After installing a new NVMe SSD on a Windows 11 PC, you may discover that the system pagefile remains on the old, slow HDD. This causes sluggish performance because Windows continues using the slower drive for virtual memory even though a faster NVMe drive is available. The problem occurs because Windows 11 does not automatically migrate the pagefile when a new drive is added. This article explains why the pagefile stays on the HDD, provides a step-by-step method to move it to the NVMe drive, and covers related issues you may encounter.
Key Takeaways: Moving the Windows 11 Pagefile to an NVMe Drive
- Settings > System > About > Advanced system settings > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Virtual memory > Change: Opens the dialog where you can reassign the pagefile to a different drive.
- Uncheck “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives”: Disables automatic management so you can manually set the pagefile location.
- Select the NVMe drive > Custom size > Set Initial and Maximum size: Moves the pagefile to the faster NVMe drive for improved system responsiveness.
Why Windows 11 Keeps the Pagefile on the HDD After Adding an NVMe Drive
Windows 11 manages virtual memory through the pagefile, a hidden file named pagefile.sys. When you install a new NVMe drive, the operating system does not automatically move the pagefile to the faster drive. This behavior is by design: Windows assigns the pagefile to the drive where the OS is installed, or to the drive with the most free space at the time of configuration. If the HDD already contained the pagefile before the NVMe drive was added, Windows continues using that existing configuration.
The root cause is that Windows 11 does not reevaluate pagefile placement after a new drive is added. The system only reassigns the pagefile when you manually change the setting or when the current pagefile drive runs out of space. Because the HDD still has sufficient free space, Windows sees no reason to move the file. This leaves the pagefile on a slower mechanical drive, causing unnecessary delays when the system swaps data between RAM and disk.
Why This Hurts Performance
An NVMe SSD can read and write data at speeds of 3,500 MB/s or more, while a typical HDD manages only 100–200 MB/s. When the pagefile resides on the HDD, every memory page that gets swapped to disk must travel at HDD speeds. This creates a bottleneck, especially when running memory-intensive applications such as virtual machines, large databases, or video editing software. Moving the pagefile to the NVMe drive eliminates this bottleneck and improves overall system responsiveness.
Steps to Move the Pagefile from the HDD to the NVMe Drive
Follow these steps to relocate the pagefile to your NVMe drive. You need administrative privileges on Windows 11.
- Open System Properties
Press Windows + Pause/Break to open the System page. Alternatively, go to Settings > System > About. Click “Advanced system settings” on the right side under Related links. - Access Performance Options
In the System Properties window, click the “Settings” button under Performance. This opens the Performance Options dialog. - Open Virtual Memory Settings
In Performance Options, click the “Advanced” tab. Under Virtual memory, click “Change…”. The Virtual Memory dialog appears. - Disable Automatic Management
Uncheck the box labeled “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives”. This allows you to manually configure the pagefile for each drive. - Remove the Pagefile from the HDD
In the drive list, click the HDD drive that currently holds the pagefile. Select “No paging file” and click “Set”. A warning message appears. Click “Yes” to confirm. The pagefile will be removed from the HDD after a restart. - Create the Pagefile on the NVMe Drive
In the drive list, click your NVMe drive. Select “Custom size”. For the Initial size, enter the amount of RAM installed in your system in megabytes. For example, if you have 16 GB of RAM, enter 16384. For the Maximum size, enter twice your RAM amount. For 16 GB, enter 32768. Click “Set”. - Apply and Restart
Click “OK” to close all dialogs. Windows prompts you to restart the computer. Click “Restart now” to apply the changes. After the restart, the pagefile resides on the NVMe drive.
Verifying the New Pagefile Location
After the restart, confirm that the pagefile moved correctly. Open File Explorer and navigate to the root of your NVMe drive. Enable viewing of hidden and protected operating system files by clicking View > Show > Hidden items and unchecking “Hide protected operating system files”. You should see a file named pagefile.sys. Its size matches the Initial size you set. If you do not see it, repeat the steps and ensure you selected the correct drive.
Common Issues When Moving the Pagefile on Windows 11
“The pagefile is too small” error after setting custom size
If you set the Initial size too small, Windows may display an error stating that the pagefile is too small. This happens when the value is less than the minimum required by the system. Always set the Initial size equal to your RAM size. For systems with 32 GB or more RAM, you can set the Maximum size to 1.5 times RAM instead of 2 times to save disk space.
NVMe drive not appearing in the drive list
If your NVMe drive does not appear in the Virtual Memory dialog, it may not be properly formatted or initialized. Open Disk Management by right-clicking the Start button and selecting Disk Management. Ensure the NVMe drive is initialized as GPT and has an NTFS volume. If it is RAW or unallocated, right-click the unallocated space, choose New Simple Volume, and format it as NTFS. After formatting, the drive appears in the list.
Windows reverts to HDD pagefile after a Windows Update
A major Windows 11 update may reset virtual memory settings to defaults. After such an update, check the pagefile location again. If it reverted, repeat the steps above. To prevent this, you can set the pagefile to a fixed size instead of system-managed. Fixed-size pagefiles are less likely to be changed during updates.
HDD Pagefile vs NVMe Pagefile: Performance Comparison
| Item | Pagefile on HDD | Pagefile on NVMe SSD |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential Read Speed | 100–200 MB/s | 3,500+ MB/s |
| Sequential Write Speed | 80–160 MB/s | 3,000+ MB/s |
| Random Access Latency | 5–10 ms | 0.01–0.1 ms |
| Impact on App Load Times | Noticeable delay when swapping | Near-instantaneous swap |
| Recommended For | Storage of large files, backups | OS, applications, pagefile |
Moving the pagefile from an HDD to an NVMe drive eliminates the slowest component in the virtual memory chain. The difference is most noticeable when running multiple applications simultaneously or when the system runs low on RAM and begins heavy swapping.
You can now relocate the Windows 11 pagefile from a slow HDD to your new NVMe drive using the Virtual Memory settings in System Properties. After the change, verify the pagefile appears on the NVMe drive. For best performance, keep the pagefile on the fastest drive in your system. If you add more RAM in the future, adjust the pagefile size accordingly — setting Initial size equal to RAM and Maximum size to 1.5 to 2 times RAM ensures smooth operation.