Mind you, dual RAM sticks always perform better than a single RAM stick that’s what high-end gamers and editors prefer to use. RAM is the most crucial part of the motherboard that you should not cheap out while building a computer. That’s because RAM is the only thing that will help your PC to handle multiple or heavy tasks, in short, RAM is directly proportional to the performance of the machine so having more of it is always good. But some unfortunate users who have less RAM on their system are facing issues such as performance drop, crashing of programs, and memory management issues.

If you are also victimized by the issues related to RAM then you have to consider clearing it. Read on the troubleshooting guide that we have managed to provide you, which will help you to clear your RAM so that your machine will perform better just like before.

See next: 10 Tips to Boost your Computer Speed by 2X

Without further ado, let’s get started.

What is RAM?

RAM (Random access memory) is a memory chip that is situated on the motherboard. This memory chip is used to store the temporary data which is used to handle ongoing programs and processes. There are two types of RAM that are static and dynamic.

Your computer should have at least 8GB of dual RAM stick in order to get decent performance. If your machine has less RAM than that then it will not give the performance as it supposes to be.

Troubleshooting methods to Clear your RAM in Windows 10

Below are some of the effective troubleshooting methods that you need to follow. If one method works for you then stick to it or you can jump onto the next method.

Restart your PC

Restarting your PC is the most basic trick you can do to clear your RAM. It can make your RAM release memory so that you can run new programs without any problems. Also, performing a restart will fix glitches and error that slows down your computer.

Therefore, perform a simple restart on your computer to clear your RAM.

Terminate Unwanted apps

You should terminate or close the apps and programs that you no longer needed. Multiple tasks running on your computer will consume more CPU and memory usage. By closing these apps and programs you can be able to do your task without any issue, and this will also clear your RAM instantly.

Step 1: Do a right-click on the Start menu and select Task Manager, or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc key to open it.

Step 2: Select the Processes to tab from the upper tab menu.

Step 3: You will get a list of applications or programs that are currently running in the background. Look at the Memory column, those are the programs that are consuming your RAM. Just click on a single program and select End task.

The app will get terminated, do this for all the unwanted processes.

Disable Startup Programs that you don’t need

If you are using a machine for a year or two, by that time you have definitely have installed a lot of software. But those programs get launch when you boot your computer in the first place. These are known as startup programs that consume the RAM just when you boot your PC. So this needs to stop, here we will disable the startup programs that you no longer need to have on your system.

Step 1: Do a right-click on the Start menu and select Task Manager, or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc key to open it.

Step 2: Now select the Startup tab located at the upper tab menu.

Step 3: Now you will get to see a list of startup programs, right-click on the program and select disable.

Once done, restart your computer. You will notice instantly that you can actually get no stutter while accessing your PC.

Disable Background apps

When you install the software no matter when you did, it just runs in the background unknowingly for months or years. If you are using a laptop that is focused on power efficiency to save parties, these background apps are the main reason why you are unable to get that battery efficiency. Here’s how to disable them.

Step 1: Visit the start menu and open Settings.

Step 2: On the Windows Settings page, click on Privacy.

Step 3: From the left navigation menu, click on the Background apps.

Step 4: Disable the application that you no longer needed.

Here, we suggest you disable all the apps (except the one you really need). Furthermore, navigate under the Privacy settings and also disable the location and other services that you don’t use at all.

Clear Page File When Shutting Down your PC.

When performing a task on your computer it is stored as page files on your hard drive. Unline RAM, page files does not get clear when you restart your computer because the process is non-volatile. Clearing these page files will also clear RAM that will help your system to run smoothly.

Good thing is that you can set this process to automatic, which means the page files will get clear automatically when you’re shut down your PC. Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Visit the start menu, and type Registry Editor in the search bar.

Step 2: Click on Yes in order to make changes in your system by Registry Editor.

Step 3: On the left, scroll and search “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.”

Step 4: Scroll to select “SYSTEM”.

Step 5: Find and select “Control”.

Step 6: Scroll and select “Session Manager”.

Step 7: Search and select “Memory Management”.

Step 8: Select “ClearPageFileShutdown”.

Step 9: Input the number “1” under the value data and press OK.

Delete Cache and Temp files

To delete Cache and Temp files, users need to do the following:

Delete Cache

The cache is generated when you do surfing on the internet. The cache is good to load the web pages quickly, but too many caches can consume the memory. But we can delete this cache. Visit the internet browser that you are using like Firefox, Edge, or Chrome browser > visit settings > clear cache and cookies. Furthermore, you can take the help of third-party software available which works just fine. This can remove more cache from your systems, such as font cache, thumbnail cache, and more.

