Dynamic Memory Registry Keys in Windows

This article provides the exact Windows Registry (Regedit) location for system-wide dynamic memory management parameters and details the primary configuration keys used to control memory allocation limits. By adjusting these values, system administrators can configure paging behavior, pool sizes, and cache management to optimize system performance.

Primary Registry Path

The configuration keys for Windows system-wide memory management and dynamic pool allocation are located at:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

Key Memory Management Configuration Values

Within this key, several DWORD (32-bit) values define memory thresholds and limits:

• PagedPoolSize: Controls the size of the paged memory pool. Setting this to 0 allows Windows to dynamically allocate the pool size based on available physical RAM.
• NonPagedPoolSize: Defines the size limit of the non-paged memory pool. A value of 0 enables dynamic allocation.
• PoolUsageMaximum: Specifies the percentage threshold of the paged pool that triggers the Memory Manager to start trimming working sets and freeing memory (default internal value is typically 80%).
• LargeSystemCache: Controls dynamic file caching. Setting this value to 0 optimizes memory for dynamic application processes, while 1 allocates dynamic memory primarily to the system file cache (often used on file servers).
• SystemPages: Defines the number of Page Table Entries (PTEs) available for dynamic mapping. Setting this to 0 configures the system to calculate the maximum supported value dynamically at startup.

How to Navigate to the Keys

1. Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and press Enter.

2. Paste the path into the top address bar:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

3. Locate or create the required DWORD (32-bit) values in the right-hand pane.

4. Set the base to Hexadecimal or Decimal according to the specific configuration requirement.

5. Restart the computer for changes to take effect.