How to Increase File Cache Size in Windows 11

Windows 11 comes with a default file cache size that helps improve system performance by temporarily storing frequently accessed data. However, in some cases, you may need to increase the file cache size to optimize your computer's performance further. In this article, we will guide you through the process of increasing the file cache size in Windows 11.

What is File Cache?

File cache is a portion of your computer's memory (RAM) that is used to store data from frequently accessed files. When you open a file or launch an application, Windows stores a copy of that data in the file cache. This way, the next time you access the same file or application, Windows can retrieve the data much faster from the cache instead of reading it from the slower storage device (such as a hard drive or SSD).

Why Increase File Cache Size?

By increasing the file cache size, you can allocate more memory to store frequently accessed data. This can significantly improve the performance of your system, especially when working with large files or running memory-intensive applications like video editing software, virtual machines, or complex games.

Increasing File Cache Size in Windows 11

Follow these steps to increase the file cache size in Windows 11:

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard or click on the Start button in the taskbar to open the Start menu.
2. Type "regedit" (without quotes) in the search bar and press Enter. This will open the Registry Editor.
3. In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following path:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
4. On the right-hand side, look for a value named LargeSystemCache. If it doesn't exist, you'll need to create it. Right-click on an empty space, select New, and then click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Name the new value as LargeSystemCache and press Enter.
6. Double-click on the LargeSystemCache value and set its Value data to 1. This enables the large system cache.
7. Next, navigate to the following path:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters
8. Look for a value named Size. If it doesn't exist, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value as we did in step 4.
9. Name the new value as Size and press Enter.
10. Double-click on the Size value and set its Value data to the desired file cache size in kilobytes (KB). For example, if you want to set the file cache size to 2 gigabytes (GB), enter 2097152 (1024 KB * 2048).
11. Click OK to save the changes.
12. Close the Registry Editor.
13. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

After restarting your computer, Windows will allocate the specified amount of memory for the file cache, which should help improve the overall performance of your system.

Increasing the file cache size in Windows 11 can be beneficial for users who regularly work with large files or memory-intensive applications. By allocating more memory to the file cache, Windows can store frequently accessed data, resulting in faster access times and improved system performance. Follow the steps mentioned above to increase the file cache size in Windows 11 and enjoy a smoother computing experience.

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