Pagefile sys how to delete
Pagefile sys how to delete
Публикация: 21 November 2019 Обновлено: 21 November 2019
Пользователи ПК часто спрашивают, для чего нужен огромный файл pagefile.sys, расположенный в корне установочного диска Windows, и можно ли его удалить.
Файл подкачки, или виртуальная память — это системный файл на диске, который система использует, чтобы устранить дефицит оперативной памяти (ОЗУ), если программе или игре ее не хватает.
Могу ли я удалить файл Файл подкачки (pagefile.sys)?
На компьютерах с большим объёмом оперативной памятью Windows 10 может не использовать файл подкачки, поскольку физической памяти может быть достаточно для всех операций. Если у вас на компьютере объем ОЗУ (16 ГБ +), и вы уверены, что программы не будут занимать всю физическую память, вы можете удалить файл pagefile.sys. Короче говоря, чем больше у вас оперативной памяти, тем меньше вам нужно pagefile.sys.
Что произойдет, если я удалю pagefile.sys?
Ну, вы не увидите никакой разницы, если использование физической памяти находится в допустимых пределах. Если использование оперативной памяти достигнет 100%, программы могут зависать или подтормаживать, и вы можете потерять не сохраненный процесс. Поэтому без необходимости лучше не трогать файл pagefile.sys.
Так как pagefile.sys – скрытый системный файл, он не отображается с настройками по умолчанию. Чтобы увидеть его вам придётся включить опцию «Показать скрытые файлы, папки или диски» и снять чекбокс в пункте «Скрывать защищенные системные файлы».
Как и другие системные файлы, вы не можете просто удалить файл pagefile.sys напрямую из Проводника Windows. Чтобы удалить файл pagefile.sys, Вам необходимо отключить функцию файла подкачки. То есть отключение функции файла подкачки автоматически удалит файл pagefile.sys.
ВАЖНО! Отключение файла подкачки или удаление файла pagefile.sys может отрицательно повлиять на общую производительность операционной системы Windows 10. Если вы обнаружите, что Windows 10 не работает должным образом после отключения и удаления файла, снова включите файл подкачки.
Выполните приведенные ниже шаги, чтобы отключить и удалить pagefile.sys в Windows 10.
Шаг 2: Переключитесь на вкладку «Дополнительно», нажав на нее. В разделе «Быстродействие» нажмите кнопку «Параметры». При нажатии на кнопку откроется диалоговое окно «Параметры быстродействия».
Шаг 3: Перейдите на вкладку «Дополнительно». В разделе Виртуальная память вы можете увидеть размер файла подкачки. Нажмите кнопку «Изменить…», чтобы открыть диалоговое окно «Виртуальная память».
Шаг 4: Чтобы отключить и удалить файл подкачки, снимите флажок «Автоматически выбирать объём файла подкачки». Затем выберите переключатель «Без файла подкачки». Нажмите кнопку «Задать». Нажмите кнопку «Да», когда откроется диалоговое окно с предупреждением. Наконец, нажмите кнопку «Применить».
Когда вас попросят перезагрузить компьютер, перезагрузите компьютер один раз, чтобы удалить файл pagefile.sys. Обязательно перезагрузите компьютер.
Чтобы включить файл pagefile.sys
Шаг 1: Следуйте указаниям, упомянутым в шагах 1, 2, 3 и 4 описанного выше способа, чтобы открыть диалоговое окно виртуальной памяти.
pagefile.sys: What you need to know about the paging file in Windows
If storage space in a system is running low, cleaning out unnecessary files becomes a priority. Though useful in most cases, no important system files should be deleted during the clean-up process. Many of these files, which guarantee that the operating system can run smoothly, are hidden for this reason and require special access controls.
In the Windows operating system, one of these files is pagefile.sys, which is used to manage memory. What exactly is hidden inside this file, and why is it generally not a good idea to delete pagefile.sys?
What is pagefile.sys?
