How to Check Memory Usage

A simple guide to checking your memory usage on your computer's hard drive

This wikiHow teaches you how to check both your computer's random access memory (RAM) usage and your computer's hard drive capacity.

Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Checking RAM Usage on Windows

  1. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 1
    1
    Hold down Alt+Ctrl and press Delete. Doing so will open your Windows computer's task manager menu.
  2. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 2
    2
    Click Task Manager. It's the last option on this page.
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 3
    3
    Click the Performance tab. You'll see it at the top of the "Task Manager" window.
  4. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 4
    4
    Click the Memory tab. It's on the top-left side of the "Task Manager" window. You'll be able to view how much of your computer's RAM is being used in graph format near the top of the page, or by looking at the number beneath the "In use (Compressed)" heading.
    5. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Checking Hard Drive Storage Space on Windows

  1. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 5
    1
    Double-click the "My PC" icon. It's the computer monitor icon likely found on your desktop.
    • On some versions of Windows, "My PC" is called "My Computer".
    • If you can't find "My PC" on your desktop, type "My PC" into the Start window's search bar and then click the computer monitor icon when it pops up.
  2. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 6
    2
    Right-click the C: hard drive icon. It's under the "Devices and drives" heading in the middle of the "My Computer" page.
    • On some Windows versions, the hard drive will say "OS" above it.
  3. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 7
    3
    Click Properties. This option is at the bottom of the right-click menu.
  4. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 8
    4
    Click the General tab. You'll see this option at the top of the "Properties" window. Doing so will open the hard drive's "General" page, which lists attributes such as total storage.
  5. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 9
    5
    Review your hard drive's storage. The "Used space" section displays how many gigabytes of your hard drive are taken up by your files, while the "Free space" shows you the number of gigabytes left on your hard drive.
    • You may notice a discrepancy between the total number of gigabytes listed on your hard drive and the number of gigabytes that was advertised when you bought the computer. This is because a certain portion of your computer's hard drive is used to store the computer's operating system; therefore, that space is irreversibly used, and thus, unlisted.
    6. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Checking RAM Usage on Mac

  1. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 10
    1
    Click the "Spotlight" button. It's the magnifying glass icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 11
    2
    Type "Activity Monitor" into the search bar. Doing so will bring up the "Activity Monitor" app.
  3. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 12
    3
    Click Activity Monitor. Doing so will open the Activity Monitor program, which will allow you to view your Mac's current RAM consumption.
  4. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 13
    4
    Click Memory. It's a tab at the top of the Activity Monitor window.
  5. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 14
    5
    Look at the "Memory Used" number. You'll see this option at the bottom of the page. The "Physical Memory" number here shows how much RAM your Mac has installed, while the "Memory Used" number is how much RAM your Mac is currently using.
    6. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Checking Hard Drive Storage Space on Mac

  1. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 15
    1
    Click the Apple menu. It's the apple-shaped icon in the top-left corner of your Mac's screen.
  2. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 16
    2
    Click About This Mac. This option is near the top of the drop-down menu.
  3. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 17
    3
    Click Storage. You'll find this option at the top of the "About This Mac" page. On the "Storage" tab, you can see a color-coded breakdown of which file types are using up space.
    • You can also view your currently free hard drive space in the top-right corner of the page in the "X GB free of Y GB" section where "X" is your Mac's free space and "Y" is your Mac's total space.
    4. Advertisement
Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Checking Hard Drive Storage Space on iPhone

  1. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 18
    1
    Open your iPhone's Settings. It's the grey gear icon that's likely on the Home Screen.
    • Due to operating system restrictions, you can't view your iPhone's RAM usage.
  2. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 19
    2
    Tap General. You should see this option toward the bottom of the screen.
  3. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 20
    3
    Tap Storage & iCloud Usage. It's toward the bottom of the screen.
  4. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 21
    4
    Tap Manage Storage under the "Storage" section. This section is at the top of the page. Doing so will open a list of your device's apps in order of most space taken up to least space taken up, along with "Used" and "Available" sections at the top of the page that display your iPhone's used space and free space, respectively.
    • Tapping the second Manage Storage on this page will open the iCloud page where you can see how much room remains in your iCloud Drive.
    5. Advertisement
Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Checking Hard Drive and RAM Usage on Android

  1. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 22
    1
    Open your Android's Settings. It's the grey gear icon likely found in the App Drawer.
  2. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 23
    2
    Scroll down and tap Apps. This option is in the "Device" section.
    • On some Androids (such as the Samsung Galaxy), you must first tap Device before you can tap Apps.
  3. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 24
    3
    Swipe left on the "Apps" page. Doing so will open the "SD Card" page, which displays your currently used hard drive space in the bottom-left corner of the screen and your total storage space in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
  4. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 25
    4
    Swipe left on the "SD Card" page. Doing so will open the "Running" tab which displays your currently-running programs.
  5. Image titled Check Memory Usage Step 26
    5
    Review the different categories. There are three values at the top of the page that will show you your Android's RAM usage:
    • System - The number of gigabytes currently used by your Android's operating system.
    • Apps - The number of gigabytes currently used by running apps.
    • Free - The number of free gigabytes of RAM.
    6. Advertisement

Community Q&A

  • Question
    Can I take memory out of an old Mac computer to increase the memory in another Mac computer of about the same age?
    Denneisk
    Denneisk
    Top Answerer
    No. Apple Macs were designed to not be changed or modified in any way. You'll have to buy a new Mac or enter into the world of PCs.
  • Question
    How do I check memory usage on an iPad?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Go into Settings > General > Storage. It should then display the amount of memory used, memory available, and the usage per app.
Advertisement

Warnings

  • If a suspicious process is using a significant amount of memory, try running an anti-virus scan.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • Only kill processes you are certain are not system critical. You could easily and irreparably harm files and data used to run your operating system.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Check Computer RAMSee How Much RAM You Have on PC, Mac, Chromebook, & iPad
Check CPU Speed
How to
Check CPU Speed
Fix High CPU Usage
How to
Fix High CPU Usage
Check Your Hard Disk Space
How to
Check Your Hard Disk Space
Find Out the Maximum RAM Capacity for Your Computer
How to
Find Out the Maximum RAM Capacity for Your Computer
Add RAMHow to Upgrade and Install RAM on a Desktop or Laptop Computer
Check Your Computer's MemoryHow Much RAM Do You Have? Easily Check PC & Mac Memory
Increase the RAM on a PC
How to
Increase the RAM on a PC
Install RAM
How to
Install RAM
Improve Your Computer's Memory
How to
Improve Your Computer's Memory
Avoid Damaging RAM During Installation
How to
Avoid Damaging RAM During Installation
Free Up RAM
How to
Free Up RAM
Add Extra Memory to Your Computer
How to
Add Extra Memory to Your Computer
Test Your Computer's Ram
How to
Test Your Computer's Ram
Advertisement

About This Article

Jack Lloyd
Written by:
Jack Lloyd
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 477,527 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 17
Updated: June 2, 2022
Views: 477,527
Categories: Featured Articles | Computer Memory
Advertisement