Fix High RAM Memory Usage Issue on Windows 11/10 [10 Practical Solutions]

High Memory Usage on Windows 10: If your PC is stuck and the Task Manager shows “High Memory Usage” (as seen in the image), don't worry.

On this page, we will walk you through fixing the high memory usage issue on Windows 11/10/8/7 with the following solutions:

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What is high memory usage?

High Memory Usage refers to the state when a Windows computer's RAM, ROM, or cache is being used at very high levels. The High Memory Usage error in Windows 10 is related to both RAM and Virtual Memory.

When your computer has high memory usage, programs freeze and you get an error message warning that you're “running out of memory.”

Please follow the steps below to check if you are encountering this error and what is causing high memory usage.

Definition of High Memory Usage Error in Windows 11/10:

Please follow these steps to determine if you're experiencing high memory usage, high CPU usage, or high disk usage issues on your computer:

Step 1: Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, and then choose Task Manager.

Step 2: Check the CPU, Memory, and Disk usage under the Processes tab.

If the Memory graph shows 70%, 80%, 90%, or 99% as in the two examples below, you have a High Memory Usage issue.

High memory usage in the process:

High memory usage in performance:

Check the memory usage in the Task Manager

Why is my memory usage so high? [Symptoms and Causes]

All computer memory is connected to the CPU and RAM. However, high memory usage issues are mainly associated with too many internal processes going on at once. So, what happens when you have high memory usage on your PC? What causes this error? Let's find out.

10 Solutions to High (RAM) Memory Usage Issues in Windows 11/10

How do I fix the “High Memory Usage” or “High RAM Usage” issue? How can I reduce or fix high memory usage in Windows 11/10?

Here's a tested list of fixes that you can follow to instantly resolve the high memory usage issue on Windows 11/10. Just follow the guides, and you should be all set.

If you encounter similar issues on an older Windows OS like Windows 11/8/XP, you can follow this video tutorial or attempt to troubleshoot step-by-step through each solution as outlined:

1:18 - Using the Registry Editor
3:00 - Service Settings

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Method 1: Close Unnecessary Running Programs/Applications

When your computer's memory usage is high, you can resolve this issue by closing unnecessary running programs and applications.

Step 1: Open Task Manager by right-clicking the Windows icon and selecting "Task Manager."

Step 2: Go to the Processes tab and look for extra programs that are eating up memory but that you aren't actually using.

Step 3: Click on any programs you don't need, then select "End Task."

Method 2: Disable Startup Programs

Disabling startup programs will effectively reduce system load and save a lot of CPU memory space.

Step 1: Press Ctrl+Alt+Del and choose Task Manager.

Click the “Startup” tab in Task Manager, then right-click on any application you don't want to start up with your computer and select “Disable.”

Disable programs from startup

Method 3: Defragment and optimize your disk

It also helps save a lot of disk space by defragmenting the hard drive. You can also refer to the manual method to defragment and optimize disks for the best performance.

【Defragmentation of Hard Disk】

Step 1: Press Win + R, type in dfrgui, and click on Defragment and Optimize Drives to open the program.

Step 2. Click the drive you want to defragment (for example, the C: drive), and then click "Optimize."

Wait for the program to complete the defragmentation process. You must restart your computer when the program finishes.

Tune for best performance:

Step 1. Right-click on "This PC" and select "Properties".

Step 2: Click "Advanced system settings," then click "Settings" under Performance.

Step 3: Select “Adjust for best performance,” and then click “Apply” and “OK” to confirm the changes.

Method 4: Repair the Disk File System Errors

File system errors are one of the main reasons behind high memory usage or high CPU usage on your Windows 11/10/8/7 computer. A professional partition manager software - tools Partition Master tool can easily fix this error and remove it from your PC. It's user-friendly for all levels of Windows users.

Check and fix system errors

Method 5: Increase Virtual Memory

Virtual memory utilizes disk space to function as RAM, alleviating pressure on your computer's memory. When you're experiencing high memory usage on your computer, you can try the following steps to increase virtual memory:

Step 1: Right-click on "This PC" and select "Properties."

Click the “Advanced system settings” option in the pop-up window.

Step 3: Click the “Advanced” tab, and then click “Settings…” under the Performance section.

Step 4: Click on the "Advanced" tab and then click the "Change" button under the "Virtual Memory" section.

Step 5: Deselect “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.”

Step 6: Select the C: drive, choose “No paging file,” and click “Set.”

Step 7: Click “Yes” to continue.

Step 8: Select a non-system partition, check "Custom size," and set the same value for both "Initial size" and "Maximum size."

The recommended value is twice the size of your computer's physical RAM.

Step 9: Click “Settings” and then “OK” to save the changes.

Method 6: Disable the Superfetch Service

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R, type services.msc in the Run box, and then click OK.

Step 2. Right-click on “Superfetch” > Select “Properties” > Click “Stop” in the window that pops up.

Step 3. Click on “Disabled” from the Startup Type drop-down menu.

