What does RAM do, exactly?

RAM is temporary storage that goes away when the power turns off. So what is RAM used for,
then? It’s very fast, which makes it ideal for things the computer is actively working on, such as
applications that are currently running (for example, the web browser in which you’re reading
this article) and the data those applications work on or with (such as this article).

It can help to think about RAM with the analogy of a physical desktop. Your working space —
where you scribble on something immediately — is the top of the desk, where you want
everything within arm’s reach and you want no delay in finding anything. That’s RAM. In
contrast, if you want to keep anything to work on later, you put it into a desk drawer — or store
it on a hard disk, either locally or in the cloud.

Ultimately, RAM allows you to access multiple programs at once with speed and efficiency.

RAM is significantly faster than a hard disk — twenty to a hundred times faster, depending on
the specific hardware type and task. Because of its speed, RAM is used to process information
immediately. When you want to accomplish a specific task, computer operating systems load
data from the hard disk into RAM to process it, such as to sort a spreadsheet or to display it on
screen. When it’s done actively “doing something,” the computer (sometimes at your
instruction) saves it into long term storage.

So, for example, let’s say you want to work with a spreadsheet. When you start Excel, your
computer loads the application into RAM. If you load an existing spreadsheet (which is stored on
your hard disk), the operating system copies that information into RAM, too. Then you can work
with Excel, crunching numbers in your usual fashion. In most circumstances, the computer
responds super-fast, because RAM is fast. When you’re done with the spreadsheet, you tell Excel
to save it — which means that the data gets copied to the hard disk or other long-term storage.
(If you forget to save and the power fails, all that work is gone, because RAM is temporary
storage.) And when you close the application, the computer operating system takes it out of
RAM and clears the deck so that the space is free for you to work on the next thing.

One extended use of RAM is to help previously-accessed information be available much more
quickly. When you first turn on your computer and launch any application, such as PowerPoint or
Spotify, it takes a while to load. However, if you close a program and then relaunch it, the
software opens almost instantly (unless your PC isn’t optimized for performance). That’s because
the app is loaded out of the significantly faster RAM, rather than the hard disk.