Delete Temp files

Suppose if you are using Photoshop, this type of software needs to store their temporary files into the hard drive. Also, when you do browsing a lot of temp files get collected on your system which is unwanted and unnecessary. Clear these files because when they gather together, they can make your system slow and sluggish. Press Windows + R key to open Run box > type temp and press enter. A folder with temp files will open up, select all the files and delete them as they are totally unwanted.

Reduce Visual Effects

Windows 10 is focused on providing a better GPU and has a lot of animations. This animation can make your PC slow means, your system is focused more on loading the animations than opening a program. So somewhere you lost the touch of performance. This is not good for those who have issues with RAM management on their system. Here’s how to reduce the visual effects:

Step 1: Open Windows File Explorer.

Step 2: Do a right-click on This PC located at the left navigation bar and select Properties from the list of options.

Step 3: Now click on the “Advanced system settings”, located on the left side of the window.

Step 4: Select the “Performace” section, click on the Settings button.

Step 5: Select “Adjust for best performance”, in the Performance Options window.

You can also select Custom and then keep the visual effects accordingly. Those who are like animations can limit the effects, but furthermore,, I personally would love to sacrifice animations for performance.

From here onwards, below are the methods to free up the RAM for Mac users

Troubleshooting methods to Clear your RAM on Mac

To free up your RAM on Mac, users need to do the following:

Have a Look at Activity Monitor

Activity Monitor performs just similar to Window’s Task Manager. With the help of Mac’s Activity Monitor, you can be able to track the RAM or memory usage, so you can just remove the app for better memory management.

Step 1: Open Activity Monitor by searching it in the spotlight search bar.

Step 2: Select the Memory tab, located on the top menu bar.

Step 3: You will get to see a list of running programs on Mac that are consuming more of your RAM.

Step 4: Select the application that you want to remove.

Step 5: Now click on the Stop button located at the upper left corner of the Activity Monitor to quit the app or program.

Likewise, you can quit all the apps or programs which are consuming memory on your Mac. To know more deeply what Activity Monitor is, you can refer to this post.

Update macOS

Outdated operating system always causes the issues. Apple rolls out the update every now and then. The new update of macOS is always better at memory management, which gets optimize every time.

Step 1: Select System Preferences located in the Apple menu.

Step 2: Click on the Software Update.

Step 3: Just click on Update Now or Upgrade Now.

Update Now option will install the latest update for the current operating system. While Upgrade Now option will update a new major version of macOS like macOS Big Sur and so on.

Close the apps which start automatically

There are software and apps present in your Mac that start automatically and runs in the background unknowingly. They can run even when you have not opened them. This happens when items are loaded into the start-up menu, here’s how you can close them:

Step 1: Visit System Preferences located in the Apple menu.

Step 2: Click on Users & Groups.

Step 3: Click on your User name located on the left sidebar.

Step 4: Click on the Login Items.

Step 5: Now you will get to see a number of applications that start automatically when you boot up your Mac. Just select the app present in the list and click on the “-“ button.

If possible close all the apps that you do not want to launch at the start.

Close the windows in Finder

When you access your Finder on your Mac, it opens up a new window. When multiple windows have opens each window displays get stored in RAM. However, it is better to adjust the finder to open your folder in tabs rather than windows.

Step 1: Visit Finder located at the top left of the screen.

Step 2: From the dropdown options, do a right-click on Preferences.

Step 3: Check to open the folder in tabs rather than windows.

You can also clear your RA< just by merging Finder Windows. Select Window dropdown instead of Finder > select Merge All Windows in order to to make Finder window under one place. This will save your storage as well as make your Mac better at memory management.

Free Up Some Disk Space

Mac users have another great advantage of using virtual memory. When your Mac is running out of RAM, you still can be able to use some free space known as virtual memory. With this memory, you can run the apps on this storage memory. To use this Apple suggests keeping at least 20% of your drive space free.

So, delete that unwanted software, photos, and other data that consume the storage of Mac.

What if Nothing Works?

All the troubleshooting methods mentioned above are valid ways to clear your RAM in Windows 10 and Mac. At this point, your operating system should be able to get better at RAM management, and it should get a little smooth to handle the tasks. But even if it does not help, it’s time to upgrade your RAM memory. While upgrading your RAM prefer to use a dual RAM stick rather single one.

Another thing you can do is to scan your entire operating system a malware or virus could be the reason which is making your operating system is slow. Else, it’s time to buy a new machine for yourself.

That’s it for now, hope this helps! We are glad to know your thoughts in the comment section below. Till then, stay tuned for more info.

See next: 11 Simple Tips to Increase Download Speed in Windows 10