How to fix high memory (RAM) usage and slow performance on Windows 10/11

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix high memory (RAM) usage and slow performance on Windows 10/11. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

High memory (RAM) usage can cause your computer to feel sluggish, lead to applications freezing or crashing, and significantly hinder your productivity. When your system runs out of available physical memory, Windows uses a portion of your hard drive as "virtual memory," which is much slower and results in noticeable lagging.

Quick Fix Steps

Before diving into deep system analysis, try these immediate actions to reclaim memory:

• Restart your computer: This clears the RAM entirely and stops any "memory leaks" caused by poorly optimised software.
• Close unused browser tabs: Modern browsers are memory-intensive. If you have dozens of tabs open, your browser may stop loading pages efficiently.
• Shut down background apps: Close communication tools (like Teams or Zoom) or cloud sync apps that you aren't actively using.

Detailed Instructions

Identifying Memory-Hungry Applications

To fix the problem, you first need to identify which specific process is consuming your resources.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
2. If the window is small, click More details at the bottom.
3. Click the Processes tab.
4. Click the Memory column header to sort processes by the amount of RAM they are using (highest at the top).
5. Review the list. If a non-essential application is using an unusual amount of memory, right-click it and select End task.

Managing Startup Applications

Many applications are configured to launch automatically when Windows starts, consuming RAM in the background even if you never open them.

1. Open the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
2. Navigate to the Startup apps tab (represented by a speedometer icon in Windows 11).
3. Analyse the list of apps and their Startup impact.
4. Right-click any unnecessary application (e.g., Spotify, Cortana, or third-party update managers) and select Disable.
5. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Optimising Virtual Memory (Paging File)

If your physical RAM is consistently full, Windows manages a pagefile.sys on your drive to prevent the system from crashing.

1. Press the Windows Key, type Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows, and press Enter.
2. Go to the Advanced tab.
3. Under the Virtual memory section, click Change....
4. Ensure that Automatically manage paging file size for all drives is checked. This is the recommended setting for most small business users.
5. Click OK and restart your system.

Troubleshooting Persistent Issues

Scanning for Malware

Some malicious software operates in the background, consuming vast amounts of system resources to perform hidden tasks.

1. Press the Windows Key and type Windows Security.
2. Go to Virus & threat protection.
3. Select Quick scan to check for immediate threats.

Checking for System Corruption

If your computer is running slow despite low application usage, system files may be corrupted.

1. Press the Windows Key, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
3. Windows will analyse and repair corrupted system files. This process may take several minutes.

If you have followed these steps and your system performance has not improved, please Open a Ticket so our technical team can perform a remote diagnostic of your hardware.

Still Having Issues?