Paging in an operating system is a memory management scheme that eliminates the need for contiguous allocation of physical memory. It divides physical memory into fixed-size blocks called “frames” and divides logical memory into blocks of the same size, called “pages.” When a process is executed, its pages are loaded into available memory frames. The operating system keeps track of all pages using a page table, which maps virtual addresses to physical addresses. Paging helps in efficient memory usage, reduces fragmentation, and allows for easier swapping of data between disk and memory, ensuring optimal utilization of available memory resources.