How can I free up more RAM on Windows?

Windows has its own Task Manager tool that allows you to view how much RAM is available and what applications are using it. By identifying resource-intensive programs and disabling them, you can free up RAM on your system. In addition, some users also opt to upgrade their RAM or install additional RAM to increase their system’s performance.

1. Identify Resource-Intensive Programs
One way to free up RAM is to identify and disable any resource-intensive programs. Open the Task Manager by pressing the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys on your keyboard and clicking on “Task Manager”. This will open a window that shows you the memory and CPU usage of each program currently running on your system. Look for programs that are using large portions of RAM and consider disabling them if they are not essential.

2. Upgrade Your RAM
Another way to free up RAM is to upgrade the amount of RAM installed on your system. All systems have a limit on how much RAM they can accommodate. Check your system’s manufacturer website to find out what type and size of RAM is compatible with your system. If additional RAM matches your system’s specifications, shut down your system and install the new RAM module following the installation instructions provided by the manufacturer.

3. Change Visual Effects Settings
Windows has various visual effects that can take up a significant amount of system resources. To limit the use of these effects, open the Control Panel then click on “System and Security”. Then click on “System” and select “Advanced system settings” from the left sidebar. From the Performance tab, click “Settings” and select the “Adjust for best performance” in the Visual Effects tab.

4. Disable Startup Programs
Programs that run at startup can also be a major cause of RAM usage. To identify and disable any unwanted programs, open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Click on the “Startup” tab and look for programs that you do not want to run every time you start your system. Select a program and click the “Disable” button to stop it from running.

5. Clear Cache Files and Temporary Files
Cached files and temporary files take up a lot of space in the RAM and can cause your system to slow down. To clear the cache files, open the Run window (Windows+R) and type in “%temp%”. Delete all the files in the Temp folder. To clear temporary files, go to Settings > System > Storage and click “Temporary Files”. Select the temporary files you want to remove and click “Remove files”.

6. Uninstall Unnecessary Programs
Uninstalling any unnecessary programs that you no longer need can free up RAM on your system. To uninstall a program, open the Control Panel, go to Programs and Features, select the program you want to uninstall and click the “Uninstall” button. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.

7. Reduce Background Applications
Background applications can also take up a significant amount of RAM. To reduce the number of background applications, open the Task Manager and click on the “Processes” tab. Look for any applications that are running in the background and select them. Then click the “End task” button to stop the application from running.

8. Turn Off Search Indexing
Search indexing is a feature in Windows that helps improve search results. However, it can also take up a significant amount of RAM. To turn off indexing, open the Control Panel, go to Indexing Options, click “Modify” and select the folders you want to exclude from indexing. Click “OK” to save the changes and restart your computer.

To sum up, freeing up RAM on Windows is not difficult but it does require some work. As outlined above, identify and disable resource-intensive programs, upgrade your RAM, clear cache files and temporary files, uninstall unnecessary programs, reduce background applications, and turn off search indexing. Following these steps will help you free up more RAM on your Windows system.