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Swapfile vs Pagefile Comparison

Quick Summary

Feature Pagefile Swapfile
Primary OS Windows Windows & Linux
Purpose Traditional virtual memory Modern app management (Windows), General swapping (Linux)
File Name pagefile.sys swapfile.sys (Windows), swapfile (Linux)
Content Type Memory pages Compressed UWP app data (Windows), Process memory (Linux)
Typical Location C:\pagefile.sys C:\swapfile.sys (Windows), /swapfile (Linux)
Management System-managed Auto-managed (Windows), Manual (Linux)

Key Technical Differences

Windows Implementation

  • Pagefile.sys
    • Used for conventional virtual memory paging
    • Handles memory pages from Win32 applications
    • First introduced in Windows NT 3.1
  • Swapfile.sys
    • Introduced in Windows 8/Server 2012
    • Manages Modern/UWP app suspension
    • Uses compression for faster resume
    • Works with pagefile.sys (not a replacement)

Linux Implementation

  • Swapfile
    • Can be file or dedicated partition
    • Stores entire process memory images
    • Configured via swapon/swapoff
    • Typical size: 1.5-2x physical RAM

When to Use Which

  1. Windows Systems

    • Keep both files enabled for optimal performance
    • Pagefile: Essential for legacy apps
    • Swapfile: Critical for tablet/hybrid devices

  2. Linux Systems

    • Prefer swap partitions for HDDs
    • Use swapfiles for SSDs (wear leveling)
    • Required for hibernation support

Performance Considerations

  • Windows swapfile uses differential compression (≈40% space savings)
  • Linux swapfiles have 1-5% performance penalty vs partitions
  • Both benefit from SSD storage
  • Disabling either in Windows can cause system instability

Alternative approaches:

  1. For Linux servers: Use zram + swapfile for better memory efficiency
  2. Windows power users: Split pagefile/swapfile across different drives
  3. Virtualization: Disable swapfiles and allocate dedicated pagefiles for VMs