How to Give Programs More RAM

RAM allocation is the amount of memory used or required to operate a program in Windows and iOS based computers. While many basic programs require a minuscule amount of memory, others require excessive amounts of RAM. RAM heavy programs are often related to high resolution video or gaming, and allocating more RAM to these specific programs will allow them to operate smoothly.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory and every program has a different minimum requirement to operate. A word processing program, for example, will require far less RAM than a gaming program. Failing to meet the minimum requirement means the program will not operate and an alert will notify the user of this fact.

In the case of an alert, you might need to allocate more RAM. In some instances, however, the program will have the minimum required RAM to operate but it will lag and lose functionality. In these cases, allocating more RAM will allow the program to operate with better load times and speed. This is important for graphics, resolution and response times for gamers engaged in real-time, competitive play.

The one requirement for allocating more RAM is having enough free memory to assign for specific programs. Running numerous programs simultaneously will limit the amount of available memory and closing everything except the program in use will help free up RAM immediately. Maintaining free memory on the hard drive is also useful and offloading a full drive to an external or cloud based drive will improve the speed and functionality of the computer.

After closing unused programs and freeing space on the hard drive, you've already increased the amount of RAM available to operate a high needs program. Go ahead and test the program to determine if the newly freed RAM is enough to operate the program. If this process works, you don't need to make further changes to the allocation of memory. Focus on maintaining a computer with plenty of free space and continue closing programs that are not being used.

In Windows 10, access the computer properties and and click on Advanced System Settings to launch a dialogue box. Click System Properties and Settings again to open a new set of options. Choose the Adjust for Best Performance option and apply the changes. Restarting the computer will make the changes take effect and programs requiring more RAM will automatically receive that allocation.

The other option involves choosing to prioritize the RAM in a specific program, but this can potentially cause other programs to shut down. Open the "Task Manager" in Windows and click the Processes option and right click the desired priority process. Click Set Priority and the RAM will now focus on that specific program. It will speed up and operate more efficiently with the newly allocated RAM.

The program itself may limit the amount of RAM used based on default settings. Freeing more RAM by adjusting the default settings can speed up the program and improve operations. The exact process used to change the settings is dependent on the program and completing the task may require a small amount of research.

In most cases, accessing the settings or preferences menu and increasing the default RAM settings will speed things up. This process is generally not required for simple programs like word processors and text based applications. Video and graphic programs, however, can benefit from making an internal increase. The computer itself must also have enough available RAM to meet the new requirement.