Wipe the page file at every shutdown — via Microsoft Learn

Group Policy

Open gpedit.msc (Pro, Enterprise and Education only) and go to:

Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options > Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile

Registry equivalent

Double-click a .reg file and confirm to merge it. Right-click → Edit first if you want to read it, which is always a good idea with any .reg file from the internet.

Apply

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Oddbyte.Me: Wipe the page file at every shutdown

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management]
"ClearPageFileAtShutdown"=dword:00000001

Undo

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Oddbyte.Me: undo Wipe the page file at every shutdown

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management]
"ClearPageFileAtShutdown"=dword:00000000

Same thing from a command prompt

Run in an administrator Command Prompt or Terminal.

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v "ClearPageFileAtShutdown" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Undo:

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v "ClearPageFileAtShutdown" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Off by default. With it on, the hibernation file is also zeroed when hibernation is disabled. Most useful on dual-boot PCs or where someone could boot another OS from USB. If shutdowns suddenly take ages, check this value first.