How to Change, Move, or Disable the Pagefile in Windows

This guide walks you through changing, moving, or disabling the Windows pagefile (virtual memory). You’ll learn how to adjust its size, relocate it to another drive, or turn it off entirely, which can help free up space on a system drive or troubleshoot performance issues. You’ll need administrative access to your PC, and it’s wise to back up any important data before making system-level changes.

What You’ll Need

Administrator account on the Windows PC (local or Microsoft account with admin rights).
Basic familiarity with the Control Panel or Windows Settings.
Enough free space on the target drive if you plan to move the pagefile.
A backup of important files (recommended, though not strictly required).

Step-by-Step

Open System Properties: Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, and press Enter. This opens the System Properties window directly.
Go to Advanced settings: Click the Advanced tab, then under the Performance section, click Settings.
Open Virtual Memory settings: In the Performance Options window, switch to the Advanced tab and click Change… under Virtual Memory.
Uncheck automatic management: At the top of the Virtual Memory window, uncheck “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.” This enables the options below.
Choose your action:
- To change the size: Select the drive that currently holds the pagefile (usually C:), choose Custom size, enter an Initial size and Maximum size in MB (1 GB = 1024 MB), then click Set.
- To move the pagefile: First, select the drive it’s currently on (e.g., C:), choose No paging file, click Set, then select the new drive (e.g., D:), choose System managed size or Custom size, and click Set again.
- To disable the pagefile: Select the drive that has the pagefile, choose No paging file, and click Set. Windows will warn you that disabling it may reduce performance or cause errors—read the warning and click Yes if you’re sure.
Apply and restart: Click OK in each open window. Windows will prompt you to restart the computer to apply the changes. Save any open work and restart.
Verify the change: After restarting, revisit the Virtual Memory window (steps 1–3) to confirm the new settings are active. If you moved the pagefile, you should see the new drive listed with a size.

Common Mistakes

Setting a fixed size too small: If you set a custom initial size that’s too low (e.g., 200 MB), Windows may run out of virtual memory under load, causing crashes or “low on memory” errors.
Disabling the pagefile entirely on low-RAM systems: With 4 GB RAM or less, disabling the pagefile can cause applications to fail or the system to become unstable.
Moving the pagefile to a slow drive: Placing it on an external USB drive or an old HDD can severely degrade performance. Use a fast internal SSD if possible.
Forgetting to set the pagefile on the new drive before removing it from the old one: Windows may not create a new pagefile automatically if you don’t select a drive first, leaving your system without virtual memory.
Not restarting: Changes only take effect after a full restart. Skipping the restart means the old settings remain active.

Tips

Let Windows manage it: For most users, leaving the pagefile on “System managed size” is the safest and most balanced option. Only change it if you have a specific reason.
Use a fixed size for consistency: If you set a custom size, make the initial and maximum the same value (e.g., 4096 MB both). This prevents fragmentation and reduces the chance of Windows resizing it unexpectedly.
Keep a small pagefile on the system drive: Even if you move the main pagefile to another drive, Windows may still need a small one on C: for crash dumps (minidumps). Setting a 256 MB–1 GB pagefile on C: is a good compromise.
Monitor usage: Use Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) > Performance > Memory to see how much of your pagefile is being used. If it’s constantly near 100%, consider adding more RAM or increasing the pagefile size.
Defragment the target drive: If you’re moving the pagefile to a traditional HDD, defragmenting that drive before setting the pagefile can help performance.

Troubleshooting

You get an error that the pagefile is too small or invalid: This usually happens if you set a custom size below the recommended minimum. Go back and increase the size, or choose “System managed size” and restart.
The pagefile didn’t move to the new drive: Ensure you clicked Set after selecting the new drive, and that the new drive has enough free space. Also, verify that the old drive shows “None” after you set it to “No paging file.”
System becomes unstable after disabling the pagefile: Re-enable it immediately. Go back to Virtual Memory settings, select the drive, choose “System managed size,” click Set, and restart.
Changes revert after restart: This can happen if you didn’t click Set before clicking OK, or if a third-party optimization tool is overriding your settings. Check for such tools and disable them.
You can’t uncheck “Automatically manage paging file size”: Make sure you’re logged in with an administrator account. If you are, try launching the System Properties dialog by right-clicking “This PC” > Properties > Advanced system settings, which sometimes bypasses UAC quirks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to disable the pagefile?

It can be, but only if you have a large amount of RAM (16 GB or more) and you don’t run memory-intensive applications. Windows may still require a small pagefile for system crash dumps, so it’s often better to keep a small one.

What size should I set for the pagefile?

Microsoft’s general guidance is 1.5 to 3 times your RAM size, but that’s outdated for modern systems. A common practice is to set it to 1–2 GB for systems with 8+ GB RAM, or let Windows manage it automatically.

Can I move the pagefile to another drive?

Yes, you can move it to any internal drive. This can free space on your system drive (C:) or improve performance if the new drive is faster (e.g., an SSD). External drives are not recommended due to slow speeds and disconnection risks.

Will moving the pagefile improve performance?

Potentially, if you move it from a slow HDD to a fast SSD, or from a nearly full drive to one with plenty of free space. However, if both drives are similar, the gain may be negligible.

How do I check the current pagefile size?

Open System Properties > Advanced > Performance Settings > Advanced > Change. The Virtual Memory window shows the current allocation for each drive.

What happens if I set the pagefile to 0 MB?

That effectively disables the pagefile on that drive. Windows will warn you that this might cause system errors or reduce performance. If you do this on all drives, your system will run without virtual memory, which can cause applications to crash if they run out of RAM.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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