Windows 11 High Memory Usage on Surface Pro 6: A Troubleshooting Guide

Are you experiencing high memory usage on your Surface Pro 6 while using Windows 11? You're not alone. Many users have reported this issue, but don't worry, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take to resolve it.

What is High Memory Usage?

High memory usage occurs when the amount of memory (RAM) being used by your device exceeds the available amount. This can cause your device to slow down, freeze, or crash. In the case of the Surface Pro 6, users have reported high memory usage even when they are not running many applications. This is likely due to a combination of factors, including the way Windows 11 manages memory and the specific hardware configuration of the Surface Pro 6.

Checking Memory Usage

Before you start troubleshooting, it's important to check the current memory usage on your device. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Press the Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys simultaneously to open the Task Manager.
2. Click on the Performance tab.
3. Click on Memory in the left-hand column.

This will display the current memory usage on your device. If the Used Memory percentage is consistently high, even when you are not running many applications, you may have a high memory usage issue.

Troubleshooting Steps

Here are some troubleshooting steps you can take to resolve high memory usage on your Surface Pro 6:

1. Update Windows 11

Make sure you have the latest updates for Windows 11 installed. Microsoft regularly releases updates that include bug fixes and performance improvements. To check for updates, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Start button and select Settings.
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Click on Check for updates.

If updates are available, install them and restart your device. This may resolve the high memory usage issue.

2. Disable Superfetch

Superfetch is a Windows 11 service that preloads frequently used applications into memory. However, it can also cause high memory usage. To disable Superfetch, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key and R key simultaneously to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
3. Scroll down and find Superfetch in the list of services. Right-click on it and select Properties.
4. Change the Startup type to Disabled and click OK.
5. Restart your device.

This will disable Superfetch and may resolve the high memory usage issue.

3. Adjust Virtual Memory

Virtual memory is a combination of RAM and hard drive space that Windows 11 uses to store data when the physical RAM is full. If the virtual memory settings are not optimized, it can cause high memory usage. To adjust the virtual memory settings, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key and X key simultaneously and select System.
2. Click on Advanced system settings on the right-hand side.
3. Click on the Advanced tab.
4. Click on the Settings button under the Performance section.
5. Click on the Advanced tab.
6. Click on the Change button under the Virtual memory section.
7. Uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives option.
8. Select the C drive and enter an initial size and maximum size for the virtual memory. The recommended size is 1.5 times the amount of physical RAM. For example, if you have 8 GB of RAM, the recommended initial size is 12,288 MB and the maximum size is 16,384 MB.
9. Click Set and then click OK.
10. Restart your device.

This will adjust the virtual memory settings and may resolve the high memory usage issue.

4. Reset Windows 11

If none of the above steps work, you may need to reset Windows 11. This will reinstall Windows 11 and restore the default settings. To reset Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Start button and select Settings.
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Click on Recovery in the left-hand column.
4. Click on the Get started button under the Reset this PC section.
5. Select Keep my files or Remove everything depending on whether you want to keep your personal files or not.
6. Follow the prompts to complete the reset.

This will reset Windows 11 and may resolve the high memory usage issue. However, it will also remove any applications you have installed, so you will need to reinstall them.

High memory usage on the Surface Pro 6 while using Windows 11 can be frustrating, but it is usually easy to resolve. By following the troubleshooting steps outlined in this article, you should be able to resolve the issue and improve the performance of your device.

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