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Why does the Windows 11 task manager not show the correct memory usage?

Anonymous
2023-07-13T15:27:27+00:00

The question was already asked a bit differently in another thread, but the answer was not helpful.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/task-manager-performance-memory-usage-higher-than/ffde0f28-e5f9-48a7-bd45-b36e7925c534

Why does the task manager not show the real usage of RAM of the processes? If you add up everything that is listed in task manager you get less than 50% of main memory usage that is reported on the other tab of the task manager!

This is very unsatisfying, because it means you cannot determine what is actually causing the high memory usage.

It doesn't seem to be Windows System processes alone, but a certain overhead for every program.

If I close a task, that is reported to use 920 MB of memory and compare the overall RAM usage before and after, it drops by 1.7 GB, which is nearly double of the closed process, although on the processes list, this is the only task that disappears.

I'm using Windows 11 version 10.0.22621 Build 22621 on a Lenovo Laptop with ADM Ryzen 7 Pro 4750U and 32 GB of DDR4-3200.

Uploading images to this post doesn't work both in Firefox and Edge. It says: image inserted successfully, but no image visible.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-01-30T08:35:37+00:00

    I also have this issue.
    I read the whole thread but it seems to me that there is no answer, only a lot of BS, in some attempt to confuse. Is it not?

    Or can anyone point to a tab or setting where total usage and detailed usage adds up to at least something similar?

    //Mattias

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-07-16T19:12:10+00:00

    Dear Kyo

    Thanks for the clarification, but it doesn't answer the question.

    Why is the sum of memory in the process tab not equivalent to the "in use" memory under the performance tab?

    Your description implies that this should be the case:

    Memory in use: "The amount of memory currently being used by all processes and system components."

    Regards

    René

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-11-28T15:08:55+00:00

    Why, then, does the processes tab indicate a higher percentage than it details and not the actual amount of memory it is reporting?

    Obviously there is SOME Window's function using this other memory if it is for shared memory, etc, it is still allocated by SOME Windows process, is it not? And so why is this Windows process that is allocating this memory not being displayed on the processes tab?

    There seems to be two choices:

    1. Show these hidden processes allocating memory in the processes tab or
    2. Change the heading of the memory % being used to reflect the processes actually being shown.
      Perhaps: 72% (35%) memory
      with the 72% being all the memory being used, which obviously Task Manager knows since it is reporting it, and the (35%) being the ones detailed in the processes list. Then we would know that - in this theoretical case - 37% was being used by as shared memory, etc.

    As it is, Task Manager is lying to the users.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-07-18T13:25:32+00:00

    Dear Kyo,

    thanks for your fast response. However, I do not understand, what you are trying to tell me. Does it mean: "it's not a bug, it's a feature"? You confirm that my expectation is correct, that the sum of memory listed under processes should be equal to the memory usage shown as "in use" in the performance tab. Can you also confirm, that this is currently not the case, or do you want to tell me that it is actually the case?

    I actually can add screenshots now, so that you can see, it is not as expected on my system. It is especially interesting what happens after you kill a process (compare image 3 and 4 to image 1 and 2. The only difference is, that I killed the process called BonitaStudioCommunity.exe)

    Regards

    René

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-09-12T15:26:43+00:00

    Thanks for your previous answer Kyo.
    I am also have a question.
    Is there any way to show in a single tab all individual components consuming the memory (not only the private working set) in order to allow us to realize what we see in the performance tab by analysing individual consumers of the whole used memory?
    Regards,

    9 people found this answer helpful.
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