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You can move Windows 11’s paging file to a secondary SSD in the classic Virtual Memory settings. Open Advanced system settings > Performance: Settings > Advanced > Virtual memory: Change. If you remove the paging file from the Windows boot volume, first check whether your chosen crash-dump configuration requires one there.
Before you move pagefile.sys
A paging file is disk space Windows uses as part of its virtual-memory system; it is not additional physical RAM. Moving it can reclaim space on the Windows volume, but the available documentation does not establish that moving it to another SSD makes Windows faster. Treat this as a storage-placement decision, not a performance upgrade.
Choose the arrangement based on available space, workload, and whether you need crash dumps. Microsoft notes that some dump configurations require a paging file on the boot volume, and the requirement varies by dump type. If you rely on crash dumps for troubleshooting, review Microsoft’s system failure and recovery guidance before removing the boot-volume file.
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- Open Settings > System > About > Advanced system settings, if that link is available on your Windows 11 build. Alternatively, use Windows Search for View advanced system settings, or press Windows key + R, enter
sysdm.cpl, and press Enter. - In System Properties, select the Advanced tab.
- Under Performance, select Settings.
- In Performance Options, open Advanced, then select Change under Virtual memory.
Microsoft documents the System Properties route. Windows 11 Settings labels and availability can differ by release, so the Search or Run options are alternatives if the About page does not show the link.
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Choose how the paging file will be managed
In the Virtual Memory dialog, decide whether Windows or you will control the paging-file size. The system-managed option is usually the lower-maintenance choice when you do not have a measured reason to set sizes manually.
| Configuration | Best suited to | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| System-managed size on the secondary SSD | Readers who want Windows to manage sizing without entering custom values. | Allow for workload needs and enough free space on the secondary volume; check dump requirements before removing a boot-volume pagefile. |
| Custom size on the secondary SSD | Readers with a measured reason to control the initial and maximum size. | Size depends on peak memory and commit needs, free disk space, and dump configuration. There is no universal size established here. |
| Keep a pagefile on the boot volume as well | Readers whose crash-dump configuration requires one there. | Uses some boot-volume space; the need depends on the selected dump type. |
Move the paging file to the secondary SSD
- In the Virtual Memory dialog, clear Automatically manage paging file size for all drives to configure drives individually.
- Select the current Windows volume in the drive list. If you want the paging file entirely off that volume and have confirmed your dump requirements, select No paging file, then click Set. If you need to retain boot-volume dump support, do not disable its paging file; choose an appropriate configuration for that volume instead.
- Select the secondary SSD. Choose System managed size for Windows-managed sizing, or select Custom size and enter initial and maximum values appropriate to your workload and available space. Click Set.
- Review the listed settings, select OK to close the dialogs, and restart if Windows prompts you. Microsoft’s restart advice appears in a client troubleshooting workflow for pagefile sizing changes.
For custom sizing, do not treat a RAM multiplier as a general Windows 11 rule. Microsoft’s article on memory allocation errors caused by slow page-file growth suggests an initial size of 1.5 times installed RAM within a specific workaround for that problem. It is not a universal recommendation for every workload or configuration.
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Check the setting after restarting
Return to the same Virtual memory dialog to review the configured sizes shown for each drive. This lets you inspect the current settings; it does not by itself verify how the system will behave under a particular memory workload or whether a desired dump can be created.
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If low space prompted the change, Windows also provides storage-management options under Settings > System > Storage. Microsoft’s Windows storage settings guide describes those options.
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What the pagefile change does—and does not—do
Microsoft’s Windows Server-focused overview explains that pagefiles hold virtual-memory pages moved out of physical memory and that location and size are configured in System Properties. That general mechanism is described in Microsoft’s pagefile management documentation; its Windows Server context should not be read as a Windows 11-specific performance recommendation. Relocation changes where Windows can use paging-file space. It does not increase installed RAM, and the cited material provides no SSD-to-SSD performance comparison.
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