Win11: I can only use 75% of my 32Gb memory, on Win10 I could use all 100% of it.

dimaxxxer · Aug 3, 2026

Hi.

When I had Win10 Pro when I opened multiple programs (Firefox with many tabs etc) I often reach 100% of used memory and only then I got a warning "low memory". Now on Win11 Pro I never reach more than 75-77% of my memory and then I get a low memory warning. I feel like windows is just stealing my money and I need to get an extra 16Gb or 32Gb instead of just using full amount. I've talked to ChatGPT and Gemini, my pagefile is managed by the system, no leaking drivers, software etc.

Thank you!

MysteriousBox · Aug 3, 2026

Can you go to Settings > System > About and show the "Installed Ram" section under Device Specs.

I also noticed you are using 1 DIMM slot instead of 2, is there a particular reason?

Klaver7 · Aug 3, 2026

Windows 11 25H2 on mine with browser open and many tabs open, I think you have alot of stuf running in the background.

XxXxX · Aug 3, 2026

please open system configuration
settings > windows tools > system configuration

in that window click the second tab 'boot'
in the boot window about halfway down to the left is a button 'Advanced Options'
click the advanced options button

in that advanced option window on the right is 'maximum memory'
tick the box and then set the maximum memory to 32768
(thats 32GB is 32768 in megabytes)

click OK and save all settings then a restart will be required
then see if that gives any improvement on your memory usage.

best of luck Steve ..

TraderGary · Aug 3, 2026

Here's what Copilot has to say;

What you’re seeing on Windows 11 is normal and expected. The low‑memory warning isn’t tied to RAM usage anymore — it’s tied to commit pressure, which includes RAM + pagefile + GPU shared memory + driver allocations + memory‑mapped files + system‑reserved regions.

In Windows 10, the OS would let RAM usage climb close to 100% before warning. The downside was instability: apps crashing, tabs unloading, GPU resets, and occasional system hangs.

Windows 11 changed the threshold intentionally. It warns earlier because:

Commit usage can be near the limit even when RAM is only 75%. Modern browsers, GPU drivers, and sandboxed processes reserve memory that doesn’t show up as “used RAM.”
Windows 11 reserves more memory for system components (GPU shared memory, security isolation, memory compression, WDDM 3.x, etc.).These reservations count toward commit but not toward visible RAM usage.
Memory compression is more aggressive, so RAM looks less full even when the system is under pressure.
The pagefile grows more conservatively than Windows 10, which makes commit limits easier to hit.

So the warning isn’t because Windows 11 is “stealing RAM” or preventing you from using what you paid for. It’s simply protecting system stability by warning based on the actual memory pressure instead of the old RAM‑only metric.

If your workloads ran fine on Windows 10, you don’t need more RAM unless you’re genuinely running out of commit headroom. The behavior itself is normal.

dimaxxxer · Aug 3, 2026

MysteriousBox said:
Can you go to Settings > System > About and show the "Installed Ram" section under Device Specs.

I also noticed you are using 1 DIMM slot instead of 2, is there a particular reason?

Hi and thank you for an answer! Here is my memory info.
I have one 32gb stick in 1st slot. Do you think that could make a difference? I thought that it either works or not and it has nothing to do with how Windows is managing memory. Thanks!

dimaxxxer · Aug 3, 2026

Klaver7 said:
Windows 11 25H2 on mine with browser open and many tabs open, I think you have alot of stuf running in the background.

View attachment 178453

Yes, I have a lot of rubbish running, but I want it to use all of my memory, not 75%. :)

dimaxxxer · Aug 3, 2026

XxXxX said:
please open system configuration
settings > windows tools > system configuration

in that window click the second tab 'boot'
in the boot window about halfway down to the left is a button 'Advanced Options'
click the advanced options button

in that advanced option window on the right is 'maximum memory'
tick the box and then set the maximum memory to 32768
(thats 32GB is 32768 in megabytes)

click OK and save all settings then a restart will be required
then see if that gives any improvement on your memory usage.

best of luck Steve ..

Hi Steve and thank you for answer! My system says I cannot change it due to SecureBoot feature... Windows help says that this setting cannot increase my memory usage, though, it is used for system diagnostics... Thank you for helping!

KevTech · Aug 3, 2026

In the upper right corner of the memory section of task manager click on the three dots then the drop down will show the resource monitor option.

Click on that then go to the memory tab in resource monitor and you can see how much memory every program is using.

If you are using integrated GPU then that will claim some ram from the system and you can not use that.

Your screenshot shows 23.8 in use and 7.9 available which would be 31.7 all together so I do not see the issue.
Need to use resource monitor and see what is using so much of the ram.

dimaxxxer · Aug 3, 2026

TraderGary said:
Here's what Copilot has to say;

What you’re seeing on Windows 11 is normal and expected. The low‑memory warning isn’t tied to RAM usage anymore — it’s tied to commit pressure, which includes RAM + pagefile + GPU shared memory + driver allocations + memory‑mapped files + system‑reserved regions.

In Windows 10, the OS would let RAM usage climb close to 100% before warning. The downside was instability: apps crashing, tabs unloading, GPU resets, and occasional system hangs.

Windows 11 changed the threshold intentionally. It warns earlier because:

Commit usage can be near the limit even when RAM is only 75%. Modern browsers, GPU drivers, and sandboxed processes reserve memory that doesn’t show up as “used RAM.”

