How do I decrease the size of the page file?

I just upgraded my laptop RAM to 12GB (W510, 4 DIMM slots), and since I am using a SSD, I find hard drive space to be quite precious. However, since I have more than enough RAM for most stuff, I think I can get by with probably around 4GB of page file. however, on C drive, there is a pagefile.sys which I assume to be reserving space for page files in the OS, how would I decrease the size of this file?

Solution 1:

To adjust the pagefile size, press Windows Flag Key+Pause/Break.

From here, on the left hand side, choose Advanced system settings, this will open System Properties on theAdvanced tab`.

Next click on Settings in the Performance Group.

Now click the Advanced tab.

Next click Change under Virtual Memory

And, deselect Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, and then click Custom size and change it whatever you want.

Solution 2:

You can decrease the size of the page file, but see this warning from Microsoft first:

64-bit versions of Windows and Windows Server support more physical memory (RAM) than 32-bit versions support. However, the reason to configure the page file size has not changed. It has always been about supporting a system crash dump, if it is necessary, or extending the system commit limit, if it is necessary. For example, when a lot of physical memory is installed, a page file might not be required to back the system commit charge during peak usage. The available physical memory alone might be large enough to do this. However, a page file or a dedicated dump file might still be required to back a system crash dump.

The reason your page file is the same size as your RAM isn't for performance; it's in case Windows needs it for a crash dump.