If a certain program is using too much RAM, you can end it before it goes out of control or makes other programs slow. Here’s how.
Every program on your computer requires a certain amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) or Memory to run. For example, the browser you are using right now is actively using some amount of RAM to function. In case you don’t know, RAM is temporary or volatile storage used by programs to store and access temporary data like current settings, workflow, unsaved data, etc. In general, the RAM is much faster than your hard disk or SSD.
Most systems nowadays have at least 8GB (or 16GB) of RAM. For general day-to-day activities like browsing, office work, and media consumption, that amount of RAM will suffice. However, if you are running intense programs like Photoshop or playing games, you have to keep an eye on Windows memory usage. Rather than wondering what is using all the available memory, you can find which program is using the most RAM using Task Manager in Windows 10 and Windows 11. This quick and easy tutorial shows you the steps you should follow. Let’s get started.
Before You Begin
- The below steps are tested to work on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Find the Program Using the Most RAM Using Task Manager
Whether you are using Windows 10 or Windows 11, you can use the Task Manager to find out the RAM usage by every program & process and sort them by their usage. Follow the below steps to learn how to do it.
- Right-click on the Taskbar.
- Select “Task Manager” to open the Task Manager.
- Go to the “Processes” tab.
- Click the “Memory” column heading.
- The above action sorts processes by their RAM usage.
- You will see the process or program that is using the most RAM at the top of the list.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
To start off, right-click on an empty space on your taskbar and select the “Task Manager” option. This action opens the Task Manager window.
In the Task Manager window, go to the “Processes” tab. This is where you will see all the running programs and processes.
Note: On Windows 10, if this is your first time opening the Task Manager, it will open in minimal view. Click the “More Details” option at the bottom to switch to the normal view.
In the tab, click the “Memory” column to sort processes by their RAM usage (memory usage). By default, the Task Manager sorts the list in descending order. i.e., the processes or programs using the most RAM will appear at the top. In my case, the Google Chrome browser is using the most amount of memory.
Once you find the process or program responsible for hogging all the RAM, you can either force quit the application or reduce the workload in that specific program. Doing any of these two actions will reduce the RAM usage of the target program.
Wrapping Up — Finding Memory Hogging Programs in Windows
As you can see, thanks to the Task Manager and its options, finding the program or process using a lot of RAM and slowing down other programs or the system itself is pretty easy. Once you find out which program is using the most RAM, closing or force quitting it via Task Manager frees up the RAM for other applications and Windows.
Remember that by forcefully quitting an application to free up RAM, you might lose any unsaved data in that specific program. So, I recommend you manually save the data if possible and then close the application rather than ending the process in the task manager. To put it simply, only force quit when the application is not responding.
That is it. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
