pagefile.sys C:\pagefile.sys

pagefile.sys: the paging file (virtual memory). Windows moves RAM pages into it and uses it to write a memory dump after a crash.

Updated on 12 November 2026 By AltF4 Formation

What it’s for

pagefile.sys is the paging file. When RAM runs short, Windows moves pages into it, which extends the virtual memory available. It is also where a memory dump is written after a system crash, which is a good reason to keep it even on a machine with plenty of RAM.

What it contains

Memory pages pushed out of RAM, so possibly sensitive data: passwords, keys, open documents.
By default Windows manages the size itself according to memory and usage. You can also set it by hand.
For a complete memory dump, the paging file must sit on a local volume and be at least as large as RAM plus 257 MB. A small (64 KB) dump needs at least 2 MB on the boot volume.

Risks and best practices

The system keeps it locked, so there is no point deleting it by hand. To shrink it, move it or fix its size, go to Advanced System Settings > Performance > Advanced > Virtual memory.
Turning it off is not recommended, even with lots of RAM: memory errors appear and crash dumps are no longer written.
If the machine handles confidential data, the security policy “Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile” (the ClearPageFileAtShutdown value) wipes it at every shutdown. Shutdown then takes longer.
On a stolen or decommissioned machine, only disk encryption (BitLocker) protects what the file holds.

Useful commands

# Current paging file usage
Get-CimInstance Win32_PageFileUsage | Select-Object Name, AllocatedBaseSize, CurrentUsage

# Is Windows managing the size automatically?
(Get-CimInstance Win32_ComputerSystem).AutomaticManagedPagefile

# Manual configuration, if any (empty if the system manages the size)
Get-CimInstance Win32_PageFileSetting

# Actual file size (hidden), in MB
(Get-Item C:\pagefile.sys -Force).Length / 1MB

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