Published 2022-10-25 by TechNet New England
"Not enough memory" or "Out of memory" errors mean your computer does not have enough RAM available for what you are trying to do. This can happen even if your computer has 8 or 16 GB of RAM if too many applications are running simultaneously. ## Windows ### Check Memory Usage 1. Press **Ctrl + Shift + Escape** to open Task Manager. 2. Click the **Performance** tab. 3. Click **Memory**. 4. If memory usage is above 85 to 90%, you are running low. ### Fix 1: Close Unnecessary Applications Look at the Processes tab in Task Manager, sorted by Memory. Close applications you are not actively using. Common memory consumers: Web browsers (especially Chrome with many tabs). Microsoft Teams. Outlook with large mailboxes. Adobe applications. Multiple Office documents. ### Fix 2: Close Browser Tabs Each browser tab consumes memory. 20 to 30 open tabs can use several GB of RAM. Close tabs you are not using or use a tab management extension. ### Fix 3: Restart Restarting clears all memory and stops accumulated background processes. ### Fix 4: Increase Virtual Memory 1. Open **System Properties** (Win + R, type `sysdm.cpl`, press Enter). 2. Click the **Advanced** tab. 3. Under Performance, click **Settings**. 4. Click the **Advanced** tab. 5. Under Virtual memory, click **Change**. 6. Uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size." 7. Select your C: drive, choose **Custom size**. 8. Set Initial size to 1.5x your RAM (e.g., 12288 MB for 8 GB RAM). 9. Set Maximum size to 3x your RAM (e.g., 24576 MB for 8 GB RAM). 10. Click **Set**, then **OK**, and restart. ### Long-term Fix: Add More RAM If memory errors happen regularly, your computer may need more RAM. 8 GB is the minimum for modern work. 16 GB is recommended. Check with your IT provider about upgrading. ## Mac ### Check Memory Usage 1. Open **Activity Monitor** (Applications > Utilities). 2. Click the **Memory** tab. 3. Check **Memory Pressure** at the bottom. Green is good. Yellow means memory is under pressure. Red means critical. ### Fix 1: Close Applications Quit applications you are not using. On Mac, closing a window does not quit the app. Right-click the Dock icon and select **Quit**. ### Fix 2: Close Browser Tabs Same as Windows. Each tab uses memory. ### Fix 3: Restart Click Apple menu > Restart. ### Long-term Fix Mac RAM is typically not upgradeable on modern models (M1, M2, M3, M4). If memory pressure is consistently yellow or red, the Mac may need to be replaced with a model that has more RAM. 16 GB is recommended for general business use. 32 GB for heavy multitasking. ## When to Contact IT If memory errors persist after closing applications and restarting, contact your IT provider. They can check for memory-hogging processes, malware, or system configuration issues, and recommend whether a RAM upgrade or hardware replacement is appropriate.