A page file (also known as a "paging file") is an optional, hidden system file on a hard disk.
Applies to: Windows 10
Functionality
Page files have the following functionalities.
Physical extension of RAM
Page files enable the system to remove infrequently accessed modified pages from physical memory to let the system use physical memory more efficiently for more frequently accessed pages.
Application requirements
Some products or services require a page file for various reasons. For specific information, check the product documentation.
For example, the following Windows servers require page files:
Windows Server domain controllers (DCs)
DFS Replication (DFS-R) servers
Certificate servers
ADAM/LDS servers
This requirement is because the algorithm of the database cache for Extensible Storage Engine (ESENT, or ESE for Microsoft Exchange Server) depends on the "\Memory\Transition Pages RePurposed/sec" performance monitor counter. A page file is required to ensure that the database cache can release memory if other services or applications request memory.
For Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V and Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V, the page file of the management OS (commonly called the host OS) should be left at the default of setting of "System Managed".
Support for system crash dumps
Page files can be used to "back" (or support) system crash dumps and extend how much system-committed memory (also known as "virtual memory") a system can support.
When large physical memory is installed, a page file might not be required to support the system commit charge during peak usage. For example, 64-bit versions of Windows and Windows Server support more physical memory (RAM) than 32-bit versions support. The available physical memory alone might be large enough.
However, the reason to configure the page file size hasn't changed. It has always been about supporting a system crash dump, if it's necessary, or extending the system commit limit, if it's necessary. For example, when a lot of physical memory is installed, a page file might not be required to back the system commit charge during peak usage. The available physical memory alone might be large enough to do this. However, a page file or a dedicated dump file might still be required to back a system crash dump.
Page files extend how much "committed memory" (also known as "virtual memory") is used to store modified data.
The system commit memory limit is the sum of physical memory and all page files combined. It represents the maximum system-committed memory (also known as the "system commit charge") that the system can support.
Note
In the screenshot, the committed bytes (RAM+Pagefile in use currently) is 6.8 GB and the commit limit (RAM+Pagefile total) is 37.7 GB.
The system commit charge is the total committed or "promised" memory of all committed virtual memory in the system. If the system commit charge reaches the system commit limit, the system and processes might not get committed memory. This condition can cause freezing, crashing, and other malfunctions. Therefore, make sure that you set the system commit limit high enough to support the system commit charge during peak usage.
The system committed charge and system committed limit can be measured on the Performance tab in Task Manager or by using the "\Memory\Committed Bytes" and "\Memory\Commit Limit" performance counters. The \Memory\% Committed Bytes In Use counter is a ratio of \Memory\Committed Bytes to \Memory\Commit Limit values.
Note
System-managed page files automatically grow up to three times the physical memory or 4 GB (whichever is larger, but no more than one-eighth of the volume size) when the system commit charge reaches 90 percent of the system commit limit. This assumes that enough free disk space is available to accommodate the growth.
Page size is usually determined by the processor architecture. Traditionally, pages in a system had uniform size, such as 4,096 bytes. However, processor designs often allow two or more, sometimes simultaneous, page sizes due to its benefits.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Page_(computer_memory)
files enable the system to remove infrequently accessed modified pages from physical memory to let the system use physical memory more efficiently for more frequently accessed pages.
The pagefile. sys file, also known as a page or paging file, is a default system file found on Windows operating systems, including Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server. A page file is a way for Windows to virtually extend the available memory on a system.
sys is the Windows paging (or swap) file used to manage virtual memory. It's used when a system is low on physical memory (RAM). Pagefile.sys can be removed, but it's best to let Windows manage it for you.
These are some of the key things you need to know about Pagefile. sys. Once again, it's important to note that you should never delete this file, nor will the system allow you to.
Computers that are running Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Windows Server usually must have a page file to support a system crash dump. System administrators can now create a dedicated dump file instead. A dedicated dump file is a page file that isn't used for paging.
Click Settings under Performance. Click the Advanced tab, and click Change under Virtual Memory. Select the drive to use to store the paging file. Select Custom size and set Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB).
The PageFile is the space on your drive used for Virtual Memory, you cannot and should not try to delete that, if you do, you will corrupt Windows and Windows may not start again.
If you have multiple physical drives -- not just multiple partitions of a single drive -- you can increase the system speed by splitting the paging file across two drives.
Right click on pagefile.sys, and select “Delete.” Depending on the size of your pagefile. sys, it may bypass the Recycle Bin and be deleted immediately. Restart your computer.
You should never set that setting to 'No Page File' or set a manual amount either, you should always let Windows Manage your Virtual Memory, otherwise you either may not be able to boot up windows or you may experience many problems with software such as lagging.
Otherwise known as 'virtual memory', a huge pagefile. sys can indicate that it might be time to upgrade the system's RAM and that virtual memory is being relied on too heavily. Virtual memory is only used when RAM reaches its limits and only the least-used data that are typically held in RAM is sent there, usually.
We recommend that you either allow the system to manage the page file size or to set it at 150% of the size of the physical RAM. Click OK, and then restart the computer to apply the changes.
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 pagefile is by default located in the root directory of the system drive, typically the C: drive. The pagefile is part of Windows' virtual memory system, which abstracts the physical memory through the use of virtual addresses.
Otherwise known as 'virtual memory', a huge pagefile. sys can indicate that it might be time to upgrade the system's RAM and that virtual memory is being relied on too heavily. Virtual memory is only used when RAM reaches its limits and only the least-used data that are typically held in RAM is sent there, usually.
You should never set that setting to 'No Page File' or set a manual amount either, you should always let Windows Manage your Virtual Memory, otherwise you either may not be able to boot up windows or you may experience many problems with software such as lagging.
Cause: A Windows best practice is to set the paging file size to equal to or greater than the total amount of available physical memory. Garbage collection is typically more effective at automatic recovery of heap memory when managed heap size approximates paging size.
Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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