Pagefile.sys is the paging file for the Microsoft Windows operating system. The file is created and operated automatically by the system and has the sole function of lightening the load on the working memory when handling programs and processes that take up a lot of processing power. To this end, whenever there isn’t enough space in the available working memory for all data, Windows first expands the addressable system memory. The system can then assign the relevant files into this additional address space and shift them into pagefile.sys.
For applications, it makes no difference whether the files are cached in pagefile.sys or the physical memory. That said, access to the page file is significantly slower for technical reasons, which is why there can be substantial performance loss if large quantities of data are moved to pagefile.sys. Depending on capacity and the system version, the file can vary from a few megabytes to more than a gigabyte. For pagefile.sys in Windows 10 (on most devices), for example, the latter is the standard.
The size of the paging file is generally dynamic as it conforms to the amount of working memory currently required. Many applications also store data in the paging file even if there is actually sufficient free space in the working memory. This tends to happen when a program is minimized, in order to increase the storage quota for all applications and processes that are currently active. A fixed maximum size can be set manually.
Deleting pagefile.sys: is it possible and advisable?
Given the very high demand for hard disk space that the Windows paging file requires (particularly with devices with limited storage capacity such as notebooks), the question arises whether one should delete pagefile.sys. However, that’s not advisable. The paging file is intended to manage storage resources in Windows and its absence could reduce system performance or even cause Windows to crash. The same applies to programs that rely on pagefile.sys as standard even when sufficient working memory is available.
It’s no coincidence that Microsoft classifies the paging file as a “protected system file”, which in Windows 10, for example, can only be seen after carrying out the following steps:
Only after you have unhidden the protected system files, pagefile.sys is visible in the Windows Explorer.
If you now try to delete pagefile.sys, you will find that it is not possible. Instead, you’ll receive the message that the paging file “is open in another program”, because Windows and other applications actively access the file while they are operating.
As long as you have administrator rights, however, you can still delete the paging file from your system by deactivating the storage management function and then rebooting Windows. Disconnecting and deleting pagefile.sys in Windows 10, for example, works as follows:
Under “Paging file size for each drive” you can see the size (in megabytes) of the files that are currently assigned to pagefile.sys.
Moving pagefile.sys: Chance of boosting performance
If you’re using several hard disks, you don’t necessarily need to delete pagefile.sys when memory space gets tight. You can move the paging file to another data carrier instead. This can be useful if you want to unburden an SSD drive and free up valuable SSD space. Reading and writing permissions for pagefile.sys can then be found on the alternative data carrier, which may slightly improve general performance.
In order to move pagefile.sys, follow these steps:
In the working memory settings you can also define an individual minimum and maximum size for pagefile.sys. To do this, simply click on the item “User-defined size” and then enter your desired values (in megabytes). The size of the paging file cannot be less than 16 MB, however. As with moving and deleting pagefile.sys, the option “Automatically manage paging file size for all devices” has to be deactivated.
Clearing the cache: deleting the browser’s cache
Information is often cached so that visited website can be loaded quickly and videos and gifs can be viewed offline. However, if the cache contains a large, or very large amount of data, it can cause problems and adversely affect computer performance. Therefore, it makes sense to delete the cache from time to time.
Flush DNS: how to clear your DNS cache
Operating systems, such as Windows or macOS, automatically save information about address resolution from systems and applications in the network in a DNS cache. The purpose of this practical cache is to speed up network traffic. Read on to find out why it’s useful to regularly clear the DNS cache and how exactly such a DNS flush works.
What is a bootloader and how does it work?
Whether you’re on a desktop PC, smartphone or tablet – without an operating system it would simply be impossible to use your device. It’s for this reason that the system software and the respective installation files are loaded immediately when the working memory is first supplied with power. This is made possible by bootloaders, which are activated directly by the firmware specific to the.
How to delete pagefile.sys in Windows 7?
