Written by
Wilsey Young"High memory usage Windows 11 nothing running!" Some Windows 11 users are confronted with this issue and keen to know how to fix. This post primarily offers several quick solutions to the "high memory usage Windows 11" issue using built-in tools or utilities on Windows.
Reddit discussion on high memory usage Windows 11
The "high memory usage Windows 11" problem caused a corresponding discussion in the Reddit post. The original poster noticed abnormally high memory usage after upgrading the system from Windows 10 to Windows 11.
View the Reddit post below and see how geeks and netizens respond to the OP's question.
Windows 11 High Ram Utilization?
by u/UncleArnie420 in Windows11
How to fix high memory usage Windows 11?
Ending unnecessary software, apps, or programs through Taskbar or Task Manager often comes to our mind in the first place, so some other solutions and workarounds are provided in this part.
Disable the Sysmain service to fix high memory usage Windows 11
SysMain (AKA SuperFetch) is a system service on Windows that helps preload frequently used apps into the RAM and keep the frequently accessed files and programs in RAM, making the system respond more quickly and memory management well optimized.
Therefore, the SysMain service may cause high RAM usage. Here's how to disable it on Windows 11:
- Press the Windows+R keys to launch the Run dialog box.
- Type services.msc in the box and hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
- Locate SysMain from the list and double-click on it.
- Tap on the "Startup type" box and choose "Disabled."
- Click the "Stop" button under the "Service status."
- Click Apply and OK.
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Disable unused startup apps to fix high memory usage Windows 11
Some unnecessary and seldom used apps or services may start up every time your Windows PC boots up. Some of them do not appear on the Taskbar and may consume much memory.
FYI, here are some common apps or services we suggest you disable for startup on condition that you don't use them often:
- Cortana
- OneDrive
- Skype
- Microsoft Store
- Print Spooler
- Bing Search
- Microsoft Teams
Here's how to reduce high memory usage Windows 11 by disabling the startup apps or services:
- Right-click on Taskbar or Start menu button to choose Task Manager.
- Go to the Startup tab in Task Manager
- Right-click on the app and choose Disable.
Change settings for visual effects to fix high memory usage Windows 11
If you let Windows choose the best settings of visual effects for your Windows PC, it may lead to high memory usage. Here's how to adjust the visual effects settings for best performance:
- Type sysdm.cpl in the Windows search box and click the result to open.
- Go to the Advanced tab and tap on the Settings button under the Performance section.
- Under the Visual Effects tab, choose Adjust for best performance.
- Click Apply and OK.
Increase virtual memory to fix high memory usage Windows 11
The Pagefile.sys file is a system file that stores virtual memory. When memory is not enough, the system moves some inactive processes to the paging file to free up RAM for active tasks.
Increasing the paging file size (virtual memory) can help fix the high memory usage Windows 11:
Note: The recommended value for you to set is 3x the size of your physical RAM.
- Type sysdm.cpl in the Windows search box and click the result to open.
- Go to the Advanced tab and tap on the Settings button under the Performance section.
- Switch to Advanced tab under Performance Options.
- Click the Change button under Virtual memory section.
- Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.
- Click the Custom size and input values for initial size and maximum size, and click OK.
- Click Apply and OK.
Scan for malware or viruses to fix high memory usage Windows 11
Malware or viruses on Windows 11 may be to blame for the issue you encounter, here's how to scan through Settings:
- Press the Windows+S keys to open the Windows search box.
- Type Windows Security and click the result to open.
- Choose Virus & threat protection.
- Tap on Quick scan to start scanning.
- In addition, click Scan options to choose full scan.
Conlcusion
Suppose the solutions above fail to fix the “high memory usage Windows 11” issue. In that case, you may consider upgrading the RAM or reverting the Windows OS to the previous version, in which the memory was doing well.
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