How to change the pagefile.sys file in Windows 10

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Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Pagefile.sys is a special type of file inWindows 10that stores crash dumps. In addition, this file can also help you achieve better performance by writing the contents of your RAM to it. Pagefile.sys is a rather useful component of Windows, and today we’re going to show you how to use it properly.

What is pagefile.sys and how do we use it?

As we already mentioned, pagefile.sys is a component of Windows that can store contents of your RAM once your RAM is completely used. By doing so, Windows will perform better overall. However, you can also modify pagefile.sys and change its configuration, something we’ll go into in this article.

1.Changing the size of pagefile.sys

In order to improve your machine’s performance, you can easily change the size of the pagefile.sys file:

As for the maximum size of the paging file, if you have 16GB of RAM you should set it to about 2.5GB. If you have 32GB of RAM, set the paging file to about 5GB.

2. Move pagefile.sys to a different drive

If your pagefile.sys is taking too much space on your system drive, you can move it to another drive easily. To do that, follow these steps:

After doing that, your pagefile.sys will be moved to a different drive. Moving your pagefile can be extremely useful especially if you don’t have enough space on your system drive to store it. We have to mention that some applications require your pagefile.sys to be on the C drive in order to work properly. Therefore, if any issues occur after moving the file, be sure to move it back to your system drive. If you want, you can completely disable pagefile.sys by selecting theNo paging fileoption for all your partitions. Keep in mind that disabling pagefile.sys can lead to certain issues with your PC.

3. Delete pagefile.sys after every shutdown

If you’re working on confidential documents, you might want to delete the pagefile after everyshutdown. By doing so, you’ll overwrite the contents of pagefile.sys with zeroes. This will clean the pagefile, but it will also make the shutdown process a bit slower. To enable this option, you need to modify your registry. To do that, follow these steps:

You can also clean the pagefile.sys on every shutdown by usingGroup Policy Editor. To do that, follow these steps:

After making these changes, pagefile.sys will be cleared every time you turn off your PC. Once again, we have to mention that by enabling this option your shutdown time might increase.

Pagefile.sys is an important component of Windows 10, and you can configure it in order to achieve the best performance. Stability issues can occur if your pagefile.sys is missing or improperly configured, so be cautious if you decide to change your pagefile.

Also, don’t forget to share your thoughts about this in-depth explanation of various methods to tweak the Pagefile.sys file. We look forward to your valuable feedback, as always. The comments section is just below.

How to change the pagefile.sys file in Windows 10#

What is pagefile.sys and how do we use it?#

1.Changing the size of pagefile.sys#

2. Move pagefile.sys to a different drive#

3. Delete pagefile.sys after every shutdown#

How to change the pagefile.sys file in Windows 10

What is pagefile.sys and how do we use it?

1.Changing the size of pagefile.sys

2. Move pagefile.sys to a different drive

3. Delete pagefile.sys after every shutdown