Not too long away, I was going all guns blazing showering a ton of praise on my Windows laptop for being pretty smooth and efficient. Suddenly, things turned 360° or perhaps the notebook fell prey to my enviable adoration. The device became rather sluggish and overheated time and time again to the point where I had to stop working and let it rest for some time.
Annoyed by this unexpected turn of events, I decided to dig into the root cause of the problem which helped me discover that it was the high RAM/CPU usage that was throttling my daily driver. Having nabbed the real culprit, I could resolve the issue through some viable tips and tricks. If you are also pretty much in the same boat as me, check out these 28 reliable ways to fix high memory usage on Windows 11 24H2 and bring your PC back on track as soon as possible so that your productivity no longer suffers. Keep reading…
Best Tips & Tricks to Fix High Memory Usage on Windows 11 Like a Pro
So, what compels your Windows device to gobble up a ton of memory usage? Diving into the real issue, I figured out these prime reasons why it crops up on a PC…
- Too many startup apps
- Background apps running
- Malware or viruses
- Outdated drivers
- Resource-heavy programs
- Memory leaks
- Inefficient apps
- Unoptimized system settings
- High-demand tasks
- Overloaded virtual memory
- Insufficient RAM
- System bloatware
- Inactive apps consuming memory
- Background processes
- Heavy visual effects
The good thing is Windows 11 provides a number of official ways to prevent a PC from eating into plenty of precious resources. Hence, there is a high chance that you will be able to get rid of these obstacles by customizing the settings or taking control of the factors that tend to trigger the chaos, making your PC struggle and your productivity suffer like never before.
1. Close Unnecessary Background Apps
It’s worth pointing out upfront that the background apps can eat into a lot of memory even if you’re not actively using them. Therefore, make sure to close all useless background apps.
- To get it done, go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
- Now, you need to click on the three dots next to the apps you don’t need.
- After that, select the Advanced options in the menu.
- Head over to the Background apps permissions, and select “Never”.
2. Disable Startup Programs
Bear in mind that some programs automatically start with Windows, thereby gobbling up plenty of memory unnecessarily.
- To take control of the startup programs on your Windows 11 device, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Navigate to the Startup tab and disable unnecessary programs.
3. Check for Malware
Note that the malware can quickly finish resources, including memory, resulting in issues like sluggishness and rapid battery draining on your Windows device.
- On your Computer, open Windows Security by searching for it in the Start menu > Privacy & security.
- Then, you need to run a full system scan under Virus & Threat Protection to detect and flush out all the threats that are affecting your PC.
4. Increase Virtual Memory
As a PC user, you should be fully aware of the fact that virtual memory enables your computer to use disk space as extra RAM.
- Simply, right-click on This PC, and select Properties.
- Click Advanced system settings and choose the Settings option under Performance.
- Now, head into the Advanced tab and click Change under Virtual Memory.
- Then, you have to set a custom size.
5. Disable Windows Visual Effects
Visual effects like animations are pretty cool but they come at the cost of consuming plenty of system resources.
- On your Windows 11 computer, dive into Settings > System > About > Advanced system settings.
- Under Performance, select Settings.
- Now, select Adjust for best performance or manually disable all the redundant effects.
6. Keep All Apps Updated
- If certain apps tend to consume relatively more memory, update them all by heading into the Microsoft Store > Library tab.
7. Repair/Reset the Problematic Apps
- In case, some apps continue to consume more memory, make full use of Windows 11’s built-in repair and reset functionalities by going into the Settings app > Apps > Installed Apps > Finding the app in question and hitting the triple dot icon located next to it > Advanced options > Repair/Reset.
8. Update Windows
Windows updates often come up with a wide range of performance improvements and bug fixes, which is precisely why experts recommend keeping your PC forever updated.
- To install the latest update, fire up Settings > Windows Update, and click Check for updates.
9. Update Device Drivers
Outdated drivers are in deep love with the high memory usage that triggers instability and system crashing.
- Open Device Manager > locate your device and right-click on it > Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
10. Reinstall Device Drivers
- If updating the device drivers has yielded no results, reinstall the drivers by going to the Device Manager > locate your device > right-click on it and choose Uninstall device. Then, make sure to restart your PC so that it can automatically install the latest drivers.
11. Use Task Manager to Identify Memory Hogs
Task Manager has long been incredibly helpful in identifying apps and processes consuming too much memory.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, go to the Processes tab, and sort by memory usage.
- End high-memory processes that you don’t need.
12. Disable Superfetch (SysMain)
At times, Superfetch (SysMain) can consume way too much memory by preloading apps.
- Open Services (type services.msc in the Start menu) on your PC.
- Now, find SysMain, and set its startup type to Disabled.
13. Disable Hibernation
Did you know that hibernation reserves memory on the disk, which leads to high memory usage?
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator > type powercfg -h off > press Enter.
14. Increase RAM (if possible)
Adding more RAM physically can go a long way in reducing the high memory usage on your device.
- To begin with, you need to first shut down the computer.
- After that, open the case, and install more RAM.
- Be sure to refer to your motherboard’s manual for the exact process.
15. Check for Memory Leaks
Keep a close eye on greedy apps or services as they might have memory leaks, resulting in excessive memory usage.
- To do so, launch the Task Manager on your device.
- Then, spot the applications that consistently increase memory usage.
- Restart the app or update it if necessary.
16. Adjust Power Settings to High Performance
Power-saving modes are designed to reduce available memory performance.
- Launch Settings and go to System > Power & Battery.
- Select Power Mode and set it to Best performance.
17. Clean Boot Windows 11
A clean boot is exceptionally handy in flushing out the third-party programs causing memory issues.
- Type msconfig in the Start menu.
- Go to System Configuration.
- Under the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services.
- Then, you have to disable the remaining services and restart your PC.
18. Check for Memory Errors
Faulty memory modules are also equally responsible for high memory usage.
- Press Win + R, type mdsched.exe, and press Enter.
- Choose Restart now and check for problems.
19. Uninstall Unnecessary Apps
Bloatware or unnecessary apps never miss any chance to take up a lot of memory.
- Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, select unnecessary apps, and click Uninstall.
20. Disable or Limit Background Apps
Some apps never shy away from running in the background and using up memory – by keeping you in the dark.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Background Apps, and turn off apps that you don’t need running.
21. Optimize Startup Time with Windows Tools
Decreasing the startup tasks can also play a vital role in freeing up memory during boot.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Dive into the Startup tab and then make sure to disable non-essential startup apps.
22. Manage Memory with Windows Resource Monitor
Resource Monitor works like a charm in offering in-depth insights into memory usage.
- Press Win + R, type resmon, and press Enter.
- Go to the Memory tab to see detailed usage.
23. Clear Temporary Files
From time to time, you should make sure to remove the temporary files as they can also significantly accumulate and use system memory.
- Press Win + R, type temp, and press Enter.
- Delete all files in the folder.
- Repeat for %temp% and prefetch folders.
24. Disable Cortana
Cortana also requires a good chunk of system resources, including memory to function with the desired efficiency.
- Go to Settings app on your computer > Apps > Installed Apps.
- Now, locate Cortana and hit the triple-dot icon next to it.
- After that, you can choose to disable or uninstall it.
25. Adjust the Virtual Memory Paging File
Adjusting the paging file size is also a neat way to optimize memory usage.
- To get it done, go to the Control Panel on your device.
- Select System > Advanced system settings.
- Under Performance, select Settings and go to Advanced > Virtual Memory.
- Up next, set a custom size for the paging file.
26. Disable Windows Search Indexing
Believe it or not, indexing also takes up memory. So, if you do not use Windows Search often, it would be apt to disable the search indexing.
- Open Services (services.msc) on your device.
- Now, locate Windows Search, and set it to Manual or Disabled.
27. Optimize Disk Space
A clogged-up disk is well-known for triggering memory usage issues as system processes aren’t able to find sufficient space.
- Fire up the Settings app > System > Storage.
- Now, activate the Storage Sense to wipe out the clutter automatically.
28. Reinstall Windows
If nothing has worked in taking control of the high memory usage on your Windows 11 device, a fresh install can be the need to the hour to resolve the issue. There is a decent chance that the problem is caused by corrupted files or software conflicts on your PC.
- To reinstall Windows, go to Settings > System > Recovery, and click Reset PC > Run through the instructions carefully to complete the whole process and set up the device from scratch.
Wrapping up…
There you have it, folks! I hope you have now mastered all the pro tips and tricks to diagnose the root cause of the high memory usage on your Windows device and eliminate it as and when the need arrives. Now, shoot your feedback and let us know whether or not your PC has started to run like a charm.
