Desktop Window Manager consumes huge amount of memory.

[zlatan1962]

The computer's desktop window manager is consumes a huge amount of memory. Earlier today 655MB! Currently 800 MB!

When i restart the pc, desktop windows manager no longer consumes a large amount of memory.

i read it's due to a memory leak.

 Any idea what is going on?

[itsmyname]

@zlatan1962 --  Any idea what is going on? i read it's due to a memory leak.

Yes, a "memory leak" could be the cause.  It happens when an app uses "obtains" (virtual) memory, and then never "releases" the memory.  Because Windows uses "virtual memory", any memory that Windows determines has not been recently used will be written to the "swap-file", and will mark the underlying "real" memory as available to other apps.  As long as your "swap-file" never gets full, Windows will work fine.

Compare to a Public Library that asks you to not "re-shelf" books that you have pulled from their stacks.

You pull a book, put it on your desk, use the book, and then put the book into the "to-be-re-shelved" book carrier. Over a few hours, you have touched many books, but almost none of those books are still on your desk.  Does it matter to you that the "book-carrier" is getting full?  Probably not, because your desktop is mostly bare.  Your desktop is the "real" RAM, and the book-carrier is your "virtual" RAM.

[zlatan1962]

thanks for your return but is there a solution to solve this issue ?

because I have to restart the pc in order that desktop windows manager does not continue to consume memory (RAM)

[itsmyname · Accepted solution]

@zlatan1962 -- there is a difference between "virtual" RAM and "real" RAM.

The "real" RAM is the physical stick(s) of RAM that are connected to your computer's motherboard.

The "virtual" RAM is like a table and a library of books.

Repeatedly, you can take a book off a shelf of your library, open it, and put it on your table.

Eventually, your table becomes covered with open books, and you need to take another book off the shelf.

So, you need take one book off the table, and put it on the floor, to make room on the table for another book to be taken off a shelf of your library, to be opened, and used. It could be a large book.

As long as you have space on the floor in the room with the table, you can repeat this process: shelf -> table -> floor.

In this analogy, the table is the "real" RAM, the floor is the "virtual" RAM, and the book shelves are your disk-drive.

Does it matter how many books (even the large ones) end up on the floor?  No, until the floor is entirely covered. The books that you most recently have used are on the table. The less-recently-accessed books are on the floor -- a little slower to touch than the books on the table.  No matter the size of that large book, as long as there is some room on the floor, the total size of all the books does not matter.

In your case, do not worry about the size of that Desktop Manager file, until your Windows "swap" file gets full. Most of the virtual RAM occupied by that file is NOT currently occupying the real RAM.

While having a memory-leak is not good, it is not critical, until the Windows "swap" file becomes full.

So, keep using Windows. If your computer is "up 24/7", then restart Windows, once a week, or once a  month, to free-up all the contents of the "swap" file.

[zlatan1962]

thanks for your return again.I have seen that many users have this problem.It is due to a windows update and a conflict with the driver of the intel graphics chipset

[itsmyname]

@zlatan1962 --  many users have this problem.

So, does it affect your usage of your computer?

The value displayed is "virtual RAM" -- mostly stored inside the Windows "swap" file, and not currently associates with any part of your "real" RAM.

If the sun-roof on your automobile is not functioning, does that prevent you from driving the vehicle to/from work?  No. Similarly, a "large" value for V-RAM is not a problem.

[zlatan1962]

at the begining, i thought that the pc was going to row but with your explanations it is clear. Otherwise i found the application which causes this bug it is the mail application of windows 10. When i open it , desktop windows manager increases and when i close it, desktop windows manager descreases. thanks for your explanations.