Hi Tecnobits! 👋 Ready to free up space on your hard drive? 💻 Did you know that you can remove pagefile.sys in Windows 10 to optimize your performance? Read on to find out how! 😉
What is pagefile.sys and why would you want to remove it in Windows 10?
- The pagefile.sys file is a virtual memory paging file in Windows 10 that is used to backup the system's physical memory.
- Reducing the size of pagefile.sys or removing it completely can free up hard drive space and improve system performance.
- Some users also choose to remove pagefile.sys to increase the lifespan of Solid State Drives (SSD) by minimizing excessive writing.
How can I check the size of pagefile.sys in Windows 10?
- Open the Start menu and right-click on “This PC” or “My Computer.”
- Select “Properties” and then “Advanced system settings” in the left panel.
- In the “System Properties” window, go to the “Advanced” tab and click “Settings” in the “Performance” section.
- In the “Advanced Options” tab, select “Change” in the “Virtual Memory” section.
- A list of drives and their paging file sizes will be displayed. Here you will see the current size of pagefile.sys in Windows 10.
How do I reduce the size of pagefile.sys in Windows 10?
- Open the Start menu and right-click on “This PC” or “My Computer.”
- Select “Properties” and then “Advanced system settings” in the left panel.
- In the “System Properties” window, go to the “Advanced” tab and click “Settings” in the “Performance” section.
- In the “Advanced Options” tab, select “Change” in the “Virtual Memory” section.
- Uncheck the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” option.
- Select the drive where pagefile.sys is located and choose the “Custom size” option.
- Enter the initial size and maximum size for the paging file and click “Set.”
- Finally, restart your computer to apply the pagefile.sys size changes.
How do I remove pagefile.sys in Windows 10?
- Open the Start menu and search for “Settings” or press Windows key + I to open settings.
- Select “System” and then “About” in the left panel.
- Scroll down and click on “Advanced system settings”.
- In the “System Properties” window, go to the “Advanced” tab and click “Settings” in the “Performance” section.
- In the “Advanced Options” tab, select “Change” in the “Virtual Memory” section.
- Uncheck the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” option.
- Select the drive where pagefile.sys is located and choose the “No paging file” option.
- Click “Set” and then “OK” to confirm disabling pagefile.sys.
- Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Are there risks when deleting pagefile.sys in Windows 10?
- Yes, there are potential risks when removing pagefile.sys in Windows 10.
- The system could experience performance issues if physical memory runs out, as there would be no backup in virtual memory.
- Some applications and games may also require pagefile.sys to function properly, so removing them could cause errors or system crashes.
How do I disable pagefile.sys temporarily in Windows 10?
- Open the Start menu and search for “Command Prompt” or “cmd.”
- Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator.”
- In the command prompt window, enter the command “wmic pagefileset delete» and press Enter.
- This will temporarily delete the paging file and free up disk space.
- If you want to re-enable pagefile.sys, restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
How do I permanently delete pagefile.sys in Windows 10?
- To permanently remove pagefile.sys in Windows 10, you must disable virtual memory on all drives.
- Open the Start menu and search for “Settings” or press Windows key + I to open settings.
- Select “System” and then “About” in the left panel.
- Scroll down and click on “Advanced system settings”.
- In the “System Properties” window, go to the “Advanced” tab and click “Settings” in the “Performance” section.
- In the “Advanced Options” tab, select “Change” in the “Virtual Memory” section.
- Uncheck the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” option.
- Select each drive and choose the “No paging file” option.
- Click “Set” and then “OK” to confirm disabling pagefile.sys on all drives.
- Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Is it safe to delete pagefile.sys in Windows 10 if I have enough RAM?
- Although having enough RAM can reduce dependence on virtual memory, It is not completely safe to delete pagefile.sys in Windows 10.
- The operating system and some applications may still require the paging file to operate correctly, even with an adequate amount of RAM.
- It is recommended to reduce the size of pagefile.sys instead of removing it completely if you have enough RAM.
How does removing pagefile.sys affect gaming performance in Windows 10?
- Removing pagefile.sys may negatively affect gaming performance in Windows 10.
- Some games may experience slowdowns or crashes if there is not enough virtual memory available.
- It is recommended that you keep the paging file enabled, although you can adjust its size to meet the needs of your games and overall system performance.
What alternatives are there to free up disk space without deleting pagefile.sys in Windows 10?
- An alternative is to free up disk space by deleting temporary files, uninstalling unnecessary programs, or moving files to an external hard drive or the cloud.
- Using disk cleanup, disk defragmentation, or file compression tools can also help optimize disk space without having to delete pagefile.sys in Windows 10.
Until next time, Tecnobits! Remember that you can always get rid of pagefile.sys in Windows 10 using the method that is explained in bold in this article. Have an amazing day!
I am Sebastián Vidal, a computer engineer passionate about technology and DIY. Furthermore, I am the creator of tecnobits.com, where I share tutorials to make technology more accessible and understandable for everyone.