Do you often notice a spike in memory usage in Windows 10? Do you want to know more about memory leakage? In this article, you will find information about it and also the solution to how you can solve the memory leaks problem as a user.
Table of Contents
What is Memory Leakage?
Before getting started, You want to know a bit more about memory leakage. What is it? A memory leak is a misusage of memory resources on your computer. When an unused portion of RAM is not accessible by other programs or the operating system itself, it is called memory leakage. It happens due to unoptimized or problematic software you are using on your computer.
Consequences in Windows 10:
No one will tell you that memory leak is good. It is bad indeed. You have a decent PC setup with a significant amount of RAM, but you are not getting expected performance? Maybe, the Memory leak is the reason. No matter how much RAM you have like 16 GB, 32 GB, 64, or even 96GB+, the memory leak will be a problem if you don’t know about it. Windows 10 won’t be able to utilize that much memory power to provide better performance due to this problem.
There are software which are known to occupy memory space and don’t release it even in idle state. Like, say, Google Chrome. It is well known for extremely aggressive memory usage. But, there are far more problematic popular software with this problem.
How to Diagnose Memory Leak Issue in Windows 10?
In fact, You can understand the problem by yourself. However, It is not that easy as you may be thinking. However, there are techniques you can apply to detect a memory leak.
1. Windows Resource Monitor or Task Manager
Windows has two built-in tools that can help you to monitor memory usage. If you put your eye on the stats carefully, you may easily determine the memory leak if it exists. But, How? Let’s know about it.
- At first, Open the start menu and type task manager or windows resource. It depends on which program you want to launch.
- Now, Hit enter. It will open your desired tool.
- Now, If it Task Manager, Go to the performance tab, or if it is Resource Monitor, go to the memory tab.
- Then, Look at the used memory and available memory.
- You also can see which program or process is using more RAM from both Task Manager and Resource Monitor.
2. Third-Party Memory Monitor Tool
There are various third-party tools that can monitor resource usage in Windows. You also can use any of them to determine if your PC is having memory leak issue or not.
How to Fix Memory Leak in Windows 10
It’s time to deal with the memory leak. If the OS is Windows 10, you can fix this problem by following these methods-
1. End Task (Quick solution)
When you find out your PC is having memory leak problem, just go to the task manager. Then, End the problematic process. It will immediately free up your memory and make it available for other tasks. However, It is not the appropriate solution. But, It works as a quick method to fix memory leak in Windows 10.
2. Restart Your PC
Another quick method to get rid of memory leakage issue is restarting your PC. A simple restart can do a lot of things. It clear all the background tasks, free up memory and CPU power. So, It can be a effective solution.
3. Disable Process from Startup
If you find any problematic tasks related to any software that uses extra memory without any purpose, you can end it from the taskbar. But, If that program starts automatically during startup, the problem will come back repeatedly. In this case, the first solution is to disable that problem from startup settings. You also may need to disable any specific process. Here are the instructions that will help-
To disable startup program –
- At first, Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to open the Windows task manager.
- Now, Go to the startup tab and disable the problematic program.
To disable startup processes –
- At first, Open the start menu and type msconfig and press enter. It will open the System Configuration Window.
- Now, Go to the services tab and click on Hide all Microsoft services.
- Then, Disable any problematic services you want and restart your PC.
In this way, you may be able to avoid memory leak in Windows 10.
4. Troubleshoot Memory Issues
It is another effective way you can follow. Windows has a built-in tool that can diagnose and help to repair common memory issues. I already have an article on it. Read: How to Troubleshoot and Repair Common RAM Problems
5. Prevent Memory Leak from Coming Back
It is the ultimate solution to get rid of memory leak problem in Windows 10. If you can take a few steps, it will save any future hassle of memory leak. Here are the things to do to prevent memory leak.
a. Regularly Update Windows
If you want to prevent memory leak on Windows, you must update every components up to date. This process should start with the Windows update. Outdated Windows can be a safe heaven of memory leak and other problems. Regularly keeping Windows up to date can help you to prevent these problems.
b. Regularly Update Drivers
Another very important thing is keeping drivers up to date. A driver issue also can cause many problems along with memory leak issues. So, taking steps to keep them up to date is a must. In this case, I suggest you use any of the driver updating tools like Driver Booster, Driver Easy, Driver Genius, etc. These tools can keep all of your drivers up to date without your manual efforts.
c. Keep All Software Up to Date
Like Windows and Its drivers, you also should keep all of the software on Windows up to date. Unfortunately, most users don’t care about this. But, outdated or incompatible software may easily cause issues like memory leak. The software developers are working day and night to give the best user experience. So, They often release specific patches for their software that improves performance and remove any incompatibility issues. So, keep your software up to date is must. Unfortunately, It is not possible to regularly track which software needs an update.
In this case, IObit Software updater can help you. It is a free tool that can regularly check for software updates and install them automatically if you want.
d. A PC Tuneup or Repair Tool can Help
There many Windows tuneup programs. Some of them are extremely good and some are not. However, These tools also can fix memory leak and prevent it from coming back in Windows 10. These tools have some features that automatically kill unecessary process and free up unused RAM. Also, These can fix registry problem which is another good method to prevent memory leak issue.
If you want to use a PC Tuneup utility, I suggest you to use Advanced SystemCare or Outbyte PC Repair tool.
e. Regularly Defrag HDD
Disk fragmentation is a problem in traditional Hard Disk. Many experts suggest regularly defrag HDD to prevent memory leak. If you open the start menu and search for “disk defragmentation”, you will get the built-in Windows tool that can help to defrag your HDD.
So, Basically, these are the methods to fix and prevent memory leak problem in Windows 10. However, If you know any other method, you can share it in the comment box.
