How to increase RAM in Windows 7 and 10

January 7, 2023

RAM (Random Access Memory) is the computer hardware that stores short-term memory data. RAM is used to store operating data and machine code, which can be quickly read by the system and changed in any order. More RAM allows you to run more programs at the same time without negatively impacting system performance. If your PC is low on RAM, it can slow down the processing of programs on the working system. Therefore, in order to keep your PC at a good pace, you need to increase the memory of your Windows 10 computer. Are you wondering how can I increase the RAM on my PC? Then you are in the right place. If you are struggling with how to increase your computer memory and want to know all the details about RAM, how to check it and most importantly, how to increase RAM in Windows 7 and 10, then we have the perfect guide for you. Our guide will cover all the necessary features of how to increase the memory of my PC and introduce you to the various methods to increase the amount of RAM in your electronic brain. Read to the end to learn how to increase available physical memory in Windows 10.

How to increase RAM in Windows 7 and 10

Before you start with ways to increase your computer's memory in Windows 10 , you should know how much RAM your PC actually needs. Let's take a look at these requirements listed below:

For easy browsing and word processing, you will need no more than 4 GB of RAM for your PC.
In case of multitasking and maintaining good overall PC performance, you will need 8 GB of RAM.
When using high-intensity programs and applications on a PC or optimizing gaming performance, your system requires at least 16 GB of RAM.
PCs intended for educational, professional, or corporate use can support up to 128 GB of RAM.
Professional PCs that need multitasking and heavy programs need about 192 GB of RAM.

Why do you need more RAM?

Along with knowing how to increase your computer's memory, you should also be aware of the need to increase your RAM. Usually, the need for additional RAM comes from the fact that your PC no longer has free RAM space, causing the computer to freeze. In addition to the lack of RAM that slows down the PC, there are other factors that can affect the performance of your system:

Frequent power surges impair the performance of system components.
Memory leaks from system software
Bad memory chips or bad hard drive sectors
Viruses and malware that degrade system resources
Excessive software running during startup

Although system aging is not in your hands, you can still improve the performance of your computer by increasing its RAM, and there is a lot you can do about it.

You can increase the amount of physical memory on your system by decreasing the amount of RAM used. There are several ways to do this, which we will discuss in the following paragraphs. Also, if PC load reduction is not working, you can try adding RAM to your system manually. So let's start with our first method to increase the RAM on my PC.

What to do before increasing RAM

Perform the following steps before increasing RAM.

Step I: Check Your Current RAM

The first method to follow in order to increase the amount of RAM on your system is to check your current RAM initially. Before implementing methods that will increase physical memory, it is important to know how much space your system is already using, and this can be done in a few simple steps, which you can read below:

1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys at the same time to open the Task Manager.

2. Click on the "Performance" tab at the top and select "Memory".

3. Now check "Used" and "Available RAM" on your system.

Step II: Check the amount of RAM you need

Once you know the current amount of RAM, the next step to find out how to increase the memory of my PC is to check the required amount of RAM. This can be done by accessing the system monitor as shown below:

1. Press the Windows key, type System Monitor, and click Open.

2. Click "Performance Monitor" under "Monitoring Tools" in the left pane.

3. Click on the green + symbol at the top.

4. Select a Swap file from the list and click the Add >> button.

5. Click OK.

6. Analyze how much more RAM you need from the chart. As you can see, the processing time graph is above peak usage (indicated by the green line), which indicates the need for more RAM.

Usually 4 GB of additional RAM is enough to run normal processes, but you can also use 8 GB of RAM if you have to multitask.

Here are ways to increase available physical memory in Windows 10.

Method 1: Restart your computer

Now that you've checked your current available RAM and how much RAM you need, it's time to try one of the first troubleshooting steps for increasing RAM in Windows 7 and 10. Rebooting your PC is really quite a simple yet effective way to try this one. situations. As you may already know, restarting the system clears the contents of RAM and restarts all processes active in the background. This helps clear space from RAM and free up more space in it.

Also, it is always a good idea to restart your computer regularly if it is used frequently and constantly. Apart from the standard ways to restart your computer, you can read about some other methods in our 6 Ways to Restart or Reboot Your Windows 10 Computer guide.

Method 2: Clean Up RAM Overload Processes

Even after a reboot, some processes may continue to consume system resources and force you to think about how to increase the available physical memory of Windows 10. In such a case, it is best to clear these processes in the Task Manager window manually.

To learn more about how to free up RAM space, follow our How to End a Task in Windows 10 guide and implement it.

Method 3: Clear Startup Programs

Although you have cleared the Task Manager processes, sometimes they are not enough to increase the memory of your Windows 10 computer. In this case, you can try to clear the startup programs that usually run every time you start your computer or laptop and consume the available RAM.

