How To Free Up RAM On Your Windows Computer

While we know that the more RAM your computer utilizes to improve multitasking, the better (for productivity). Many users want to be in control of how RAM is allocated to various processed.

You might have encountered stutters or observed the sluggish performance of your computer when you’re low on RAM, so, it is sometimes important to know how to free up RAM and optimize it to make the most out of your computer memory.

Should You Upgrade Your RAM?

Should you simply add more RAM? Yes, and no. To answer the question, you have to analyze how your memory is being utilized.

The first thing you have to check- Is your RAM being used for all the necessary applications? If yes, you need that to make the most out of your computer – for better multitasking.

If you are not sure about that- we shall help you investigate and potentially fix it using the solutions that we shall discuss below.

How To Free Up  & Lower Your RAM Usage?

1. Simply Perform A Restart

The easiest option to fix something on Windows is to just perform a reboot. Sometimes there are a lot of processes running and it is practically impossible and time-consuming to close them all – so it is better to just restart and have only the startup items show up in the background.

2. Get Rid Of Unwanted Programs

Sometimes we have several background processes running for applications that we may never use.

For instance, I had a VPN client installed – which I did not bother using. However, I always found a couple of background processes running associated with the VPN program.

So, navigate through the Settings -> Apps simply uninstall and remove the programs that you do not use – just to be sure that you do not have to deal with unnecessary background processes.

3. Use Applications That Are Light On System Resources

Just like Google Chrome, there are certain apps on Windows known to consume a lot of RAM to work. In that case, you can find lighter alternatives that could potentially lower the RAM usage on your computer.

You might find a “lite” edition or something simpler which should consume less memory. For instance, I could choose to utilize Firefox over Google Chrome which proves to consume less RAM – in my use-case.

Or maybe use something interesting like Opera GX which lets you limit the RAM usage for your browser. It is worth noting that you are concerned about a privacy-oriented browser, Opera may not be the best option.

4. Monitor RAM Usage

Even though you do not have anything unnecessary installed – you still observe a huge chunk of memory being utilized.

Sometimes an app consumes a lot of memory as part of its abnormal behavior. A recent update to the app could be a cause or maybe it is because of an extension that you just added to it which made things worse.

You cannot be so sure about that. Hence, you need to manage and monitor the RAM usage regularly to see what consumes the memory and keep things in check.

5. Use A ‘Game Booster’ Software To Suspend Processes While Gaming

Applications like Razer Cortex shall help you suspend all the unnecessary background processing before launching a game. So, you can have more RAM available dedicated to your game. While this may not make a big difference always – it is still worth a try. For some, it can be incredibly helpful.

6. Scan For Rogue or Malicious Process/Program

Even with an Antivirus program, you can have a malicious process consuming your system memory. It may not be possible to always spot the malicious process.

So, to get rid of such unwanted programs and processes, you can simply run a scan using AdwCleaner by Malwarebytes. If there’s something that bypassed your Antivirus, this is mostly going to help you get rid of it. Either way, it does not cost you anything to try the tool – so why not?

7. Minimize Startup Programs

A very small tweak that you can perform by just going to the Task Manager and head on to the Startup section. You should disable the programs that you do not need to be launched at startup.

In this way, you will have fewer programs running when you boot into your system. And, if everything else is perfect, you should have a lower RAM usage.

Wrapping Up

So, these are some of the best solutions that you can follow to free up some RAM. If you are still short on RAM after following our methods to optimize the usage, you probably need to add another RAM stick or maybe completely upgrade the RAM sticks that are compatible with your motherboard.

We hope this should help you optimize the RAM usage on your PC. Happy Computing!

Ankush Das
Categories: Computers
Tags: Productivity