Bottom Line: Do not delete pagefile.sys manually. If you desperately need the space, you can shrink or disable it safely through Windows settings, though doing so is risky if you have low RAM.
What is pagefile.sys?
Located in the root of your C:\ drive (and hidden by default), pagefile.sys acts as Virtual Memory for Windows.
When your computer runs out of physical RAM (memory) because you have too many Chrome tabs or heavy apps open, Windows uses this file as “fake RAM.” It temporarily moves data from your physical memory into pagefile.sys on your hard drive to prevent your computer from crashing. The size of this file is usually managed automatically by Windows and fluctuates based on how much RAM your system has.
Can you delete it?
⚠️ Use Caution. You cannot delete it like a normal file because it is constantly in use by Windows.
If you somehow manage to bypass Windows protections and delete it, your computer will immediately crash the next time it runs out of physical RAM, resulting in lost work and a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).
How to safely shrink or disable it
If pagefile.sys is taking up 16GB of space and you have plenty of physical RAM (e.g., 32GB or 64GB), you can manually reduce its size or disable it.
- Press the Windows key, type Advanced system settings, and press Enter.
- Under the Performance section, click Settings.
- Go to the Advanced tab and click Change… under Virtual memory.
- Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.
- Select your
C:drive. - Choose Custom size (to shrink it) or No paging file (to disable it).
- Click Set, then OK, and restart your computer.
What happens after you disable it?
You will instantly recover several gigabytes of storage space. However, if your computer ever actually runs out of physical RAM, programs will begin crashing immediately without warning. We highly recommend setting a small “Custom size” (e.g., 2048 MB) rather than disabling it completely.
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