Virtualization Manage Virtual Memory Paging File in Windows 11

hdmi · Jun 26, 2023

Please note, according the the official documentation the WMIC command line utility is deprecated. Here is an example PowerShell script (it needs to be run as an Administrator to work) that unchecks the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives checkbox at the top, removes the paging file for drive D: and sets the paging file for drive C: to system managed.

Powershell:

#untick the checkbox at the top
gwmi Win32_ComputerSystem -EnableAllPrivileges |%{$_.AutomaticManagedPagefile=$False;$_.Put()} |Out-Null
#remove pagefile for drive D:
(gwmi win32_pagefilesetting |?{$_.name="D:\pagefile.sys"}).Delete()
#set pagefile for drive C: to system managed
swmi -Class Win32_PageFileSetting -Arguments @{name="C:\pagefile.sys";InitialSize=0;MaximumSize=0} -EnableAllPrivileges |Out-Null

(Remember to restart the computer next for these changes to apply; also remember that any changes having been made to these settings from within Powershell in this manner will not be visible in Options One/Two/Three/Four of this tutorial until after the computer has been restarted.)

To view the current settings with Powershell:

Powershell:

Get-CimInstance Win32_PageFileUsage |fl *

Brink · Jun 26, 2023

hdmi said:
Please note, according the the official documentation the WMIC command line utility is deprecated.

Luckily the WMIC still works since it's only deprecated and not removed.

Add or Remove WMIC command Feature in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove the WMIC command as an optional feature for all users in Windows 11. The WMI command-line (WMIC) utility provides a command-line interface for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). WMIC is compatible with existing shells and utility commands...

www.elevenforum.com

hdmi · Jun 26, 2023

Brink said:
Luckily the WMIC still works since it's only deprecated and not removed.

Add or Remove WMIC command Feature in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove the WMIC command as an optional feature for all users in Windows 11. The WMI command-line (WMIC) utility provides a command-line interface for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). WMIC is compatible with existing shells and utility commands...

www.elevenforum.com

Yeah, but after 2 whole years of it having been deprecated, I was thinking maybe now would be an excellent time to throw in at least some info about that which supersedes it. lol

Brink · Jun 26, 2023

hdmi said:
Yeah, but after 2 whole years of it having been deprecated, I was thinking maybe now would be an excellent time to throw in at least some info about that which supersedes it. lol

cj02139 · Aug 4, 2025

Questions:
1. Why not let Win11 do it? Pros/Cons?
2. If a person chooses to change Win11 default, what are the considerations to be used in making that decision?

My situation:
Memory: 32 GB (recently upgraded from 16GB)
C:\ drive: Samsung 990 Pro SSD 1TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 SSD (recently upgraded from original 256Gb SSD)
I used Macrium Reflect to clone the old ssd onto the new one, then swapped the new one in. Have not seen any problems.
I also have two other internal SATA drives of 1Tb and 4Tb respectively.
I have two USB 3.0 external drives of 4Tb and 5Tb; they are not actively used, only to store backups.

Advanced System Settings shows a pagefile on C:/ recommended size 4967 Mb, of current size approx 21GB for all drives.
Everything.exe shows a pagefile.sys on C: only when I right-click and "Open Path", I cannot see it, though I have 'show hidden files' on.
I'm "told" that the page file will be at the root of the OS Drive.
However, if I open a command window as administrator it opens to c:\windows\system32.
I do a cd .. and a cd .. to get to C:/> prompt and DIR shows no pagefile.sys
Is my not finding it merely "operator error"?

So, ....
1. where's my page file? (I'd certainly think I'd want it on my new SSD)
2. any reason for me not to let Win11 manage it? I am not looking to change things; mostly just curious.

thanks,
-ceej

cj02139 · Aug 4, 2025

OK, I had "Show Hidden files and folders"
But : "Hide protected system files and folders" was still checked
I unchecked it and there were the pagefile and hyberfile on root of C: drive.
#1 solved ==> operator error
What about #2?

