Modify Windows Pagefile Size and Location via Regedit

This article explains how to configure the Windows paging file (virtual memory) size and drive location using the Windows Registry Editor (regedit). Modifying these settings directly through the registry is useful for automated deployments, headless system configurations, or troubleshooting scenarios where the standard System Properties graphical user interface is unavailable.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter (or click OK).
3. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant administrative permissions.

Step 2: Navigate to the Memory Management Key

In the Registry Editor, use the left sidebar or copy and paste the following path into the address bar at the top:

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

Step 3: Disable Automatic Pagefile Management

Before setting custom sizes or locations, ensure Windows is not automatically managing the paging file across your drives:

1. Locate the DWORD value named AutomaticManagedPagefile in the right pane.
2. Double-click AutomaticManagedPagefile and set its Value data to 0.
3. Click OK.

Step 4: Configure the Pagefile Placement and Size

1. In the same registry key, locate the Multi-String Value (REG_MULTI_SZ) named PagingFiles. (If it does not exist, right-click an empty space, select New > Multi-String Value, and name it PagingFiles).
2. Double-click PagingFiles to open the Edit Multi-String dialog.
3. Enter your desired configuration using the format: [Drive:\]pagefile.sys [Initial_Size_MB] [Maximum_Size_MB]

Configuration Examples:

• Fixed Size Pagefile on the C: Drive (e.g., 4 GB Min / 8 GB Max):

  C:\pagefile.sys 4096 8192

• Moving the Pagefile to a Secondary Drive (e.g., D: Drive with 8 GB Fixed Size):

  D:\pagefile.sys 8192 8192

• System-Managed Pagefile on a Specific Drive: Setting both size parameters to 0 allows Windows to dynamically scale the pagefile on that specific drive:

  D:\pagefile.sys 0 0

• Multiple Pagefiles Across Different Drives: Enter each drive configuration on a separate line within the same PagingFiles value editor:

  C:\pagefile.sys 2048 4096
  D:\pagefile.sys 4096 8192

• Disabling the Pagefile Completely: Leave the Value data field blank or delete the string lines inside the PagingFiles entry.

Step 5: Apply the Changes

1. Click OK to save the changes to the PagingFiles registry entry.
2. Close the Registry Editor.
3. Restart your computer for the new paging file placement and size configurations to take effect.