What is Pagefile and How to Disable Page File in Windows 10?

Want to know everything about Windows page file and why you should disable Pagefile? Learn what Pagefile is and how to disable Page file in Windows 10 PC.

RAM or Random Access Memory is not the only memory which you get to use on desktop computers or laptops.

Microsoft Windows operating system also uses a Windows paging file (also known as the page file, pagefile, swap file) to store the data which the Random Access Memory of our system cannot process.

There can be events when RAM of our system is not capable of handling the data. Page file is the one which comes into play in such situations and helps in the processing of data.

how to disable pagefile in windows 10

What is paging file in Windows 10 and should you disable pagefile? Learn everything about Windows page file.

By default, Windows computers are programmed to manage the page files. However, if you want to utilize all the resources properly or want to tune the settings then you can make changes to Windows 10 Pagefile manually too.

Today in this tutorial, we are going to focus on Page file Windows 10. If you are one of those Windows users who would like to know something about Windows paging file feature and want to configure pagefile to get the best out of your system then we suggest you to have a good read of this article.

What is Page file in Windows 10?

Let’s start with basics and find out what is a page file? Windows Page file or Windows Paging file is nothing but a file which is responsible for ensuring that all data is processed in case Random Access Memory (RAM) is exhausted or unable to handle it. You will find pagefile by default in all versions of Windows 10 operating system.

Where is paging file location in Windows 10? If you want to access Windows 10 pagefile, you will have to check the C:\pagefile.sys directory. (Make sure that the protected operating system files are visible as then only you will be able to see Windows page file on your computer).

All the data including files and programs are stored in RAM as Random Access Memory ensures that the data which is present on your hard disk is processed faster.

For the example: Let’s say, you are watching a video on YouTube. That video will be downloaded and then stored in RAM of your system so that when you are watching that video, you are able to enjoy it without any interruptions. In this case, the video which you are watching on YouTube is present in RAM of your computer.

There are times when many applications, processes are running simultaneously on your computer. In the situation like this, it is quite possible that the RAM of your system becomes full and extremely exhausted.

And in such cases, Windows automatically pushes some data from RAM to the hard disk drive you are having. The file in which that data is pushed is the Windows Page file or Windows Paging file. We can think of Windows 10 Page file more like a Windows 10 virtual memory.

Should You Disable the Pagefile?

A familiar query which we receive very often from our readers is “Should I disable the pagefile in Windows 10?

You will find different articles and answers on the internet claiming that if you disable page file in Windows 10 then it will help you in speeding your computer. Well to add more thoughts to this context, we would like to throw some light on what people claim when it comes to Windows Paging file.

Page File which we have on our computers is slow as compared to RAM. If you are having enough RAM on your computer then Windows operating system is going to use the Pagefile present on your system while it should be using RAM. This would lead to slowing down your computer even when you know that you are having enough RAM.

Many experts have tested their systems to find out if this statement is true or not and it turns out that if your computer is having enough RAM, it will be able to run without a Page File. There is no need for disabling the Page File.

We have also seen many people disable paging file in Windows 10 which has led to unexpected results. If the programs which are installed on your computer are consuming all the resources it will crash your system. It might also lead to further issues if you are using software which needs the high amount of resources as they won’t be processed.

In simple words, it is not recommended to disable paging file in Windows 10 PC. You may reduce pagefile size instead.

How to Disable Page File in Windows 10

Page File comes enabled by default in all Windows 10 computers and if you think that you don’t need the Windows paging file feature then you can proceed further and find out the process to disable page file in Windows 10 PC.

Windows 10 pagefile disabling process is pretty simple and all you have to do is follow the steps instructed below:

Step (1): First of all, right-click on This PC desktop icon and then select Properties option to open the System window.

disable pagefile

Alternatively, you can open System window by pressing Windows + Pause/Break key together.

Step (2): On the System window, click on Advanced system settings link to open System Properties.

windows 10 pagefile

Step (3): On the System Properties dialog box, go to the Advanced tab and then click on the Settings button.

page file windows 10

Step (4): Now the Performance Options dialog box will appear. Again here you have to go to the Advanced tab and then click on Change button which is available under Virtual Memory section.

what is page file in windows 10

Step (5): On the Virtual Memory window, uncheck the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” option and then select “No Paging File” option.

should you disable the pagefile

Step (6): Finally, click on the Set button and if you see a warning dialog box, choose Yes over there.

Step (7): Now, click OK thrice to save the changes and you will be able to disable pagefile in Windows 10 PC. That’s it!

Thus, you have successfully disabled the Page file in Windows 10 computer. Now, you can check and see if you notice any performance change of your Windows 10 system. Do let us know about the results using the comment section below.

We hope now you know everything about Windows paging file and why you shouldn’t disable Pagefile in Windows 10 PC.

Do you know? How to Make Windows 10 Faster and Improve Its Performance

1 thought on “What is Pagefile and How to Disable Page File in Windows 10?”

  1. I have disabled the paging file on C but on every boot, Windows says it has created a temporary pagefile.

    How do I stop windows from doing this or fix this error?

Comments are closed.