[Tutorial] How to clear RAM in a Windows computer

[Mr.Hacker]

How to clear RAM in a Windows computer

 

When you run out of all the available RAM on your computer, you may notice that your device is struggling to perform tasks. If you find that your computer's applications crash most of the time and take longer to perform simple tasks, then you may be thinking about how to free up RAM on your computer. In this article we will talk about how to clear RAM in a Windows computer - a tutorial. Lets start!

 
What is RAM?

Your computer's random access memory (RAM) is actually stored on a memory chip, which is usually located on the motherboard. Here your computer stores short-term data. RAM is actually the center for storing all active and running programs, as well as processes. Your computer uses the information it has stored in RAM to perform tasks while receiving and performing other functions.
When you use up all available RAM, your computer's performance may slow down because there is no storage space to perform its tasks. When you free up RAM space, it allows your computer to perform more tasks. Depending on your computer, there are several different ways you can free up RAM space.

 
How to clear RAM in Windows PC

Let's look at ways to reduce the amount of RAM you use. You don't have to do this most of the time, but they are useful when you notice a problem.

Restart your computer

This is advice that you are probably familiar with, but it is actually po[CENSORED]r for a reason.
Restarting your computer will also completely clear the RAM and will also restart all running processes. While this obviously won't maximize available RAM, it will clear up processes that are running in the background and that may be consuming your memory.
You should also restart your computer regularly so that it does not clutter up, especially if you use it constantly.

 
Check the use of RAM with Windows tools

You don't need to know what your RAM is actually using; Windows provides tools to show you. To start, open Task Manager by looking for it in the Start menu, or you can also use Ctrl + Shift + Esc for quick access.
Tap More information to expand to the full program if you need it. Then on Processes, press the memory title to sort from the least to the least use of RAM. Keep in mind the applications you see here, as we will discuss more about them later.
For more information you need to go to the performance section. In memory there you will see a diagram of RAM usage over time. Tap Open the resource monitor at the bottom and then you can get more details about the memory tab.
The graph at the bottom will actually show you how much RAM you have for free. Sort by Fix (KB) in the list above to see which programs use most of your RAM.

Uninstall or disable the software

Now that you've seen which applications use the most RAM on your system, now consider whether or not you actually use them. An easy way to free up RAM is to prevent the use of programs that you never use anyway!

 

Applications that you haven't opened in months are actually just wasting resources on your computer. So you have to remove them. Do this by navigating to Settings> Applications and tapping Uninstall in each application you want to delete.
If you don't want to uninstall an application because you use it occasionally, you can instead prevent it from starting. Many applications are set to start automatically every time you log in, which is too much if you rarely use them.

Use lighter applications and manage programs

What if you really need to reduce RAM usage, but applications that embed RAM are needed for your workflow? You can also handle this in two ways.
First, try to use lighter alternatives to applications when you can. If your computer is having trouble when you have Photoshop open, try using a smaller application like Paint.NET or GIMP for minor edits. Use Photoshop only when you are fully committed to the project.
Second, pay more attention to the programs you open. Close any software that you do not actually work with. Check the open browser tabs that you want to read later, then close them to free RAM. Maintaining a tighter reason for the open will help free up RAM.

Stop running background applications

The next items that may take up RAM are your applications, which run automatically in the background. You may have used your computer for years before you noticed that some of these applications actually took up your RAM. This can quickly deplete memory, battery and data bandwidth.

 

To stop background applications:

• Navigate to the computer settings.
• Touch the "Privacy" category.
• Then scroll down the panel on the left to Background Applications.
• Turn off all apps you don't use.

Applications are set to run automatically in the background on your device. This allows them to display notifications and also update their software automatically. By turning this off on applications you don't use, you can save RAM.

Scan for malware

When you download any software programs or extensions to your computer, they may have a virus or malware attached. When you have malware on your computer, it can steal both your information and your RAM. It's worth checking for malware on your computer actually. Fraudulent resource theft software will definitely drain your available RAM.

Adjusting the virtual memory

If you see error messages that your system has low virtual memory, then you can also increase this and hope to maintain stable performance.
If you want to do this, look for the Control Panel in the Start menu to open it. Switch the view category at the top right to Small Icons (if necessary), and then select System. On the left, tap Advanced System Settings, which will open a new window.

 

Here, on the advanced, you need to tap the Settings button under Performance. Switch to advanced again and then click the change button in the virtual memory tab.
You will now see the paging file size for your main device here. In most cases, you can exit Automatic Control and have Windows take care of it. However, if you run out of virtual memory, you may need to uncheck this and also set Initial Size and Maximum Size to higher values.

Try ReadyBoost

If your computer still has an older mechanical hard disk drive (HDD), you can try a lesser-known Windows feature called ReadyBoost to increase RAM. This allows you to plug in a flash drive or SD card, which Windows effectively treats as additional RAM.
While it sounds great, this feature offers limited use today. If your computer has an SSD, ReadyBoost will do nothing. This is because an SSD is faster than a flash drive.
Also, because computers have more RAM installed by default now, you won't see as much profit from ReadyBoost as in an anemic system many years ago. ReadyBoost's "pretending RAM" doesn't actually offer the same performance improvements as adding more RAM.

Reduce visual effects

As technology improves, there are many more options for your computer effects and visual effects. For example, you can turn off animations for applications and icons that use storage and for unnecessary effects. If you seem to have little memory for RAM, then there are some effects that you can release unless you free up more memory.

To access the visual effects on your computer:

First open File Explorer.
Right-click "This Computer" in the left pane to select properties.
Touch "Advanced System Settings" on the left.
Select the "Advanced" tab.
Then select settings in the "Performance" category.
Now change to Adjustment for Best Performance.
This setting will then disable all animated features on your computer. This will create more storage space, but will significantly limit the aesthetics of your computer. But you can also customize which visual effects your computer will perform according to your preferences and in the same section.

Install more RAM

If you always have a little RAM or want to run more programs at once. Then there's really no way around it: you need to add some more RAM to your machine. While not cheap, adding RAM will also give much improved performance if your computer hasn't had much before.
If you are wondering how to get more RAM, know that it is possible to increase RAM just by adding physical sticks to your machine. Allegations of online "download more RAM" are jokes; it is impossible to add memory this way.
On the desktop, increasing your RAM is a really simple upgrade. But due to the limited space of the laptop it can be difficult or even impossible on portable machines. You will also need to make sure that you purchase RAM that is compatible with your system.