3 Ways to Clear RAM Cache on Windows 11

Quick Tips

• The simplest way to clear the RAM cache is by restarting your PC.
• Create a desktop shortcut for the location %windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks, and use it to clear the RAM cache.
• Microsoft offers a tool called RAMMap for memory analysis to monitor the RAM cache and clear it.

Things to Keep in Mind When Clearing RAM Cache

Here are a few important points you must keep in mind when deleting the RAM cache on Windows:

• After clearing the RAM cache, your computer starts rebuilding the cache from scratch. Generally, this process has minimal impact on computer performance, but it can sometimes slow things down. This happens because the cache rebuilds itself with new data as you continue using your computer’s files and applications.
• As aforementioned, the RAM cache stores temporary data of frequently accessed files and applications. When you clear the cache, this data is removed. Consequently, you may experience a slight delay when accessing the same files and applications because the computer needs to retrieve the data from the slower storage devices instead of the RAM cache.
• When trying to clear the cache, it’s possible that some programs are using the cached data. Therefore, before clearing the cache, ensure there are no important programs running in the background. You must complete any important tasks beforehand and then proceed with clearing the cache to avoid any potential disruptions.

Method 1: By Restarting the Computer

The simplest way to clear the RAM cache is by restarting your computer. When you restart your computer, Windows closes all the background running applications, which automatically purges the RAM cache.

To restart your computer, press the Alt + F4 keyboard shortcut and choose Restart from the drop-down menu.

Then, click OK to restart your computer.

Method 2: Using a Desktop Shortcut

If you want to clear the memory cache within a few clicks, you can create a desktop shortcut for it.

Step 1: Right-click on the desktop, hover the cursor to New, and choose Shortcut from the context menu.

Step 2: Paste the following address in the location field and click Next.

%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks

Step 3: Give a name to the shortcut and click the Finish button.

Double-click on the newly created shortcut to delete the RAM cache. Note that if you have some applications with pending work open, this shortcut may force-close it, and you may lose some data.

Method 3: Clear RAM Cache Using RAMMap

Microsoft offers a tool called RAMMap for memory analysis to monitor the RAM cache and clear it. This tool can come in handy when you want to clear the RAM cache without restarting your PC.

Step 1: Download RAMMap on your PC.

Step 2: Right-click on the downloaded RAMMap.zip file and choose Extract All from the context menu.

Step 3: Use the Browse button to choose the location where you want to extract the files, and then click the Extract button.

Step 4: Navigate to where you have extracted the file and double-click on the RAMMap folder to open it.

Step 5: Double-click on the RAMMap file.

Step 6: Click the Empty tab at the top and choose Empty Standby List from the menu that crops up.

Also Read: How to fix “Your Computer Is Low on Memory” error on Windows