Windows 10 virtual memory/pagefile discrepancies

Question

My Windows 10 system is using far too much virtual memory

How do I stop this?

Using HWiNFO64 you can see I currently have about 75 GB of virtual memory on my system and am using a massive 31 GB. The average load is ~30 GB too.

However this system has 64 GB of RAM. And there is a load of only about 40% RAM with an average of 40 GB free, more than enough to cover the virtual memory.

However, I have set my system to never use anywhere near this much virtual memory. How is it allocating almost 10x the amount I have in the Virtual Memory settings?

(Performance Monitor also has a weird % that doesn't agree.)

Questions

1. Why am I using so much virtual memory when the system says it is prevented from doing so?
2. How do I stop this?
3. Also, why am I being told I have pagefile usage where there is no pagefile in my c:\ (I have hidden files visible)?

Answer 1

Why am I using so much virtual memory when the system says it is prevented from doing so?

The tool is reporting the amount of memory in a weird way. You are not actually using 32.5 GB worth of virtual memory. You are only using the difference between 25,519 GB and 31,479 GB.

The tool is combining the amount of virtual memory you have allowed the system to have and the physical memory that is installed. I have confirmed this behavior with my own system.

How do I stop this?

There is nothing to stop the program is working as it was designed.

You seriously should think about using a different program other than HWiNFO64 to monitor your memory usage.

Also, why am I being told I have pagefile usage where there is no pagefile in my c:\ (I have hidden files visible)?

Be sure you showing hidden are not hiding protected operating system files.

Answer 2

My Windows 10 system is using far too much virtual memory

It is not.

Using HWiNFO64 you can see I currently have about 75 GB of virtual memory on my system and am using a massive 31 GB. The average load is ~30 GB too.

Which is perfectly normal seeing how physical memory use is at ~25 GiB. Applications routinely ask more memory of the system than they will actually use. This memory is reserved (“committed”) in virtual memory. All memory reservations must be available for programs to actually use, there is no overcommit on Windows.

The 31,479 + 43,677 MB you’re seeing add up to 75,156 MB which is almost exactly the amount of physical memory you mention (64 GiB) + the page file size as indicated by Windows (9,728 MiB). The virtual memory size is physical memory plus all page files.

The page file enables efficient use of physical memory. When you disable the page file, committed but unused regions of memories will fill your physical memory.

1. Why am I using so much virtual memory when the system says it is prevented from doing so?

Where did you get the impression the system is saying that? It’s not.

2. How do I stop this?

You don’t and you don’t want to.

3. Also, why am I being told I have pagefile usage where there is no pagefile in my c:\ (I have hidden files visible)?

Who knows. Windows may have created it anyway because it’s required for efficient memory management. pagefile.sys is a system hidden file and will not show up along with regular hidden files. It is only visible when “Hide protected operating system files” is disabled.