My Windows 11 computer has been running really slow lately. I think it might be a memory issue because I keep getting notifications about low memory. I’ve tried restarting, but it only helps for a short time. How can I clear up memory to improve performance? Any tips or tricks would be appreciated!
Hey there, I’ve been through the same hustle with my Windows 11 PC. It sounds like you’re hitting a classic memory issue. Here are a few steps that could help free up some memory:
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Uninstall Unnecessary Apps: Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & Features and scan through the list for anything you don’t use. You’d be surprised how much junk can pile up over time.
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Disable Startup Programs: Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), go to the “Startup” tab, and disable any apps you don’t need starting up with your system. Anything unnecessary here drags down your boot time and consumes memory.
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Run Disk Cleanup: Search for Disk Cleanup in your start menu, and run it to clean temporary files and system files. This won’t save a ton of memory but it’s a good practice for keeping your storage in check.
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Virtual Memory Adjustment: If you’re getting low on physical RAM, increasing virtual memory can help. Go to Settings > System > About, click “Advanced system settings,” then “Settings” under Performance. In the “Performance Options” window, go to the “Advanced” tab and click “Change” under Virtual memory. Set a custom size that’s higher to let your disk drive act as pseudo-RAM.
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Close Resource-Intensive Programs: Keep an eye on Task Manager to see what’s hogging the memory. Sometimes browsers with lots of open tabs or certain background processes can eat up a serious amount of RAM.
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Update Drivers: Outdated drivers can sometimes cause memory leaks or other issues. Go to Device Manager and check to see if there are any updates for your hardware.
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Use ReadyBoost (if you have a USB): If you have limited RAM and a fast USB drive, ReadyBoost is a nifty feature. Plug in the USB drive, right-click it in File Explorer, go to Properties, and you’ll find the ReadyBoost tab. This can help improve performance by using the USB as an extra memory cache.
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Consider Upgrading RAM: This might be obvious but it makes a substantial difference. See what your motherboard supports and consider adding another stick of RAM.
Beware of cleaning software; some are legit, but others can cause more harm than good. Stick to built-in tools when possible.
One last thought, If you’ve got your PC filled with high-res images and videos, migrating those to an external storage might help, too. Good luck sorting it out!
Some great suggestions already made! Totally agree with #codecrafter on many points. Here are a couple more ways that can complement your memory-saving measures without much overlap, but with more technical rigor:
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Memory Compression: Windows 11 has a built-in memory compression feature that helps reduce the physical memory usage of certain processes. You can check its activity in Task Manager under the “Performance” tab and then click “Memory.” It usually operates automatically, but ensuring your system is updated can help it function at its best.
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Check for Memory Leaks: Sometimes apps can cause what’s known as a memory leak, where they consume more RAM over time and don’t release it back. Again, you can use Task Manager for this, but dive deeper by enabling columns like “Commit Size” to see how much memory processes are really taking up over time.
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System Restore Points: If you have a bunch of system restore points saved, they can take up memory as well. You can manage them via Control Panel > System and Security > System > System Protection > Configure. Only keep recent restore points and clear out older ones.
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Trimming Down Visual Effects: Open Control Panel, head to System Security, and then System. From there, go to “Advanced system settings” and under “Performance,” click “Settings.” On the “Visual Effects” tab, you can either let Windows choose what’s best for your computer or adjust for best performance by disabling some of the more memory-intensive visual effects.
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Using a RAM Cleaner: While traditional memory cleaning software can sometimes be a scam, there are legitimate tools like RAMMap from Sysinternals, a Microsoft subsidiary, which is safe to use. It gives detailed information on how your memory is being used and can help you free up memory.
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Scan for Malware: Malware can sometimes be a culprit in random memory usage. Use a reputable antivirus or malware scanner to do a comprehensive check. Windows Defender is usually sufficient, but additional tools like Malwarebytes might catch anything Windows Defender misses.
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Configuring Your Paging File: This might seem similar to Virtual Memory Adjustment but diving deeper, you want to make sure your paging file size is adequately set and possibly located on the fastest SSD if available. This can be done from the same window discussed by #codecrafter, under “Virtual memory” settings. Sometimes a misconfigured page file can lead to memory low errors.
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Utilize Storage Sense: This is a handy feature in Windows 11 that can automatically free up space on your machine. Go to Settings > System > Storage and enable Storage Sense. You can customize how it works by deciding how often it runs and what type of files it deletes.
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Managing OneDrive: If you’re using OneDrive, the Files On-Demand feature can help keep local storage usage low. Ensure that this is turned on to only download the files you need. You can do this by right-clicking the OneDrive icon in the system tray, going to Settings, and ensuring Files On-Demand is enabled.
Troubleshooting these issues can be really satisfying when you see the performance boost. And to disagree slightly with #codecrafter on the point of using ReadyBoost — it’s somewhat outdated. With faster SSDs, the benefit isn’t what it used to be. If you’re rocking an older HDD, it might help, but I’d caution relying heavily on this in a modern SSD setting.
Also, a tip not often mentioned is simply Restarting Windows Explorer via Task Manager. Sometimes, it can help clear the memory more effectively and is quicker than a full system reboot, which you mentioned doesn’t seem to meet the need.
Monitoring your system with tools like Process Explorer can also give you a more in-depth look at what’s eating away at your RAM.
Lastly, if you want to take it one step further and future-proof your experience, look into RAM Disk software, which lets you use part of your RAM as a high-speed drive. Of course, this requires a solid amount of RAM in surplus.
Hope this helps get your Windows 11 PC back to full running speed!
I doubt a lot of these methods will actually solve your problem. Too many steps, no real fix. Honestly, you might just need to bite the bullet and do a fresh reinstall of Windows. Sometimes, all the tweaking in the world won’t solve deeply rooted issues.
Sure, uninstalling unnecessary apps and disabling startup programs can help a bit, but if you’re consistently running into low memory issues, it’s probably deeper than that. ReadyBoost? That’s ancient history, it’s not worth the hassle in modern environments.
You could also take a look at what’s running in the background. Windows system services that you don’t need can chew up memory like crazy and are often missed in typical guides. Use msconfig to disable some of these unnecessary services.
One con of tweaking system settings like virtual memory and paging files is that you might screw things up if you’re not careful. Windows generally manages this well enough on its own when you leave it alone.
Sometimes, background apps or system processes could be bloatware you didn’t even know you installed because they came bundled with other software. Revo Uninstaller might do a better job than the built-in uninstaller due to its deep scan capabilities.
Overall, if your system didn’t come with sufficient RAM to begin with, all these measures are just bandaids. Upgrading your RAM will likely give the best boost; no amount of software tweaking will fix hardware limitations.