Have you ever come across a large file named pagefile.sys sitting in your computer's disk? What exactly is pagefile.sys? Why does it become so massive on Windows 11/10? How to handle this problem—reduce or relocate it? All answers can be found in this detailed guide.

About Pagefile.sys & Why Is Pagefile.sys Huge

Pagefile.sys, also referred to as a page file or paging file, is typically located in the C drive by default and will appear after enabling the system to display hidden files. Acting as an extension of the physical RAM, this file is very important.

Generally speaking, Windows tends to use up the available physical memory. To compensate for this shortage, the system utilizes your hard drive as extra virtual memory and moves certain data to pagefile.sys to maintain smooth operation. Normally, the recommended size of pagefile.sys is about 1.5 to 2 times the amount of your total RAM.

Nevertheless, on your computer, you might encounter the problem of pagefile.sys being excessively large (even exceeding 20GB), which is also reported by numerous users in forums.

Why does pagefile.sys grow so large? It could be due to using multiple resource-intensive applications that increase the demand for virtual memory, leading to a bigger pagefile.sys. Additionally, Windows automatically adjusts the size of the page file, allocating more space than necessary. Furthermore, closing apps doesn't always release memory (referred to as memory leak).

A large pagefile.sys can consume significant storage space, cause performance problems, and increase disk wear. So, how can you address these bothersome issues? Here are some steps to reduce the size of pagefile.sys and resolve the oversized page file issue.

Tip 1: Use MiniTool System Booster

Since running heavy applications and memory leaks are the main causes of the pagefile.sys size problem, the first thing you should do is to disable those programs and free up RAM. Is there any tool capable of handling both tasks at once? MiniTool System Booster can!

This software has the ability to deeply scan your computer to release a lot of memory space and optimize the system for top performance, identify processes or services consuming a lot of CPU and RAM usage and disable them, enable some options to accelerate RAM and CPU, and more.

No hesitation. Try MiniTool System Booster to shrink the size of pagefile.sys.

Step 1: After installing this PC optimizer on your computer, launch it to access the Performance interface.

Step 2: To free up RAM, go to Deepclean > START CLEAN and skip some cleanup tasks to the Memory Mechanic section. If needed, you can choose to carry out those tasks to clean up the system for optimal performance.

Step 3: Next, click RUN MEMORY MECHANIC to clear up some RAM space.

Step 4: Since too many background applications are resource-intensive, increasing the size of pagefile.sys, you should go to Toolbox > Process Scanner. Then, perform a scan and click Terminate Process to disable the target processes.

Step 5: Besides, you had better access the LiveBoost page and enable OptiCore, RAMJet, and AcceleWrite so as to ensure peak performance, especially with memory-intensive programs.

Tip 2: Reduce Pagefile.sys Size

Windows automatically manages the page file on your PC and allocates more space to that file. So, how to tackle the pagefile.sys size problem? Shrinking its size works via these steps.

Step 1: Press Win S, type View advanced system settings, and press Enter to open System Properties.

Step 2: In the Advanced tab, tap Settings from the Performance section.

Step 3: Navigate to Advanced and click Change from Virtual Memory.

Step 4: Do not tick Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.

Step 5: Check Custom size and fill the value into the fields of Initial size and Maximum size based on your physical RAM space.

Tip 3: Move Pagefile.sys to Another Drive

As mentioned earlier, the large pagefile.sys issue affects the computer's performance. Therefore, you can move this file to another drive to free up disk space on the C drive and enhance performance.

Step 1: In the Virtual Memory window (repeat step 1 to 4 in Fix 2), tick No paging file and click Set.

Step 2: Choose another drive under Drive, check System managed size, and tap Set, then OK.

Tip 4: Extend Your C Drive

The large pagefile.sys stored in the C drive slows down your PC because of insufficient disk space, so what you can do is extend the partition. This way, you won't worry about the oversized pagefile.sys issue anymore.

There are several methods to extend C partition, and here we use MiniTool Partition Wizard, a partition manager. In managing disks and partitions, this tool is highly useful without limitations in Disk Management.

Thus, give it a try now.

Step 1: Open MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Step 2: In its main interface, right-click on the C drive and choose Extend.

Step 3: Take some free space from another drive in the new window and apply the change.

Attention: Don’t Delete Pagefile.sys

Some of you might think about deleting the page file if it gets too big. Never do this! Pagefile.sys is essential for the operating system since it serves as a critical buffer when your physical RAM is full. Without it, the system could crash and some apps would stop functioning.

Final Words

The page file in your PC is an important component, and you shouldn't delete it even if pagefile.sys is huge. When faced with the oversized pagefile.sys issue, what should you do? You can reduce the file size, move this file to another drive, or extend the C partition.

Additionally, use MiniTool System Booster to free up memory space and disable resource-hungry processes. Moreover, this PC optimizer helps speed up the system to significantly boost the PC performance by enhancing disk performance, CPU, and RAM, uninstalling unnecessary apps, disabling startup items, cleaning up junk files, etc. Once the machine slows down, don’t forget to run the utility.

The above is the detailed content of Pagefile.sys Huge Windows 10/11, Learn What to Do with It!. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!