Virtual memory, mainly through page files (usually pagefiles in Windows systemssys) as a complement to physical memory (RAM). When a system's RAM usage is approaching its upper limit, virtual memory allows the operating system to move some of the data from the RAM to the hard disk to avoid the system running slow or crashing. While virtual memory itself is not designed to be "cleaned", there are several ways you can manage or reconfigure it to optimize system performance:
Resizing virtual memory can help improve system performance or free up disk space.
In Windows, open the Control Panel >System & Security" > System >Advanced System Settings.
In the System Properties window, under the Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Performance section.
In the Performance Options window, switch to the Advanced tab and click the Change button in the Virtual Memory section.
Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, and then you can customize the paging file size for each drive.
For security reasons, you can set the system to clean up paging files every time you shut down.
This requires modifying the registry, so make sure to back up the registry before doing so.
Open the Run dialog box (Win+R), type regedit and press enter to open the registry editor.
Navigate to hkey local machine system currentcontrolset control session manager memory management.
Find or create a DWORD value called ClearPageFileAtShutdown and set it to 1.
You can "clean up" paging files by disabling virtual memory and then re-enabling it.
Follow the steps above to resize virtual memory, but select No paging files in the Virtual memory settings, apply and restart your computer.
After restarting, follow the same steps again to set up or enable paging files.
Frequent modification of virtual memory settings is not always recommended, unless you really need to address a specific performance issue.
In some cases, increasing physical memory (RAM) may be a better way to solve the problem of low virtual memory.
Cleaning up or disabling virtual memory can have a negative impact on system stability and performance, especially if memory requirements are high.
By properly configuring and managing virtual memory, you can optimize the overall health of your system without sacrificing system performance.