a good solution, but we must make it clear that the performance of the computer will not be the same, since HDDs and SSDs are much slower than RAM memory.
For all that we have told you, it is convenient that you know how to restore virtual memory and thus be able to use it to its fullest for whatever you need.
System properties
If we want to reset virtual memory settings on a Windows 11 device, we can use the window System properties.
The steps are the following:
- We push Win+R on the keyboard to open the dialog Execute.
- In the text box, we type sysdm.cpl and we hit the key Enter.
- Now a system properties window will open. We must go to the tab Advanced Options and click the button Setting in the section Performance.
- This will open the window performance optionswhere we can manage the virtual memory configuration.
- Let’s go to the tab Advanced Options and click on Change in the section Virtual memory.
- On the next screen, we deactivate the check box Automatically manage paging file size for all drives and we select the unit in which we want to configure the virtual memory.
- Now we can the size of virtual memory that we want.
- Then we mark the radio button no paging file and click Set.
- we press Yeahin the warning message.
- It’s time to give in Accept to save the changes.
- Now it is best to restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
Group Policy Editor
We can also use the Local Group Policy Editor to reset the virtual memory settings on your Windows device.
We must be clear that this method only works in the Pro and Enterprise versions of the Microsoft operating system. Those users who have Windows Home will not be able to use it natively, although there is a method to achieve it as we have already explained.
If we have the Local Group Policy Editor, what we must do to open it is press Win+Rand write in the dialog box Execute the next: gpedit.msc Then we click Accept or we press Get in to open the Editor window.
The next thing is to navigate to the following location: Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Option.
We scroll down and double click on Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Paging File Policy.
later in the window Propertieswe select enabled and then we click Apply. The last thing is to click on Accept to save it.
Registry Editor
The other method that we can use, if we want to try something other than the ones that we have already told you about, we will achieve it using the Windows Registry Editorwhich will help us to reset the virtual memory configuration in Windows.
Before we continue, we should create a registry backup in case something goes wrong, since this part of Windows is extremely sensitive and with any problem we can spoil the operating system.
- we press the keys Win+R.
- then we write regedit and click on Accept.
- Once in the Registry Editor, we navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
- Next, we double click on the key ClearPageFileAtShutdown.
- We set its value to 1.
- Now we hit the button Accept to save your changes.
- After that we restart the computer and so the changes will take effect.
As you have been able to read, restoring virtual memory is easier than it seems at first.
In addition, you already know what it is, how it works, what it can be used for and some of its main advantages.
