Bank switching
![A hypothetical memory map of bank-switched memory for a processor that can only address 64 kB. This scheme shows 200 kB of memory, of which only 64 kb can be accessed at any time by the processor. The operating system must manage the bank-switching operation to ensure that program execution can continue when part of memory is not accessible to the processor.](/Images/godic/202412/23/Bankswitch_memory_map.svg1746.png")
![Bank select switch on Cromemco memory board was used to map the memory into one or more of 8 distinct 64KB banks.[5]](/Images/godic/202412/23/Bank_Select_Switch_on_Cromemco_Memory_Board1746.jpg")
![Expanded memory in the IBM PC](/Images/godic/202412/23/Expanded_memory.svg1746.png")
Bank switching is a technique used in computer design to increase the amount of usable memory beyond the amount directly addressable by the processor. It can be used to configure a system differently at different times; for example, a ROM required to start a system from diskette could be switched out when no longer needed. In video game systems, bank switching allowed larger games to be developed for play on existing consoles.