Configuring Memory Settings for a Virtual Machine

Select: VM > Settings > Hardware > Memory

Note: To change the amount of memory available to all virtual machines, see Setting Memory Limits for All Virtual Machines.

To change the amount of memory used by the virtual machine, use the slider under Memory for this virtual machine, or type in a value in megabytes (this value must be a multiple of 4). The high end of the range that appears is determined by the amount of memory allocated to all running virtual machines; if you are allowing virtual machine memory to be swapped, then this value changes to reflect the amount of swapping that was specified.

You can change the amount of memory allocated to the virtual machine only when it is powered off.

The Memory tab provides the following information to help you choose an appropriate amount of memory for the virtual machine. A color-coded icon corresponds to each value. To use one of these amounts, click the corresponding icon under Memory for this virtual machine.

Guest OS recommended minimum — This is the recommended minimum amount of memory the operating system vendor recommends for the operating system to run.
Recommended memory — This is the VMware Server recommended minimum memory size for this virtual machine. If you allocate more or less memory to your virtual machine than is recommended, your virtual machine may perform poorly. For more information, see Setting Memory Limits for All Virtual Machines.
Maximum for best performance — This shows the VMware Server recommended maximum amount of memory you can allocate to the virtual machine for its best performance when it is the only virtual machine running. Allocating more memory to this virtual machine can have a negative impact on its performance.