How to Clear RAM Cache on Windows 10/11 [8 Ways]
It so annoying that your computer is running slowly due to a lot of cached memory. What is cache memory? How to clear RAM cache Windows 10/11? Now, let’s start exploring the answers together with MiniTool.
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What Is Cache Memory
When opening the Task Manager, you may find the cached memory. What is cache memory? It is a chip-based computer component that can make the data be retrieved from the computer’s memory more efficiently. It severs as temporary storage where a computer’s processor can retrieve data between RAM and CPU.
Sometimes, however, you may find that lots of cached memory pile up and slow down your computer. In this case, you need to free up RAM cache timely. How to clear RAM cache Windows 10? Let’s keep reading.
How to Clear RAM Cache Windows 10/11
There are 8 applicable ways to clear memory cache Windows 10. You can try them in order.
# 1. Close the Hogging Tasks
The first and simplest solution is to close these memory-consuming processes. Here’s how to clear memory on Windows 10 by closing unwanted programs.
Step 1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut to open the Task Manager window and click on More details to access the full view.
Step 2. In the Processes tab, click on the Memory header to sort from most to least RAM usage.
Step 3. Right-click the progress that takes up much RAM, and select End Task. Then repeat the same process for other tasks.
# 2. Reduce the Startup Programs
If there are many programs or apps running in the background, they may contribute to much cached memory. So, we recommend you reduce the startup programs. To clear memory cache Windows 10, open Task Manager, and then go to the Startup tab, right-click the program and select Disabled.
# 3. Disable Some Visual Effects
As you know, Windows 10 comes with lots of busy visual effects, which can take up much RAM. If you have a small RAM installed, these effects may affect your PC performance. To clear RAM cache, you can try reducing the visual effects.
Step 1. Press Win + E keys to open the File Explorer, and then right-click This PC entry and select Properties.
Step 2. Select About from the left window, and then scroll down the right sidebar and click on the Advanced system settings.
Step 3. Go to the Advanced tab and click on the Settings button under the Performance section.
Step 4. Tick the checkbox next to Adjust for the best performance to disable all the animated visual effects.
Tip: This operation will free up memory, but it limits your computer’s aesthetics significantly. So, you can also select Custom and choose some visual effects according to your preferences.
Step 5. Click on Apply and then on OK to save the change.
# 4. Clear Page File When Shutting Down
The system RAM will be cleared once you shut down the computer, but the page file is still stored on the hard drive. Clearing paging files can help clear memory cache Windows 10. Here you can clear the page file automatically clear when shutting down.
Step 1. Press Win + R keys to open the Run box, and then type regedit in it and hit Enter. Then click on Yes to open Registry Editor.
Step 2. Go to the following registry key via the left navigation bar:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Session Manager/ Memory Management
Step 3. With the Memory Management folder selected in the left panel, double click the ClearPageFileAtShutdown DWORD and set it Value data to 1, and click on OK.
# 5. Flush RAM Cache
There is a shortcut that can be used to flush the memory cache. If you don’t know how to do that, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to your desktop and right-click on any empty space.
Step 2: In the pop-up menu, select New > Shortcut.
Step 3. In the pop-up window, type %windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks in the field and click on Next.
Step 4. Give a new name for the shortcut, such as Clear Memory Cache, and click on Finish. After that, you can double-click the shortcut at any time you want to flush the memory cache.
# 6. Check Your Device Driver
Sometimes outdated or corrupt device drivers can lead to many corrupt driver files, causing a memory leak. To avoid this problem, it’s important to keep your device driver updated. Here’s how to clear RAM cache Windows 10 by updating the device driver.
Step 1. Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box, and then type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter to open Device Manager.
Step 2. Expand each category inside Device Manager and look for the driver marked with a yellow exclamation mark icon. It indicates there’s a driver issue.
Step 3. Right-click the device driver and select Update driver, and follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest version of the device driver.
# 7. Clear RAM Cache Using RamMap
You can also utilize a professional memory cleaner tool like RamMap to free up memory cache. Here’s a tutorial on how to clear memory cache Windows 10 using RamMap.
Step 1. Click here to download RamMap from the Microsoft Official website.
Step 2. Once downloaded, extract it on your computer and double click the executable file to run RamMap.
Step 3. In the main interface, select Empty from the top toolbar and click on Empty Standby list.
# 8. Add More RAM
Of course, the most effective way on how to clear memory on Windows 10 is to add more RAM. This solution can help fix the high memory usage fundamentally. If you have a tiny amount of RAM, we recommend you use this method.
There are 2 appliable options to add more RAM. The first option is to use the Windows built-feature ReadyBoost along with a USB, and the other is to upgrade your RAM to a larger one. To do so, you can refer to the following guides:
How to Use USB as RAM to Speed Up Your Windows (ReadyBoost)
How to Install RAM in Your PC – Here’s a Complete Guide