Windows 11 reserves more memory for system components (GPU shared memory, security isolation, memory compression, WDDM 3.x, etc.).These reservations count toward commit but not toward visible RAM usage.

Memory compression is more aggressive, so RAM looks less full even when the system is under pressure.

The pagefile grows more conservatively than Windows 10, which makes commit limits easier to hit.

So the warning isn’t because Windows 11 is “stealing RAM” or preventing you from using what you paid for. It’s simply protecting system stability by warning based on the actual memory pressure instead of the old RAM‑only metric.

If your workloads ran fine on Windows 10, you don’t need more RAM unless you’re genuinely running out of commit headroom. The behavior itself is normal.

Hi Gary and thank you for help! I asked many times ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, but did not ask Copilot. :)

It is sad that I have 32gb and can use only 24. Weird thing. It is like buying a house with 4 bedrooms and you can use only 3. F..ck. :)

dimaxxxer · Aug 3, 2026

KevTech said:
In the upper right corner of the memory section of task manager click on the three dots then the drop down will show the resource monitor option.

Click on that then go to the memory tab in resource monitor and you can see how much memory every program is using.

View attachment 178457

Thanks! I've gone through this many times, learned about commit memory etc. I know which app is using which amount of memory. I am ok with these apps, I just want them to use ALL memory I have paid for. Isn't it silly to have a 4-room house and be able to use 3 rooms only? :)

FreeBooter · Aug 3, 2026

I see no RAM size usage limit Windows 11 has made significant improvements to how it handles both physical and virtual memory compared to Windows 10. The new memory management system in Windows 11 is smarter, faster, and better at using SSDs for virtual memory. While you will need a bit more physical memory (RAM) to run Windows 11, the overall experience should be more responsive and stable, especially when running multiple applications or large programs.

FreeBooter · Aug 3, 2026

dimaxxxer said:
Thanks! I've gone through this many times, learned about commit memory etc. I know which app is using which amount of memory. I am ok with these apps, I just want them to use ALL memory I have paid for. Isn't it silly to have a 4-room house and be able to use 3 rooms only? :)

Pray that you never have to use all RAM as this will bring about out of memory error and slow down your computer.

KevTech · Aug 3, 2026

dimaxxxer said:
I just want them to use ALL memory I have paid for.

Are you using Integrated graphics?

Those claim ram from the system as they do not have dedicated ram like a GPU does.
Integrated graphics can use up to 50% of the ram when using a demanding game or 3D application.

What does your resource monitor graph show?

Here is mine.

dimaxxxer · Aug 3, 2026

KevTech said:
In the upper right corner of the memory section of task manager click on the three dots then the drop down will show the resource monitor option.

Click on that then go to the memory tab in resource monitor and you can see how much memory every program is using.

View attachment 178457

If you are using integrated GPU then that will claim some ram from the system and you can not use that.

Your screenshot shows 23.8 in use and 7.9 available which would be 31.7 all together so I do not see the issue.
Need to use resource monitor and see what is using so much of the ram.

View attachment 178458

What do you think we could see in Resource monitor and how could it help us? My computer crashed and I had to restart it, I don't have all memory used it, so cannot test it in Resource Monitor.

dimaxxxer · Aug 3, 2026

KevTech said:
Are you using Integrated graphics?

Those claim ram from the system as they do not have dedicated ram like a GPU does.
Integrated graphics can use up to 50% of the ram when using a demanding game or 3D application.

What does your resource monitor graph show?

Here is mine.

View attachment 178459

Yes, I have integrated graphics, but I never play games or do anything demanding.

dimaxxxer · Aug 3, 2026

FreeBooter said:
I see no RAM size usage limit Windows 11 has made significant improvements to how it handles both physical and virtual memory compared to Windows 10. The new memory management system in Windows 11 is smarter, faster, and better at using SSDs for virtual memory. While you will need a bit more physical memory (RAM) to run Windows 11, the overall experience should be more responsive and stable, especially when running multiple applications or large programs.

So how did the memory management in Win11 became better? What are the benefits of being able to use only 24gb of memory out of 32gb? Imagine that you have a 4 room house and can only use 3 rooms and guys who built it told that it is actually a very nice feature to be able to use only 3 rooms. :)

KevTech · Aug 3, 2026

dimaxxxer said:
but I never play games or do anything demanding

Firefox can be demanding if you have enough tabs open.

What does processes tab in task manager show firefox is using for memory?

Mine only using about 500 MB.

dimaxxxer · Aug 3, 2026

KevTech said:
Firefox can be demanding if you have enough tabs open.

What does processes tab in task manager show firefox is using for memory?

Mine only using about 500 MB.

View attachment 178461

I have many tabs open, maybe 100. So alltogether my Firefox is about 5-6gb.

Ghot · Aug 3, 2026

dimaxxxer said:
I have many tabs open, maybe 100. So alltogether my Firefox is about 5-6gb.

100 tabs???
Don't you use bookmarks?

Even when I'm comparing a bunch of items on Amazon and other stores... I rarely get more than 20-25 tabs open.

I don't use System managed page file.

I only have 16GB of RAM and I never get low memory.

In Task Manager on the "Processes" tab, if you click at the top of the Memory column, it will sort with the things using the most memory, at the top...

Win11: I can only use 75% of my 32Gb memory, on Win10 I could use all 100% of it.

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