You can check the use of RAM (random access memory) and hard drive on your computer and phone. This information is only available with a few clicks.
Steps
Method 1 of 6: Check RAM usage on Windows
Step 1. Hold down Alt + Ctrl
Press Delete at the same time. This opens the Windows task manager.
Step 2. Click Task Manager
This is the last option on the page.
Step 3. Click on the Performance tab
You will see it at the top of the task manager window.
Step 4. Click on the Memory tab
You'll find it at the top left of the window. You will be able to see the amount of RAM your computer is currently using as a graph near the top of the page or as numbers below the header. Used (compressed).
Method 2 of 6: Check hard drive space on Windows
Step 1. Double-click the My PC icon
This is the screen icon you should find on the desktop.
- On some versions of Windows, "My PC" is called "My Computer".
- If you cannot find the icon on your desktop, type My PC in the Start menu search bar before clicking on the screen icon that appears.
Step 2. Right click on C:
. This is the icon that represents the hard drive. It is under the heading Devices and Peripherals in the middle of the page My PC.
On some versions of Windows, the hard drive may be labeled "OS"
Step 3. Click Properties
This option is at the bottom of the menu that opens after right clicking.
Step 4. Click on the General tab
You will see this option at the top of the properties window. This will take you to the general device page where there is a list of attributes for each.
Step 5. Examine the capacity of the hard drive
The "Space Used" section displays the number of gigabytes used by the files on the hard drive while the "Free Space" section shows the number of gigabytes available on the hard drive.
You may notice a difference between the total number of gigabytes on the hard drive and the number advertised when you bought the computer. This is the case because part of it is used to store the operating system, which is why this space is irreversibly occupied and it does not appear on the list
Method 3 of 6: Check RAM usage on a Mac
Step 1. Click the Spotlight button
This is the magnifying glass at the top right of the screen.
Step 2. Type Activity Monitor in the search bar
This allows you to open the appropriate application.
Step 3. Click Activity Monitor
This will open the Computer Activity Monitor program which allows you to see the current RAM usage.
Step 4. Click Memory
This is the tab at the top of the window you just opened.
Step 5. Find the amount of memory
It is labeled “Memory in use” and is located at the bottom of the page. Physical memory is the amount of RAM installed on the Mac, while memory used is the amount of RAM your computer is currently using.
Method 4 of 6: Check storage space on a Mac
Step 1. Click on the Apple menu
It's the apple-shaped icon in the top left corner of your Mac.
Step 2. Click About This Mac
This option is near the top of the drop-down menu.
Step 3. Click Memory
You will find this option at the top of the page About this Mac. On the memory tab, you can see a colored list that indicates the type of file that is taking up hard drive space.
You can also see the current free space in the top right corner of the page indicated as: "X GB free on Y GB" where X is the remaining free space and Y is the total space
Method 5 of 6: Check the memory on an iPhone
Step 1. Open settings
Click on the gray cogwheel on the home screen.
Due to operating system restrictions, you cannot see RAM usage
Step 2. Tap on General
You should see this option near the bottom of the screen.
Step 3. Tap on Memory & iCloud Usage
It should be near the bottom of the screen.
Step 4. Tap on Manage Memory under the Memory section
It should be at the top of the page. You will open a list with all the apps on your device sorted from the one that takes up the most space to the one that takes up the least space, in addition to sections Used and Available at the top of the page that shows the used and free space on your iPhone.
- Tap on the second Manage memory on this page to open the iCloud page where you can see how much space you have left.
Method 6 of 6: Check RAM and Memory on Android
Step 1. Open Android settings
It's the gray cogwheel in the apps menu.
Step 2. Scroll down and tap on Applications
This option can be found in the section Device.
- On some Android devices (such as the Samsung Galaxy), you must first press Device before pressing Applications.
Step 3. Drag the page to the left
This will take you to the SD card page which shows the currently used memory space in the lower left corner of the screen and the total available space in the lower right corner.
Step 4. Drag the page to the left
This will bring you to the Running Apps page which indicates which apps are running at the moment.
Step 5. Browse the different categories
There are three values at the top of the page that will show you Android's RAM usage.
- System: The number of gigabytes currently used by the operating system.
- Applications: the number of gigabytes currently used by open applications.
- Free: the number of free gigabytes of RAM.
Advice
RAM is memory that is allocated to different programs (such as software and applications). The hard drive, on the other hand, is the memory in which files, folders or programs that you keep on your computer are stored, whether it is running or not
Warnings
- If a questionable process is using a lot of RAM, try running a scan with your antivirus.
- Only kill processes that are not essential to the operation of the system. You could easily irreparably damage files and data that powers your device.