How to Enable or Disable DOM Storage “Cookies” in Internet Explorer/Firefox?
The pagefile.sys is the virtual memory file that is saved on your hard drive. Therefor this file can be very big. If there isn’t enough space on your physical RAM the system uses the virtual RAM to speed up the current process for faster execution. Hence virtual RAM is quite important for a fast system and hence it is not recommended to disable it.
As a general rule more the physical RAM, more you will more require the virtual RAM. As a standard rule you should have 2 times more the virtual memory than the physical memory.
Hence until and unless you are running out of disk space you should not delete the pagefile.sys file.
Steps to delete the pagefile.sys file in Windows 7
1. Go to start and click on control panel.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. Click on System link.
4. In the sidebar click on “Advanced system settings”.
5. Click on the settings button under the performance menu.
6. Go to the advanced tab in the dialog window opened.
7. At the bottom you will see how much disk space is currently used as virtual memory. Click on the Change button.
8. Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives. Check No paging file and click on Set.
9. Click on OK and reboot your system. The pagefile.sys file now has been deleted without manually deleting it.
Was very helpful and graphical. One of the best help on the topic over the Internet because of the easy images.
Does not work. pagefile.sys remains, and is still “locked”, even after a reboot.
dir /a /os C:
I moved pagefile.sys from my D: drive to my E: drive, allocating 4 times the size of physical memory there as a Custom Size. C: and D: are busy drives, whereas E: is only used for Backups and is a very large enterprise drive. Anyway, when you do this, the old pagefile.sys file on D:, which is a large hidden system file, can’t be deleted in the normal way although it is no longer used. This would be easy in DOS, but I don’t remember the old command syntax to do this, and don’t know any special way to apply it with Win-7 on the disk. I think other folks as well as myself, are looking for a way to change the attributes or whatever in order to remove the old file. Then, we can clean or shred the old file, or just write over it normally. Mine is 50 Gb in size, so it’s worth the trouble to do this. We KNOW how to relocate the operational pagefile.sys, as you described! Thanks Very Much
Edit: You can get to the “Advanced System Settings” Much quicker by Right-Clicking the “My Computer” option and selecting “Properties” then “Advanced System Settings” on the left column. Numbnutt.
They do that so thieves like yourself won’t profit off of their hard work.
How to Automatically Delete Pagefile.sys on Shutdown in Windows 10
Pagefile.sys acts as a virtual RAM, which Windows uses as RAM to store programs that are not in use, thus putting less pressure on the actual RAM. The page file size is usually near the size of your actual RAM, so it can take up a lot of space depending on your RAM. If you set the pagefile to delete with shutdown, you will save some hard drive space in exchange for slightly prolonging your shutdown time.
Here is one way you can get the system to automatically delete the pagefile.sys on shutdown in Windows 10.
To set this up, you’ll be making changes to the Windows registry. This should be safe, but to be super-safe, you should back up your Windows 10 registry before starting.
How Windows Clears the Pagefile
When you make Windows automatically clear the pagefile with every shutdown, it will actually overwrite the existing pagefile data with “zeros.” This makes it near impossible to recover data from the pagefile. However, because of the rewriting process, the time to shut down your system may increase.
Delete Pagefile using Registry Editor
2. In the registry editor, go to:
3. Click “Memory Management,” and then double-click on “ClearPageFileAtShutDown” in the panel on the right.
4. Set its value to “1” and restart the PC. Every time you shut down your PC, the pagefile will be deleted. Don’t worry – it will be created again when needed.
Delete Pagefile using Windows Group Policy Editor
If you are using the Pro or Enterprise version of Windows, then you can use the Group Policy Editor to clear the pagefile automatically. To start, search for gpedit.msc in the Start menu and open it.
On the right panel, find and double-click on the “Shutdown: Clear virtual memory page file” policy.
In the policy settings window, select the “Enabled” radio option, and then click on the “OK” button to save the changes.
