Here's How to Clean the Page File Every Time It Shuts Down in Windows

Geekers - Windows operating systems often use the page file as a "Spare RAM". However, many people misunderstand that the page file has the same function as RAM. Windows uses the page file to store data that cannot be stored by RAM when it is full. The page file which is also known as the swap file or the paging file is stored in your hard drive. It is located in C:\pagefile.sys by default, maybe you can see it by deactivating hidden files in Windows Explorer.

Computers store various files, programs and other data in RAM. Because reading files, programs and other data is read faster in RAM than the hard drive. When the RAM you are using is full, Windows will move some data from RAM to the hard disk which is located in the page file. Files are in the form of virtual memory. The page file is very important to help you back up data so that when the program hangs or has an error, the data is stored on the hard drive.

When you turn off your computer, the system RAM is wiped every time it loses power. However, page files are not. If you're concerned about sensitive data that might be left in your page file, Windows can delete it every time you shut down your computer. There is a disadvantage when you enable this feature that it will make your computer take longer to shut down.

How to Clean the Page File Every Time It Shuts Down in Windows

Your shutdown time might go from a few seconds to a few minutes or even longer depending on how fast your computer's hard drive is and how large your page file is. For that, we need to know how to clean the page file every time it shuts down in Windows. Come on, see the following explanation.

#1 Through the Registry Editor

1. Open Windows Run or press Winkey+R on the keyboard. Then, type regedit. Click OK.

how to clean the page file every time it shuts down on Windows how to clean the page file every time it shuts down on Windows

2. When Registry Editor opens, navigate to the directory below.

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

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3. You will see the ClearPageFileAtShutdown key, then double click to edit the value data to number 1. Click OK.

how to clean the page file every time it shuts down on Windows how to clean the page file every time it shuts down on Windows

4. If you want to stop clearing the page file during shutdown, double-click on the ClearPageFileAtShutdown key to edit the value data to 0.

That's how to clean the page file every time you shutdown in Windows. Now you don't need to worry if the laptop you are about to turn off feels very long to process. To handle it, you can try the tutorial above. Thank you and hope it is useful!

Here's How to Clean the Page File Every Time It Shuts Down in Windows

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