Read our guide on 4 ways to disable auto-start programs in Windows 10 and do the same to increase the amount of RAM in Windows 7 and 10.

When you're done disabling unnecessary programs, you can access some space in RAM, which is cleared.

Method 4: Update Apps

Along with improving system performance, updating applications also helps reduce wasted RAM. Memory leaks are a common problem that can be encountered in applications when a program does not return RAM to the pool after it has used resources. Installing the latest update for the application may help resolve the memory leak issue. Moreover, with the update comes more improvements that take up less RAM space. Follow these steps to update apps using the Microsoft Store:

1. Press the Windows key, type Microsoft Store and click Open.

2. Click on the "Library" option.

3. Click Update All if updates are available.

Method 5: Run a malware scan

If you want to know how to increase my PC's memory, a malware check can help. Sometimes software resource usage can also be the reason why your system's RAM is running out of space. To make sure your system is not corrupted by malware, you can check out our guide How to Run a Virus Scan on My Computer.

If you want to remove malware from your computer, follow our guide How to remove malware from your computer in Windows 10 and complete it.

Method 6: Update device drivers

The next fix on how to increase your computer's memory involves checking your device drivers. Corrupted driver files or conflicts can lead to memory leaks and excessive RAM consumption. Therefore, it is important to check drivers from time to time to save space for RAM. You can check each driver individually in the Device Manager window and make sure that there are no warnings for any of the drivers. If it is, then update the problem drivers one by one.

You can learn a lot about updating them with our How to Update Device Drivers in Windows 10 guide.

Method 7: Clear Memory Cache

The memory cache is another reason why your RAM fills up quickly. When closing applications, some programs do not close properly and may consume RAM. This memory cache can also affect the performance of your system. Hence, make sure you clear your system's cache.

Use our quick guide to clear all cache in Windows 10 [The Ultimate Guide] to clear all types of cache from your PC.

Method 8: Reduce visual effects

The visuals can be great on a system with enough RAM, but on a Windows with little RAM, there can be a lot of RAM space, in which case the only option left to increase RAM in Windows 7 and 10 is to reduce these visuals.

1. Open File Explorer on your PC by pressing the Windows + E keys at the same time.

2. Right-click "This PC" and select the "Properties" option.

3. Select Advanced system settings in the right pane.

4. Click "Settings ..." in the "Advanced" section.

5. On the "Visual Effects" tab, check "Adjust for best performance" and click "OK".

Method 9: Set up virtual memory

To increase the memory of your Windows 10 computer, you can also set up virtual memory on your PC. This is an effective method that helps improve computer performance. Follow our guide to managing virtual memory (paging file) in Windows 10 and implement the same.

Method 10: Clear the Swap File on Shutdown

Shutting down the system and applications clears the system's RAM, but does not clear the paging file stored on the hard drive. This swap file is a fictitious RAM that the system uses when the RAM gets full and therefore it is important to clear this swap file to make sure there is enough space left for your system's next use. To do this, you need to follow the steps given below and complete them on your PC:

Note. Make a backup copy of the registry keys to restore the previous settings in case of manual errors during the modification.

1. Open the search menu, type regedit and click "Open" to launch the registry editor.

2. Navigate to the following folder path in the Registry Editor.

ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory Management

3. Now double-click the ClearPageFileAtShutdown key.

4. Set the Value to 1 and click OK.

Method 11: Add more RAM

If you are struggling to find a solution on how to increase the available physical memory of Windows 10 after trying all the above methods, then surely your system is in dire need of more RAM. Trying to clear some of the RAM is not enough in this case, so you need to add more RAM to your system manually.

Adding RAM manually involves physically adding memory sticks to your device. This can be done with the help of the manual, using the support of the manufacturer's website or entrusting it to a professional. If you plan to add RAM yourself, then follow the steps below:

Note. The following steps should be performed on a laptop.

1. Remove the plastic cover from the RAM compartment. This will open up two RAM slots, from which either one or both can be filled.

Image by pixabay from Pixabay

2. Now, to remove the RAM module, pull the clips on both sides.

3. Insert the new RAM module into the slot at a 45 degree angle and push it in.

4. Finally, assemble the computer and reboot it into the BIOS to check if the system recognizes the inserted RAM.

Hence, here is how to increase my PC's memory.

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We hope that our document on RAM, its requirements and how to increase the amount of RAM in Windows 7 and 10 will help you and that you were able to create enough RAM space on your device. Let us know which method has been the most helpful for increasing available physical memory on Windows 10. If you have questions or suggestions for us, please leave them in the comments below.

How to increase RAM in Windows 7 and 10