How To: Increase Virtual Memory beyond the Recommended Maximum (2024)

FAQs

How To: Increase Virtual Memory beyond the Recommended Maximum? ›

In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab and click Performance Options. In the Performance Options dialog, under Virtual memory, click Change. In the Virtual memory dialog box, select a drive. Under Paging file size for selected drive, type new values for initial and maximum sizes for the disk.

In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab and click Performance Options. In the Performance Options dialog, under Virtual memory, click Change. In the Virtual memory dialog box, select a drive. Under Paging file size for selected drive, type new values for initial and maximum sizes for the disk.

Summary: Low virtual memory on a Windows PC is caused due to insufficient RAM or low paging file value. You can fix the issue by simply disabling multiple apps running simultaneously or increasing the virtual memory limits. Read this blog for a list of methods to resolve the low virtual memory issue on your Windows PC.

Allocating too little HDD space for virtual memory can result in a computer running out of RAM. If a system continually needs more virtual memory space, it may be wise to consider adding RAM. Common OSes may generally recommend users not increase virtual memory beyond 1 ½ times the amount of RAM.

Note: Microsoft recommends that virtual memory be set at no less than 1.5 times and no more than 3 times the amount of RAM on the computer. For power PC owners (most UE/UC users), there is likely at least 2 GB of RAM, so the virtual memory can be set up to 6,144 MB (6 GB).

However, with advancements in technology and more efficient operating systems, this rule is not as rigid as it once was. For a system with 16GB RAM, setting the virtual memory between 24GB to 32GB is a good starting point, but adjustments might be needed based on specific use cases.

Running out of virtual memory can lead to a system crash or freeze.

Microsoft recommends that you set virtual memory to be no less than 1.5 times and no more than 3 times the amount of RAM on your computer.

As a rule of thumb, the paging file should be a minimum of 1.5 times the size of your installed RAM, and a maximum of 3 times your RAM size. For example, if you have 8 GB RAM, your minumum would be 1024 x 8 x 1.5 = 12,288 MB, and your maximum would be 1024 x 8 x 3 = 24,576 MB.

The virtual machine will run fine, however the programs running natively on the operating system may get swapped to disk and slow down. The operating system will keep going, as it will manage things. If the vm tries to max out it memory, it may get suspended until the other idle programs are swapped out.

How much memory should I assign to my virtual machine? ›

A good starting point is to allocate 2 GB for Windows 10 or later desktops. If you want to use one of the hardware accelerated graphics features for 3D workloads, VMware recommends two virtual CPUs and 4 GB of RAM.

Increasing Virtual Memory in Windows 10

Choose Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows. In the new window, go to the Advanced tab and under the Virtual memory section, click on Change. At the bottom of the new window, check what the Recommended value is and how it compares to Currently allocated.

Disadvantages of virtual memory: Performance overhead, increased latency due to page faults, thrashing, increased hardware requirements, and complex management.

RAM expansion does more harm than good. Phones with 8+ GB of actual RAM will still have more than half the RAM used by Android/Oxygen OS to make switching between apps smoother and cache apps so they don't restart. This in itself works better with actual RAM instead of RAM expansion.

Click Edit Virtual Machine Settings. Click Hard Disk. Click Utilities > Expand, enter the new size, then click Expand. Complete the steps in Increasing the size of a disk partition (1004071), so that the guest operating system is aware of the change in disk size.

Microsoft recommends that you set virtual memory to be no less than 1.5 times and no more than 3 times the amount of RAM on your computer. For power PC owners (like most UE/UC users), you likely have at least 2GB of RAM so your virtual memory can be set up to 6,144 MB (6 GB).

Running out of virtual memory can lead to a system crash or freeze. When your computer exhausts both physical random-access memory (RAM) and virtual memory, it has nowhere to store essential data, resulting in instability. Operating systems often display error messages or automatically restart to prevent data loss.