virtual memory

Virtual memory is a computer technology that allows your system to use a combination of physical RAM (short-term memory) and disk storage (long-term memory) to run programs efficiently. When your RAM fills up, the computer temporarily moves less-used data to a designated space on the hard drive called the swap file or page file. This frees up RAM for active tasks, enabling multiple programs to operate smoothly even if they collectively require more memory than the physical RAM installed. Virtual memory thus extends the effective memory capacity, balancing speed and resource management.