Leheküljefailiks

Leheküljefailiks, often referred to as a page file or swap file, is a dedicated area on a computer's hard drive or solid-state drive used as virtual memory. When a computer's physical RAM (Random Access Memory) becomes full, the operating system moves less frequently used data from RAM to the page file to free up space for active applications and processes. This process is known as paging or swapping.

The use of a page file allows the system to run more applications simultaneously than would be possible with RAM alone, as it effectively extends the available memory. However, accessing data from the page file is significantly slower than accessing data from RAM because hard drives and SSDs have much higher latency. Excessive reliance on the page file can lead to a noticeable slowdown in system performance, a phenomenon often called "thrashing."

The size of the page file is typically configurable by the user or automatically managed by the operating system. Its default size and location are often determined during the installation of the operating system. Modern operating systems are generally adept at managing the page file, but in specific scenarios, manual adjustments might be considered to optimize performance, especially on systems with limited RAM.