Then just restart your system to make the changes take effect and you are good to go. If you ever want to revert back, simply select the “Disabled” radio option in the policy settings window.
If this tip has given you some confidence in the Windows registry, then you can find this and more in our list of Windows registry hacks. We also have a guide on how to edit another user’s registry in Windows 10.
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox
What Is Pagefile.sys? Can I Delete It?
Mysterious, hidden, and sometimes large.
Pagefile.sys is a file created by Windows to manage memory
It takes special steps to remove it, but it’s not difficult. I have instructions.
The catch: you probably don’t want to.
pagefile.sys
Pagefile.sys is the Windows paging (or swap) file used to manage virtual memory. It’s used when a system is low on physical memory (RAM). Pagefile.sys can be removed, but it’s best to let Windows manage it for you.
Pagefile.sys
Related
Learn more about virtual memory: What is Virtual Memory?
Pagefile.sys is the Windows paging file, also known as the swap or Virtual Memory
When programs on the computer use a lot of RAM — perhaps even trying to use more than the machine actually has — some of its contents are written to the paging file. If the “paged out” memory is needed again, other RAM contents are written to disk — again in the paging file — and the previously-written information is read back in.
It’s where Windows juggles and keeps track of demands for a lot of memory.
Note that pagefile.sys is a “system” file. In order to see the file in Windows File Explorer, the option to “Show hidden files and folders” must be enabled, and “Hide protected operating system files” must be disabled.
Since the file is being used by Windows, even when it’s not actively paging memory, you can’t just delete it.
It’ll either tell you “permission denied”, “file in use”, or something similar. Extra steps are required.
Playing with virtual memory
You may notice pagefile.sys is roughly the same size as your configured virtual memory settings. That’s a clue.
This leads to our first way to get rid of it: set your Virtual Memory to zero, and reboot
If you have enough RAM in your system to handle the amount of memory needed to run the programs you use, you may not need virtual memory at all. I often run with no virtual memory configured, and no pagefile.sys present on my drive.
Note, however, that pagefile.sys will return if you re-enable virtual memory.
Playing with a different operating system
The other approach to deleting pagefile.sys is less useful, but I’ll include it to be complete.
Boot into another operating system and delete the file.
If you boot from a Linux
We’ve done exactly what you asked for, but there’s a problem.
As soon as you boot Windows, as long as you have virtual memory enabled, pagefile.sys will return.
My recommendation: let Windows manage the file
Unless you have a reason to adjust your virtual memory settings or know you can run without virtual memory at all, I suggest leaving the settings, and pagefile.sys, the way they are. Given today’s large hard disks, the amount of space taken by pagefile.sys is generally small in comparison.
Now, hiberfil.sys, on the other hand, might be worth removing. Those instructions are here: What Are Hiberfil.sys and Pagefile.sys, and How Do I Remove Them?
Related Questions
Is it safe to delete pagefile sys?
It’s generally safe to delete pagefile.sys. You’ll need to configure your system to user zero virtual memory, and should be able to delete the file after a reboot. The “cost” is that if you run applications attempting to use more RAM than you actually have installed, they will fail, running out of memory sooner than if virtual memory were present.
Why is pagefile sys so big?
Pagefile.sys generally defaults to a size proportional to the amount of RAM you have in your system, and may be adjusted by the system should you run lots of software that require more RAM than is physically present. You can control the size, location, and presence of the virtual memory file in advanced Windows system settings.
How big should pagefile sys be?
There’s no single, simple answer to how large a pagefile.sys should be. It depends on how frequently the computer attempts to use more RAM than is actually installed, and by how much. While it’s typically more effective to install more RAM, that’s not always possible, so having virtual memory (and sometimes a large virtual memory file) is a pragmatic solution that will let software run without running out of memory — at the cost of running slower.
Do this
Subscribe to Confident Computing! Less frustration and more confidence, solutions, answers, and tips in your inbox every week.