A page file can significantly impact the way your Windows operating system performs. If you adjust it correctly, you can get the best performance that your hard drive and other components can deliver.

Other factors can affect your computer’s performance, but the paging or swap files also contribute to this. It’s something that you cannot ignore.

For most circumstances, the default setting of letting Windows handle it is fine. But you want something more specific when you own some older hardware or have a unique hard drive configuration.

Note: If you have a modern SSD, and there is enough space left free on it, you shouldn’t need to adjust the size of the page file, and letting Windows handle everything should work well.

Right-click on the ‘This PC’ icon on the desktop and left-click on ‘Properties’. Then left-click on ‘Advanced system settings’.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a ‘This PC’ icon on your desktop, hold down the Windows key on your keyboard and tap the ‘R’ key.

Then type ‘sysdm.cpl’ (without the quotes) into the Run box and click on the ‘OK’ button.

Then type in ‘sysdm.cpl’ (without the quotes) and click on the ‘OK’ button.

Left-click on the ‘Advanced’ tab then click on the ‘Settings’ button in the ‘Performance’ box. Next, click on the ‘Advanced’ tab and on the ‘Change’ button in the ‘Virtual memory’ box.

You must uncheck the ‘Automatically manage paging file size for all drives’ checkbox. This will allow access to adjust the settings.

Select the drive you’d like to change for the paging file.

You can then select a ‘Custom size’ to enter your own amount, let the system manage it, or turn the paging file off completely.

If you choose to set a custom amount, you need to multiply your total RAM amount and multiply it by 1.5 (under initial size). Set the maximum size to 3 times your total RAM amount.

You can see how much RAM you have from your ‘System Properties’ window. (Right-click ‘This PC’ icon and left-click ‘Properties’.)

One and a half times the total amount of RAM for the initial size (MB). And three times the amount of RAM for Maximum size (MB).

Follow the steps above to add a custom amount you want if the automatic amounts are too high.

Out of all the various reasons you want to set pagefile, achieving something that works well might involve some trial and error.

But in my experience, the system default has worked fine in most cases. So consider carefully the reason you might have before you change settings.