How to check Windows memory utilization via command prompt

In the world of Windows system administration and troubleshooting, monitoring memory utilization is a critical aspect of maintaining system performance and stability. In this article, we will delve into the methods and commands available via the command prompt to check Windows memory utilization. Whether you're a system administrator, IT professional, or simply a curious user wanting to understand how your system utilizes memory, learning how to check Windows memory utilization through the command prompt is a valuable skill that can help you optimize resource usage and diagnose potential issues effectively.

You can use the command prompt in Windows to find out memory utilization by utilizing various commands. Here are a few commonly used commands:

Tasklist:

Open the Command Prompt.
To display a list of running processes and their memory usage:

tasklist

Systeminfo:

Open the Command Prompt.
To display general system information, including total physical memory and available memory:

systeminfo

WMIC (Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line):

Open the Command Prompt.
To display information about available memory:

wmic memorychip get capacity

To display information about free and total physical memory:

wmic os get FreePhysicalMemory,TotalVisibleMemorySize

Task Manager (taskmgr):

Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc or Ctrl + Alt + Delete and selecting "Task Manager."
Go to the "Performance" tab to see real-time information about CPU, memory, and other system resources.

Performance Monitor (perfmon):

Open the Command Prompt and run perfmon to open the Performance Monitor.
In the Performance Monitor, you can create a new Data Collector Set to collect performance data, including memory usage.

PowerShell:

Open PowerShell.
To get information about available memory:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_OperatingSystem | Select-Object FreePhysicalMemory

To get information about total and available memory:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_OperatingSystem | Select-Object TotalVisibleMemorySize, FreePhysicalMemory

These commands provide information about memory utilization, including details on total physical memory, free memory, and memory usage by processes. Choose the method that best fits your needs and preferences. Keep in mind that some commands may require administrative privileges to access certain information.