How to use USB flash drive as additional RAM on your Windows 10 , 11 PC

The days are long gone when 4 GB RAM is considered enough to run all the applications smoothly on a computer. Day by day the hunger for more raw hardware capabilities are increasing. If you are feeling that your workstation is slowing down while editing a video or while running a mighty game, you can easily use a removable drive as an additional RAM to speed up your system. To do so, simply follow the steps of this article-

 

How to increase RAM using a USB flash drive-

Before going ahead please read the notes carefully-

NOTE

1. To use the flash drive as additional RAM for your system you need to format the drive in NTFS format. If you have anything important copy it on your hard drive.

2. We recommend using at least 32 GB USB drive. Though, 64 GB is the most preferred option.

Now, follow these steps to utilize the drive as RAM-



STEP-1 Format the drive-

1. Connect the USB drive to the computer.

2. Open the File Explorer on your computer.

3. Now, in the File Explorer window, on the left-hand side, click on “This PC“.

 

This Pc File Explorer

 

4. Now, right-click on the pen drive. Then, click on “Format” to start formatting the drive.

 

Properties

 

5. When the Format window appears, click on the ‘File system‘. Then, you need to select “NTFS” from the drop-down list.

6. After that, click on “Start” to start the formatting process.

 

Ntfs New

 

It will take some time to complete the formatting process.

Once formatted, follow the next steps-

 

Step-2 Use ReadyBoost to increase the RAM-

1. First, press Windows key+E together.

2..Then, to see all the drives on your computer, you need to click on “This PC“.

 

This Pc File Explorer

 

4. When you see your USB driver, right-click on it and, click on “Properties“.

 

Props

 

5. Then in the Properties window, go to the “ReadyBoost” tab.

6. Select the option “Use this device“.

7. Now, you can increase or decrease the amount of RAM by adjusting the slider (Example– For this computer the maximum limit is 4094 MB).

 

Use This Device

 

7. Now, click on “Apply” and then on “OK” to save the changes.

 

Apply Ok Save

 

That’s it! You have successfully increased the amount of RAM on your computer. This will speed up the system by an significant margin.

 

IMPORTANT-

Do not unplug the USB drive unless you have disabled the ReadyBoost settings first.

In case if you decide not to use the USB drive as additional RAM, follow these steps to undo the previous process-

1. Simply open up the File Explorer and then click on “This PC“.

 

This Pc File Explorer



 

2. Simply, right-click on the USB flash drive.

3. Then, click on “Properties“.

 

Props

 

5. After that, click on the “ReadyBoost” tab.

6. Here you need to select “Do not use this device” and ReadyBoost won’t use this device.

7. Now, click on “Apply” and then on “OK” to save these new changes.

 

Do Not Use

 

Now, you can eject the drive from your computer and use it as a regular drive for other computers.