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Windows process memory Metrics

The Get-Process cmdlet in PowerShell provides access to several key performance counters that describe the memory usage of a running process. These Metrics help in diagnosing resource consumption and understanding application behavior.

Core Memory Metrics

The standard output and detailed object properties of Get-Process include specific memory fields, often measured in Kilobytes (K) or bytes:

  • PM (Page Memory / Working Set): Often referred to as "Working Set" (WS), this represents the amount of physical memory currently assigned to the process^[600-developer__learn-powershell01.md].
  • NPM (Non-Paged Memory): This indicates the amount of memory used by the process that cannot be paged out to disk (must reside in physical RAM)^[600-developer__learn-powershell01.md].
  • VM (Virtual Memory): This shows the total size of the virtual address space allocated to the process, including both physical memory and space paged to the disk^[600-developer__learn-powershell01.md].
  • WS (Working Set): Listed alongside PM in detailed views, this specifies the physical memory usage^[600-developer__learn-powershell01.md].
  • [[PowerShell]]
  • [[Process Management]]

Sources

^[600-developer__learn-powershell01.md]