Check Your Computer's Memory

Memory means two things on computers. Physical Memory is your hard drive space, which determines how many files you computer can hold. Random Access Memory (RAM) determines, in large part, how fast your computer can run. Both are easy to check whether you use Macs or PCs.

Steps

Checking Windows Hard Drive Memory

  1. Know that physical memory is the amount of storage on your computer. Physical memory is like a USB stick or hard drive -- it holds music, photos, files, etc. This is different from Random Access Memory, or RAM, which partially controls PC function.
    • There are two kinds of memory, physical and random access (RAM). If you're worried about space, check the physical memory. If you're worried about speed, check RAM.[1]
  2. Navigate to "Computer" in a window. Click Start in the bottom left-hand corner of your computer. From here, click on "Computer."
  3. On the left side of the page, click on the hard drive you want to check. When you arrive on the screen, look for "Windows (C:)" This is the most common hard drive most people use but you can check all of them if you'd like. The hard drives are noted by gray rectangular icons.
    • If you can't see your hard drives, click the small triangle right next to "Computer."
  4. Look at the details box on the bottom of the window to see your remaining space. You should now see "____ GB free of ____ GB "
  5. Open up Windows Explorer and check the "Properties" of each drive. If you can't follow the above instructions, this is another way to check your memory. In your Windows Explorer box, right-click on your (C:) and click "Properties." This will show you total memory, as well as the amount of memory currently being used. You can check multiple drives if you have more than one.[2]

Checking Windows RAM

  1. Press the "Start" button at the bottom-left of your screen. You want to find "Windows Explorer," which is the window you use to sort through files. You can also open it by clicking on "My Computer."
  2. Find "Computer" on the lefthand bar. On the left side of the screen you should see something like "This PC," or just "Computer." Right click it with your mouse, then click on "Properties," which is located at the bottom of the list.
    • In the middle of the screen something like "Installed Memory (RAM):" should appear. This is your computer's Random Access Memory.
    • The higher your RAM, the faster you computer will run.[3]
  3. Alternatively, open the "Control Panel" in the Start Menu and check "System and "Security." You can find the amount of RAM you have through "Control Panel" → "System and Security" → "System." It will be labeled as "Installed Memory."

Checking Macintosh Memory

  1. Open up Finder and locate your hard drive. More often than not, this is labeled as "Harddrive." It could also be your (C:) drive, however.
  2. Control-Click on the drive and select "Get info." If it is highlighted, you can also press Command + I (uppercase "i") to open the info pane.
  3. Read the size and remaining space on your drive. Once you've opened info, the amount of space should be visible as a number of Gigabytes (GB). This is the amount of space you have for files like music, movies, photos, and documents.[4]

Checking Macintosh RAM

  1. Click on the Apple icon in the top left corner. Apple makes it easy to check your Random Access Memory, or RAM. RAM indicates the memory your computer has for quick tasks, and more RAM leads to a faster computer.
  2. Click "About this Mac." This will bring up your computer's specifications, including memory used and RAM. If your RAM is not easily visible, click "More Information" to find it. The number will be in GB, and is usually between 4-16GB.[5]



Warnings

  • If you click on the hard drive you can access your computer files. Don’t change them!!

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-difference-between-ram-and-memory.htm#didyouknowout
  2. ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/view-the-amount-of-free-space-on-your-hard-disk
  3. ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/how-much-computer-ram
  4. ↑ http://www.macworld.com/article/2972775/os-x/how-to-check-your-macs-free-hard-drive-space.html
  5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201538
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