Method 7: Set Up a Registry Hack

This method frees up some of your virtual memory by deleting the page file from the Registry. Here's how:

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys, type regedit, and open the Registry Editor.

Step 2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Session Manager/Memory Management.

Step 3: Right-click on ClearPageFileAtShutdown and select Modify. Change the Value data to 1 and click OK.

Method 8: Add More RAM

Logically, when your computer has high memory usage, you can add new memory sticks to expand its physical memory.

First, you'll need to determine the type of RAM your computer supports by checking its specifications. Here's how to increase your computer's physical RAM:

Step 1. Check the amount of RAM: Right-click on "This PC" and select "Properties."

< strong > Step 2. < /strong> Open the Task Manager, go to the Performance tab, and click Memory.

Step 3: Check the speed and size of the memory to determine what you need.

Step 4: Buy a new memory card and add it to your computer.

After you install new memory in your computer, restart the PC, and it should detect the new memory automatically.

Method 9: Disable NDU in the Registry

Note: A support specialist warns that this procedure might affect Internet connectivity.

If you'd like to try, here's how:

Step 1. Type regedit in the Windows search, then click on "Registry Editor" to open it.

Step 2: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/ControlSet001/Services/Ndu.

Step 3. Right-click on Start DWORD and select Modify.

Step 4. Change its value to 4, and click OK to save the change.

After that, restart your computer, and the high memory usage issue should be resolved.

If your computer's Internet connection is disabled, we recommend that you repeat the above steps and change the “Start” value back to its previous number – 2.

Method 10: Remove Viruses

Sometimes, viruses or malware can also take up a lot of memory on your computer. The best thing to do is to run an antivirus program on your computer to get rid of any existing viruses or malware right away:

Step 1: Download and install antivirus software on your computer.

< strong >Step two:</strong> Run an antivirus scan, selecting the option to check the entire hard drive.

Step 3: Choose to clean all the viruses or infected files or devices that were detected.

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If you're experiencing another type of high memory usage issue, click the link below for an immediate solution to this error.

Additional Tip: How to Avoid High Memory Usage Issues on Windows 11/10

After you fix high memory usage on Windows 10/8/7, you might want to know how to prevent it from happening again.

Here, we'll offer some tips to help protect your Windows 10 PC from it.

How to Avoid High Memory Usage in Windows 10 - Guide

Here are some tips to help you avoid high memory usage issues in Windows 10/8/7. Please see how to set your computer for best performance:

• #1. Install a large enough memory card on your computer
• #2. Run virus cleanup programs regularly
• #4. Disable unnecessary programs that run at startup
• #5. Free up virtual memory from the hard drive
• #6. Repair file system errors and defragment the hard drive regularly

You might also be interested in:

Some of you might also be wondering how to define “high CPU usage” or “high disk usage” errors. Here's how:

<strong>Step 1.</strong> Press Ctrl+Alt+Del and click “Task Manager.”

Step 2: On the Processes tab, check for high memory or disk usage.

• If the CPU usage reaches 99% or even 100%, you're dealing with a "High CPU Usage" issue. Check out this article to fix the 99% or 100% high CPU usage problem in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

• The "Disk" column shows high usage, even 100%, which is the so-called "high disk usage" issue. Follow the solutions in 100% Disk Usage to fix this problem.

Take Action to Prevent High Memory Usage Issues on Your Computer

On this page, we provide some tips to help you determine if your computer has high memory issues. We've also gathered 10 practical solutions to fix the Windows 10 high memory usage problem and listed tips to help you avoid it.

In addition to handling RAM and virtual memory usage, we also recommend using a disk management tool to keep your computer running smoothly. AOMEI Partition Assistant can help you manage partitions to make the most of your disk space and optimize disk performance for optimal operation.

Now it's your turn. Take action to address high memory usage and get your computer running smoothly again.

Common Issues with High Memory Usage

Below, we'll list some common questions about high memory usage. If you have the same doubt, follow along and find your answer here.

**1. Why is my Windows 10 using so much memory?**

One reason could be that you're running a resource-intensive program or game that's consuming a significant amount of your system's RAM. Another possibility is that malware might be responsible for excessive memory usage on your device.

2. How do I address high memory usage?

Here are some possible fixes for high memory usage on Windows:

• Shut down unnecessary running programs/applications
• Disable startup programs
• Defragment the hard drive and optimize its performance
• Repair disk file system errors
• Increase virtual memory
• Disable the Superfetch service
• Set up registry optimization
• Add more physical RAM
• Disable NDU in the registry
• Clean viruses
Please note that some of these steps require technical knowledge and should be performed carefully to avoid potential issues. It's always advisable to back up important data and/or consult a professional if you're unsure.

For more detailed information, you can refer to the above detailed steps to resolve this issue immediately.

3. Does high memory usage affect performance?

Yes, high memory usage can indeed impact a computer's performance. Generally, the faster the RAM, the quicker a computer can process information. To have faster RAM, you would need to increase the speed at which it transfers data to other components of the computer. However, when memory usage is excessively high and consumes too many resources, it can negatively affect the computer's performance.