How to Check RAM Usage in Windows 11 While Gaming

The fastest way to check RAM usage in Windows 11 while gaming is the Xbox Game Bar Performance widget: press Win + G, add the Performance widget, turn on RAM and pin it so it floats over your game. For more detail, Task Manager and Resource Monitor show what is using memory and whether the system is actually short of it. This guide works on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, needs no extra software, and takes about five minutes to set up.

Quick Answer

• Press Win + G in or before a game, open Widgets > Performance, enable RAM, then click the pin icon.
• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and open Performance > Memory for in-use, available, committed and cached figures.
• Press Win + R, type resmon, and open the Memory tab to see hard faults and per-process usage.
• Judge pressure by available memory and the commit figure, not just the usage percentage.

Before You Start

Reading memory numbers is safe, and nothing here changes system settings except enabling the Game Bar. Run your measurements while the game is already open and has been running for a few minutes, because many titles load assets gradually. Use windowed or borderless mode if you want Task Manager visible on the same screen, or a second monitor if you have one.

Know what the numbers mean before you worry. Windows deliberately fills spare memory with cached data so programs start faster, and it releases that cache the moment a game needs it. A high usage percentage is therefore not proof of a shortage. The signs of real memory pressure are low available memory, a commit figure approaching its limit, and a large number of hard faults per second. Also know your installed amount and speed: Task Manager lists both on the Memory page.

Method 1: Use the Xbox Game Bar Performance Widget

This is the built-in overlay, and it stays visible during play.

1. Open Settings > Gaming > Game Bar and make sure the Game Bar toggle is on. Some Windows builds word the page slightly differently, but the setting lives in the Gaming section.
2. Start your game, then press Win + G. The Game Bar overlay appears over the game.
3. Open the Widgets menu in the Game Bar toolbar and select Performance. A panel with CPU, GPU, VRAM and RAM graphs appears.
4. Select the performance options icon in the widget and turn on RAM. Turn off readings you do not need so the panel stays small.
5. Click the pin icon on the widget, drag it to a corner, and press Win + G again to close the main bar. The pinned widget stays on top of the game.

What you should see: a live line graph and a percentage for system memory in use. This is a simple overall figure, so if it sits at a high level, switch to Task Manager to see which programs are responsible. If the widget shows dashes or zeros, restart the PC, or open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Xbox Game Bar, choose Advanced options, and try Repair before Reset.

Some games and anti-cheat systems do not display overlays, or they disable Game Bar capture. If the widget will not show in a particular title, use the Task Manager method below with the game in borderless mode.

Method 2: Read Task Manager Properly

Task Manager gives a fuller picture and works with any game.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. If you see a short view, select More details.
2. Open Performance in the left list and click Memory. The top shows total installed memory, and the graph shows usage over about a minute.
3. Under the graph, read four values. In use is memory held by programs and drivers. Available is memory ready for use, including cached data Windows can free. Committed shows the memory Windows has promised to programs against its limit, which includes the page file. Cached is data Windows holds for quick reuse.
4. Switch to the Processes tab and click the Memory column heading to sort programs from the biggest to the smallest. You will usually see the game near the top, followed by the browser and launchers.
5. Open the Details tab, right-click a column heading, choose Select columns, and add Commit size to see how much memory each program has requested.

Why it matters: if Committed stays well below its limit and Available stays comfortable, the system is not short of memory even when In use looks high. If Committed regularly approaches the limit, close background programs, or consider more RAM or a larger page file.

Method 3: Use Resource Monitor for Hard Faults

Resource Monitor shows what Task Manager hides.

1. Press Win + R, type resmon, and press Enter. You can also click Open Resource Monitor at the bottom of the Task Manager Performance page.
2. Select the Memory tab. At the bottom, a colored bar shows memory split into Hardware Reserved, In Use, Modified, Standby and Free.
3. In the Processes table, look at the Hard Faults/sec column and the Working Set and Commit columns. Click the Hard Faults heading to sort.
4. Play for several minutes and note whether hard faults spike during stutters. Frequent spikes while Available memory is low suggest the system is reading from the page file on storage.

If It Did Not Work

• If Win + G does nothing, confirm the Game Bar is enabled under Settings > Gaming > Game Bar, and check that no keyboard utility has taken over the shortcut.
• If the widget is missing from the list, reinstall it by opening Settings > Apps > Installed apps and choosing Repair for Xbox Game Bar, or look in the Microsoft Store for updates.
• If the figure is stuck at zero, performance counters may be damaged. Open an elevated terminal and run lodctr /R, then restart. Counters rebuild from the system’s default list.
• If Task Manager’s total looks higher than the sum of the Processes list, the difference is usually drivers, cached data and hardware-reserved memory, which is normal. Resource Monitor’s bar explains the split.
• If memory use climbs steadily during a session and never drops, the game or an add-on may be leaking memory. Note which process grows in the Details tab, and then update or remove the add-on, or restart the game periodically.
• If only half of your installed RAM shows as usable, check the BIOS and reseat the modules, because a stick that is not seated properly is a common cause.

Common Questions

Is 80 percent memory use bad while gaming?

Not by itself. Windows keeps spare memory busy with cache. What counts is whether Available memory falls very low, whether Committed nears its limit, and whether hard faults spike while the game stutters.

How much RAM do games need?

It depends on the game, your resolution and what else is running. The game’s store page lists the developer’s recommended amount, and your own readings from the tools above show what your setup really uses.

Does the Game Bar overlay slow down games?

It uses some resources, and the effect varies by game and hardware. If you notice problems, close the widget after you finish measuring.

Why does the game use more memory than the Task Manager list shows?

Some memory is counted under drivers or shared graphics memory. Use the Details tab and Resource Monitor to see Commit and Working Set values for a clearer view.

Should I close the browser before gaming?

Browsers with many tabs can hold a large amount of memory. Sorting the Processes tab by Memory shows how much yours is using, and closing unused tabs is an easy way to free some.

Update History

• October 14, 2026 – Initial publication; steps checked against Windows 11 24H2/25H2 and current driver releases.
• Menus can differ slightly by Windows build, BIOS vendor and driver version; check your own screens against the steps.

Sources

• Microsoft documentation on Task Manager, Resource Monitor and Performance Monitor
• Microsoft Support pages on the Xbox Game Bar and its Performance widget
• Microsoft documentation on memory management terms such as commit charge and the standby list