Where Are pagefile.sys and swapfile.sys?
Windows pagefile, swapfile and hiberfil system files at the drive root, and how to resize or move them.
Last updated
Windows parks pagefile.sys, swapfile.sys and hiberfil.sys at the root of the system drive. They stay invisible until you show protected operating system files.
These are working memory spill, not leftovers. Deleting by force just recreates them at boot, minus stability when RAM runs out.
Where Windows stores this, by platform
C:\pagefile.sys
Siblings C:\swapfile.sys (UWP swap) and C:\hiberfil.sys (hibernation, only with hibernate on). Manage under System Properties, Performance, Advanced, Virtual memory.
Frequently asked questions
Should I disable the pagefile with lots of RAM?
No. Windows and many apps expect it; crashes and commit failures follow. Shrink or move it instead of zeroing.
How do I remove hiberfil.sys?
Turn hibernation off from an elevated prompt. The file deletes itself; manual deletion fails while the feature owns it.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.