So what happens when Windows runs out of physical memory to use as virtual memory? It writes this data to the system page file which is a huge (in our case 6 GB) file on your hard drive. This can be anything from minimized background program data to common OS functions. Remember, the OS is smart enough to know that unused physical memory is wasted memory, so it will fill the remaining 1.5 of physical memory with what it anticipates you will need so it can be accessed on demand almost instantaneously. This means you have 1.5 GB of “unused” physical memory and a 6 GB page file for a total of 7.5 GB of available virtual memory. You then boot up Windows and open a few applications (Outlook, Firefox, etc.) and Windows reports that 2.5 GB of physical memory is being used. So, suppose you have a system with 4 GB of physical memory and a 6 GB maximum page file. Virtual Memory = (Total Physical Memory – Used/Active Physical Memory) + Maximum System Page File Size You can very crudely calculate the amount of virtual memory your system has at any one time using this formula: Virtual memory is essentially the data which is not actively required by the OS but is ready to be loaded into active memory at any time. The rest (what Windows thinks it will need) resides in what is called virtual memory.
However, only what your system actually needs (both Windows and applications) and is actively using at the current time is reported as used physical memory.
Windows is smart enough to know that unused physical memory is wasted memory, so it loads everything it needs and thinks it will need into memory. By no means should this be considered authoritative or definitive as it is only explained to level applicable to the subject matter of this article. This will be important so we can interpret the results of our experiment.ĭon’t worry, we will cover this at a very high level so you don’t have to be a mega-geek to follow along.Īs a quick disclaimer, this is an extremely brief summary of the very basics of Windows memory management. This has caused a few Firefox add-ons to surface which claim to free up memory the browser no longer needs, but do they actually work? A Two Minute Overview on How Windows Handles Memoryīefore we dive into examining a memory cleaner, it is important to understand a little bit about the way Windows handles memory. While the number of tabs you have open and the installed add-ons certainly contribute, even a conservatively used out of the box installation can report quite a bit of memory usage. It is no secret that Firefox can consume quite a bit of system memory during normal usage.
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