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How to Change The Size of Virtual Memory (pagefile.sys) on Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012

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  1. On the Keyboard Press the WindowsKey + X then click System in the popup menu

  2. Tap or click Advanced system settings. Administrator permission required You might be asked for an admin password or to confirm your choice.

  3. On the Advanced tab, under Performance, tap or click Settings.

  4. Tap or click the Advanced tab, and then, under Virtual memory, tap or click Change.

  5. Clear the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box.

  6. Under Drive [Volume Label], tap or click the drive that contains the paging file you want to change.

  7. Tap or click Custom size, enter a new size in megabytes in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, tap or click Set, and then tap or click OK.

Note

Note

Increases in size usually don't require a restart for the changes to take effect, but if you decrease the size, you'll need to restart your PC.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    March 05, 2014
    do you need a reboot if you move the pagefile to another disk?
  • Anonymous
    May 02, 2014
    You do not need to reboot if you move the page file, only if you make it smaller.
  • Anonymous
    May 15, 2014
    Yes, a restart is required when move the page file to a different disk
  • Anonymous
    August 19, 2014
    A restart is also required if you increase the size.
  • Anonymous
    September 02, 2014
    u saved me ! :)
  • Anonymous
    November 03, 2014
    This is just a cut and paste from microsoft:

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/windows/change-virtual-memory-size#1TC=windows-7
  • Anonymous
    November 24, 2014
    This appears to be WRONG, Windows 2012 always appears to require a reboot, even if you are only expanding. I feel like I'm using a O/S from the 80's.
  • Anonymous
    March 18, 2015
    The comment has been removed
  • Anonymous
    April 11, 2015
    Virtual memory and the pagefile are two different things. Virtual memory is the Windows internal representation of total process/kernel address space. It is mapped to physical memory and pagefile locations by the system. Virtual memory is equivalent to physical memory plus pagefile space, roughly. On 32 bit systems, virtual memory is limited to 4GB regardless of pagefile size as the system can handle only 32-bit integers. So there is no point in increasing the pagefile size or adding RAM to a 32-bit installation beyond what is necessary to bring total virtual memory to 4GB. On 64-bit systems memory is theoretically limited only to the largest representable integer (2^64 bytes) but is practically limited to somewhat lower values by hardware and Windows version. Windows physical memory limits are 128 GB for basic Win 8, 512 GB for Pro and above. Virtual memory varies by process, some of which are limited to physical memory or artificial constraints. In general however, total virtual memory limits are measured in terabytes. ( https://tinyurl.com/mkfznok )This does NOT mean that you should increase your pagefile size beyond a few GB. The pagefile is exactly what it sounds like, a file. It is dead slow compared to memory. If you need a pagefile larger than 4GB, for all practical home-use purposes you need more physical memory. Increasing the pagefile size may allow you to limp through the occasional crisis, but limping through crises is no way to go through life on an everyday basis. Save your pennies and buy more memory!
  • Anonymous
    April 22, 2015
    Fred: Of course it is, technet is part of Microsoft...
  • Anonymous
    May 15, 2015
    Right to the point, and it Worked Perfectly-thanks!
  • Anonymous
    September 24, 2015
    @Fred...and so what?
  • Anonymous
    September 26, 2015
    looked through a lot of advice on this with google search. No one gives recommended settings. i changed to windows 10 and i get messages i am low on memory. i hoped this was a solution.
  • Anonymous
    October 22, 2015
    I have added different drive to page file, so could you please let me know when I am increase or decrease the drive it should we required the restart please confirm me it is very urgent..
  • Anonymous
    December 03, 2015
    The comment has been removed
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    January 28, 2016

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