High memory pressure in Windows can turn smooth multitasking into lag, application freezes, and frequent disk activity when data gets pushed out of RAM. Spotting which processes consume memory and how the system is caching or paging helps explain slowdowns before they become crashes.
Windows memory usage is tracked as physical RAM (per-process Working Set) and committed virtual memory (per-process Commit) backed by RAM or the pagefile. Resource Monitor exposes these counters in one place, alongside graphs like Hard Faults/sec that reveal when the system is reading memory pages from disk.
Some readings are easy to misinterpret without context. A large Standby list is often healthy cache that can be reclaimed quickly, while high Commit does not always mean the same amount of physical RAM is currently in use. Process termination is not required for monitoring, and administrative privileges may be needed to see full details for protected processes.
Steps to monitor memory usage using Resource Monitor:
- Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
- Select More details if Task Manager opens in compact view.
- Click the Performance tab.
- Click Open Resource Monitor at the bottom of the Performance tab.
- Select the Memory tab within Resource Monitor.
- Review the Physical Memory bar to see In Use, Modified, Standby, and Free categories.
Standby is cache that can be reclaimed quickly, while Modified must be written to disk before reuse.
- Compare the Commit (KB) and Working Set (KB) columns in the Processes table to identify heavy memory consumers.
Commit reflects virtual memory promised to a process (backed by RAM or the pagefile), while Working Set is the physical RAM currently in use.
- Sort the process list by selecting the Commit (KB) column header.
Sorting by Working Set (KB) highlights immediate RAM usage, while sorting by Commit (KB) highlights allocation pressure over time.
- Observe the Hard Faults/sec graph for sustained paging activity.
A steady stream of hard faults often indicates the system is reading memory pages from disk instead of RAM.
- Filter monitoring to a suspected process by ticking its checkbox in the Processes table.
Focusing on one process makes a steadily growing Commit value easier to spot when investigating a possible memory leak.
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a cloud architect with deep roots in software development and open-source advocacy. Certified in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, he specializes in designing and managing robust cloud and on-premises infrastructures.