Brink · Aug 4, 2025

cj02139 said:
OK, I had "Show Hidden files and folders"
But : "Hide protected system files and folders" was still checked
I unchecked it and there were the pagefile and hyberfile on root of C: drive.
#1 solved ==> operator error
What about #2?

Hello,

Usually, it is best to let Windows 11 manage the paging file. It'll automatically increase it if needed. Windows 11 does a lot better job than W7/8/10. I suppose if you are extremely low on disk space, it may be a reason to manually manage the paging file to reduce its size.

hdmi · Aug 5, 2025

cj02139 said:
OK, I had "Show Hidden files and folders"
But : "Hide protected system files and folders" was still checked
I unchecked it and there were the pagefile and hyberfile on root of C: drive.
#1 solved ==> operator error
What about #2?

Disabling—or manually restricting the maximum filesize limit of—the page file (also known as virtual memory in Windows) can lead to system instability and out-of-memory errors if your physical RAM is insufficient for running applications or handling background processes. While it might seem beneficial for freeing up disk space or potentially improving performance in specific scenarios, the risks generally outweigh the advantages for most users, especially those with limited RAM.

Here's a more detailed explanation of the risks:

Out-of-memory errors:
When applications need more memory than is physically available, Windows relies on the page file to store less frequently used data on the hard drive, effectively using it as an extension of RAM. If the page file is disabled or cannot be automatically increased to satisfy this need, applications will be unable to access this extra memory, leading to crashes or errors.

System instability:
Without the page file or without its ability to automatically be increased, the system might struggle to handle memory-intensive tasks, causing slowdowns, freezes, or even complete system crashes.

Performance impact:
While some users report faster performance by disabling the page file or by restricting its size, this is often due to having a very large amount of RAM (16GB or more) and not running memory-intensive applications. Another common reason why some users report improvements is the placebo effect and/or people like to be "in control" even if the factual reality is that it's usually just a gamble, and oftentimes not even a smart gamble by any stretch of the imagination. For most users, the page file is essential for smooth operation, especially when running multiple applications or dealing with large datasets.

Security risks:
The page file can contain sensitive information, but this is usually encrypted. For most users, the security risks associated with the page file are minimal and can be mitigated by using appropriate security measures. So, choosing to disable the pagefile does not help to improve security, as the system instability that may result from doing so may in fact have a negative impact on security. At least in part, Windows 11 hardware requirements are there to prevent system instability, also because system instability can be detrimental to security.

Development environment impact:
Some developers might disable the page file in specific testing environments, but this is not a general recommendation for all users.

In summary, choosing to NOT let Windows automatically manage the page file is generally not recommended unless you have a very specific reason and a large amount of RAM (16GB or more), and you understand the potential risks. (And before anyone should ask, no, just because you've always been lucky doesn't mean that the potential risks don't exist—that's nihilism. So, either you thoroughly undestand the risks or simply you don't, and, whether you like it or not, adding to the folklore now won't save your bacon later when things do go pear shaped.) It's often better to let Windows manage the page file automatically, as it's optimized to handle memory management efficiently.

cj02139 · Aug 14, 2025

Thanks for the replies and education. As I said, I was not looking to make a change and will let W11 do its thing. There should be plenty of room on the new SSD.
-ceej

westworldd · Dec 15, 2025

Quick modern method to completely disable Virtual Memory.
Reboot your system, pagefile.sys and swapfile.sys files will be gone.

Powershell:

# Page File Automatic Managed - Disable
$ComputerSystem = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_ComputerSystem
Set-CimInstance -CimInstance $ComputerSystem -Property @{
    AutomaticManagedPagefile = $false
}

# Page File Settings - Cleanup
$PageFile = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PageFileSetting
Remove-CimInstance -CimInstance $PageFile -Confirm:$false

Virtualization Manage Virtual Memory Paging File in Windows 11

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Add or Set Custom Paging File Size for Specific Drive

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Set Paging File Size for All Drives to be Automatically Managed using Command

Set Custom Paging File Size for Specific Drive using Command

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