It is possible to increase the main disk space with the virtual RAM option that can be changed from the computer’s system settings. However, before starting this process, it is necessary to discover the minimum and maximum virtual RAM size calculations. In this way, the initial virtual RAM size and maximum space limit supported by the computer’s operating system can be learned. Again, it should be explained to those who will use the virtual RAM area in Windows how the said option affects the computer’s performance.
How to increase virtual RAM in Windows?
When a computer’s main disk memory is full, the virtual RAM option is used. With this option, the Windows 11 and Windows 10 virtual RAM activation process is completed and a new temporary storage area is provided to the computer’s operating system. The basic steps of increasing Windows 10 and Windows 11 virtual RAM are as follows:
- First of all, to access the system properties window, press the Win + Pause/Break keys or click on the settings text from the start menu.
- From the system properties window that appears on the screen, you should access the advanced system settings, performance, settings and advanced headings respectively.
- When you click on the virtual memory heading in the Advanced tab, you can access the change button.
- When you click on the change option mentioned above, the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” setting available in the system can be changed.
- When this setting is changed, the initial size and maximum size can be written manually to the system while the custom size option is activated.
- If the initial size and maximum space for virtual memory are written to the system, the computer should be restarted by clicking on Set and OK.
How much virtual RAM should Windows have?
Before completing the Windows 10 or Windows 11 virtual RAM increase process, it is necessary to learn how much this disk space should be increased. In this context, it is useful to highlight the settings that Windows recommends to users. It is known that in the Windows virtual RAM increase option, the system sets the minimum size to 1.5 times and the maximum area to 3 times. In addition, the maximum virtual memory ratio set according to the main disk space should be at least 2 times the physical RAM. In the light of this information, how the minimum and maximum size of virtual memory should be determined in different versions of Windows can be exemplified as follows:
- Determining the minimum virtual memory size: When increasing the amount of physical memory, the minimum size determined should be 1.5 times the main RAM. For example, if the main disk memory is 4 GB, the minimum virtual memory should be determined as 6 GB.
- Determining the maximum virtual memory size: The maximum virtual memory size should be at least 2 times and at most 3 times the amount of physical RAM in GB of the computer. Therefore, if the active RAM in the system is 4 GB, the maximum virtual memory amount should be determined as 8 GB at least and 12 GB at most.
Does increasing virtual RAM in Windows work?
The use of virtual RAM space in computers basically provides the operating system with a new storage option in addition to the main disk memory that is full. In this respect, it is said that the virtual RAM increase option increases the performance of the computer. In addition, if virtual RAM is activated, it becomes possible for the operating system and various applications and programs to work faster. However, it is known that virtual RAM is slower than the main disk space. This shows that using virtual RAM when it is not necessary can tire the computer in the long run.