How To Use microSD, Memory Card, as RAM in Windows 10/8/8.1/7/XP

Today, we are gonna see how can you Use Memory Card or SD Card from your mobile as a RAM (Random Access Memory) in your Windows Machine or PC. This trick will work on all Windows XP/ 7/ 8/ 8.1/ 10 Desktop as well as Laptop computer having Readyboost installed by default.

Things you need:

1. SD Card. Any SD Card will work. microSD, SD, etc.
2. SD Card Adapter (You May Need it depending on your computer)
3. SD Card Slot on your machine. Though you can use external SD card reader but I don’t recommend it.
4. Windows 10/8.1/8/XP computer.
5. Readyboost software. (Inbuilt)
6. 5 minutes 🙂 I have 2GB memory card and dedicated all of it. I suggest you to do the same.

Follow the steps given below to use memory card as RAM in Windows 10/ 8.1/8/7 PC:

1. Insert memory card in adapter (if needed)
2. Insert that into your computer SD Card Slot.
3. Backup important data from your Memory Card/ SD Card.
4. Open ‘My Computer’ or ‘This PC’ depending on your version of Windows Operating System.
5. After getting your SD card detected by Windows, Right Click your SD Card.
6. Click Format.
7. Keep the format as NTFS only.
8. Format the Memory Card.
9. After formatting, right click Memory Card drive and select properties.
10. Click ‘Readyboost’ tab at upper left corner.
11. If you are seeing ‘This device can not be used for readyboot’ then click test again. If you are still seeing same error, visit Tensbit for resolution.
12. I recommend ‘Dedicate this device to readyboost option’.

It means whole device will be used by readyboost to improve your PCs performance. You won’t be able to use it for another tasks like storing files, movies, writing, etc.

1. Click OK.
2. Then you will see the Memory Card drive fully filled.
3. You are done! You won’t see any noticable difference if you are using PC for regular tasks like web browsing, watching movies, writing articles, etc. But when it comes to heavy tasks like development, video editing, programming, high graphics gaming, you’ll notice difference. It may not be huge but you’ll notice some difference in performance!

Does Using Readyboost Help? Is Readyboost Worth it Windows 10, 7, XP, 8, 8.1?

I’m developing android apps on my Dell 3148 Windows 10 Laptop powered by Intel core i3, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD. Before using my memory card as a RAM, I was constantly seeing my android studio (IDE for Android Development) was used to hang after few minutes of programming.

After installing readyboost, it stopped hanging. I won’t say its performing buttery smooth but there is definitely improvement in performance and most importantly it stopped freezing.

Important things to keep in mind while using your Memory Card/ SD Card as RAM in Windows 10/ 7/ 8/ 8.1/ XP

1. Make sure you backup your Memory Card. Copy important data in your PC since you will be formatting your Card, you’ll be losing all of your data on memory card.
2. Make sure you have uninterrupted power supply. Interrupt in power supply may damage your memory card.
3. Choose best SD card for readyboost I mean, fast. Make sure its fast enough to be able to perform fast enough. Don’t use slow cards else you won’t see the difference or may see negative difference.
4. Don’t forget to comment and share this article with your friends.