I just bought a brand new laptop that's supposed to have 16GB of RAM, but it's only showing 8GB as usable. I'm not very tech-savvy and I'm unsure how to fix this. Is there something I need to adjust in the settings or the BIOS? I'm worried I didn't get what I paid for, and I can't upload pictures to show what I mean.
4 Answers
You shouldn’t need to manually allocate RAM. If the laptop shows 8GB usable, it may be that the system is managing what’s available actively. Just check to see if your laptop really has 16GB installed by going to Settings > System. If it says 16GB there, then you're good! Close unused apps to free up space.
If your system is showing around 15GB total with 8GB available, that’s not a problem! Windows manages RAM in a way to make your system run faster. To get more available RAM, consider closing programs you aren’t using—like too many browser tabs. If it shows 7-8GB total, you might have a manufacturing issue and should look into returning it.
It sounds like it could be a setup issue. Sometimes, a portion of RAM is allocated for integrated graphics in the BIOS. You could check that. Also, your OS might just be using some of the RAM for caching, which still leaves it available when needed. Don’t worry too much about what the OS reports as 'used'—it's normal for it to keep track that way.
To check what's using up your RAM, open Task Manager by pressing CTRL + Shift + ESC. Check the Performance tab to see how much RAM is being utilized. If it shows 8GB used out of 16GB total, you shouldn’t worry; it’s still available. Just try restarting your laptop to clear any unnecessary background processes.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload