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How to fix Your Computer is Low on Memory in Windows 10
What does the error message “ Low memory in Windows 10 ” mean? It means that your Windows resources are being sucked up for some reason. This can be an issue because when this happens, all of your open programs can begin to malfunction and freeze up. You may not be able to save open work. There are a couple of reasons this may happen, but don’t worry. We can fix this problem.
Low Memory in Windows 10
The easiest and fastest way to fix this issue is to press " Ctrl + Alt + Del" keys at the same time to bring up Task Manager . One the Task Manager is open, you will see a list of programs and processes that are open and running.
Once here, select Task Manager > , check and select programs that are using high memory and CPU usage > click End Task to close the selected programs or apps. As you close these apps and processes, you will free up the memory allocated to them. This memory will free up your computer. You will begin to see an immediate change in the way the computer is behaving.
How to Increase Virtual Memory in Windows
If the low memory issue happens often, you may want to increase your virtual memory. Here’s how you do that:
- Press Windows logo and X at the same time
- Click on System
- Click Advanced system settings , then click Settings under Advanced pane in System Properties.
- Click Change under Advanced Pane
- Uncheck Automatically Manage Paging File Size for all Drives. Check the Custom Size. Set Initial Size and Maximum Size Properly.
- Click Set and OK
This should help with the memory usage of your programs. Windows will allocate more memory to files.
Some people use third-party software to help manage Windows memory. This is not necessary, but it can be helpful for people who want total control over every aspect of their memory usage.
When you find yourself experiencing memory issues, either follow the steps above or get a third-party manager. If the problem persists after trying the steps above, you may want to consider a computer that has more RAM.
Unfortunately, as programs become more memory intensive, computers begin to have issues keeping up with them. The good news is, replacing your computer should be the last option. As long as you have a computer that isn’t more than ten years old, you will not likely need to replace it. Computers today don’t become obsolete as fast as they used to. Just don’t run out and replace your computer right away.
Using the Task Manager , you can keep an eye on the apps and processes that are always running when you lose memory. This can help you troubleshoot and make changes in the software you’re using to see if that will help with the problem.
Be careful when closing processes, however. Many of those processes need to be running. If you don’t know what you’re shutting down, you could crash your computer. This is usually not a fatal issue, but it is always good to know what you are shutting down. If you do shut down something you shouldn’t, chances are good that rebooting the computer will fix it.
If you’re looking for a software company you can trust for its integrity and honest business practices, look no further than SoftwareKeep . We are a Microsoft Certified Partner and a BBB Accredited Business that cares about bringing our customers a reliable, satisfying experience on the software products they need. We will be with you before, during, and after all the sales.
How to Resolve the “Your Computer Is Low on Memory” Error on Windows 10 & 11
From closing resource-hungry apps to adding more RAM, here's how to fix the "your computer is low on memory" error on Windows.
Some users have spoken in troubleshooting forums about a “Your computer is low on memory” error that can arise in Windows 11/10. This error message randomly and regularly pops up for some users who need to fix it. It means a PC is low on RAM (Random Access Memory).
If you’re often seeing the “Your computer is low on memory” error message, it's something you can't just ignore. Some apps may not work right, and your PC will become slow and unresponsive with insufficient RAM available. Fortunately, you can fix the “low on memory” issue with the resolutions in this guide.
What Exactly Is RAM Anyway?
Your computer's Random Access Memory (RAM) is temporary storage for programs to store their data and is an essential system resource for all software. The amount of RAM your PC has is specified in its system specs.
Windows 10 and 11 PCs typically incorporate anywhere between four and 64 gigabytes of RAM. However, the “Your computer is low on memory” error will more likely occur on PCs with less RAM.
There are different types of RAM, such as SDRAM and SRAM. Then there are also DDR3, 4, and 5 RAM types. You can look at our RAM guide for further details about system memory.
1. Disable Background Apps
Running more apps depletes the amount of RAM available on your PC. Closing superfluous apps and other background processes may free up enough RAM on your PC to at least temporarily resolve the “low on memory” error. Even the message for that error suggests you close active programs. So, try disabling background apps in the following steps:
- Launch Task Manager with its direct Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut.
- Select Task Manager’s Processes tab to view apps and background processes.
- Repeat the previous step for unnecessary third-party programs listed under Background processes . However, only select to close unneeded processes there.
- Select and click Disable for all unneeded startup items listed there. Doing so will stop those programs automatically starting with Windows and consuming RAM as background processes.
Be careful not to take things too far when disabling background processes. Don’t terminate any of the Windows processes listed in the tab. Interfering with them could crash Windows.
2. Free Up Drive Storage Space With the Disk Clean-Up Tool
When RAM is low, Windows utilizes a page file from hard drive storage to act as virtual memory. However, an overly full hard drive will restrict virtual memory space. Make sure your PC’s hard drive has sufficient free space for its page file.
To do so, you can erase superfluous files with the Disk Clean-Up like this:
- Open the Windows Disk Clean-Up utility (our guide for how to open Disk Clean-Up can help you with this step).
- You can also select to erase superfluous system file data much the same by clicking Clean up system files .
Aside from erasing junk files, you can uninstall unneeded software to free up drive space. Removing some large software packages will probably free up more space than the Disk Clean-Up tool.
3. Increase Virtual Memory Allocation
Some users have confirmed increasing virtual memory allocation can permanently resolve the “low on memory” error. Expanding the page file will set aside more drive space for virtual memory. You can check out our how-to guide about how to increase virtual memory on Windows for further details about how to do so.
4. Run a Malware Scan
Malware is another potential cause for the “low on memory” error in Windows 11. Some malware can greatly inflate RAM usage, which leads to low memory issues. Windows includes a built-in antivirus scanning utility with which you can purge malware.
The Malwarebytes utility is a good third-party alternative to Windows Security. The freeware version of that software includes a built-in malware scanner you can utilize. This is how you run a malware scan with Malwarebytes:
- Bring up the Malwarebytes download page and download the app.
- Press Install in the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard window.
- Bring up the Malwarebytes app after installing it.
- Click Quarantine after the scan.
5. Reinstall Any Software With Unusually High RAM Usage
Sometimes the “low on memory” error occurs because of a memory leak issue for specific software. A memory leak is when a program doesn’t correctly release RAM, which can greatly inflate its RAM usage. Therefore, identifying and reinstalling software with a memory leak issue can also fix this error. Follow these steps to identify and reinstall any software with unusually high RAM utilization:
- Bring up the Processes tab in Task Manager.
- Close the software you intend to uninstall by selecting its process and clicking End task .
- Next, press the Windows button + R ; and input the appwiz.cpl command for Programs and Features.
- Select the software with unusually high RAM usage and click Uninstall .
- To reinstall the software, download the latest version from its website or other reputable sources. Then open the downloaded setup wizard for the software to reinstall.
6. Set Windows to Peform a Clean Boot
This potential resolution for the “low on memory” error is a variation of the first in this guide. Setting Windows to clean boot will disable both third-party startup programs and services, which is a good way to minimize RAM usage. You can set up a clean boot by disabling services with MSConfig and all startup items in Task Manager, as covered in our how to perform a clean boot on Windows guide.
7. Check Your RAM With the Windows Memory Diagnostic
The “low on memory” error can also be due to a RAM issue. The Windows Memory Diagnostic scans RAM to detect any potential errors. That utility doesn’t fix faulty RAM but may highlight your PC needs a replacement module. You can run a Windows Memory Diagnostic check like this:
- Bring up Run’s Open box with Win + R , and enter mdsched into it.
- Select Run’s OK option to view Windows Memory Diagnostic.
- Wait for the scanning to finish after the restart.
Windows Memory Diagnostic should then automatically display a result after the restart for you to view. If it doesn’t, you can view the result by clicking Windows Logs > System in Event Viewer. Then select Find , input MemoryDiagnostic , and click Find Next .
If the Windows Memory Diagnostic shows errors, you may need to replace a RAM stick. You can replace RAM yourself in desktop PCs and some laptops. Alternatively, consider taking your PC to a reputable repair service.
8. Add More RAM to Your PC
This is the last resort if the above resolutions for the “low on memory” error aren’t enough. Adding an extra RAM module to your PC will give it more system memory. Most desktop PCs have free slots for RAM where you can insert a newly purchased module to increase memory by at least two to four gigabytes.
Our step-by-step guide on how to upgrade RAM on a laptop gives you a full lowdown on how to add more memory to laptops.
Now Your Computer is No Longer Low on Memory
You should always try to minimize both RAM usage and preserve some storage space for the paging file to optimize system performance in Windows 11/10. The “low on memory” error is an example of the kind of issues that can arise when users don’t do that. Applying the potential fixes for the “low on memory” error above will likely resolve that RAM issue for most users.
- Backup Tips
- Full Fixes for Your Computer Is Low on Memory in Windows 10/8/7
Full Fixes for Your Computer Is Low on Memory in Windows 10/8/7 [MiniTool Tips]
“Your computer is low on memory” appears on Windows 10/8/7? Why is the computer running low on memory? How to fix the low memory error? This post will show you much information about the error and offer you full solutions to get rid of trouble.
Computer Says Low on Memory Windows 7/8/10
When using your computer, Microsoft Windows may show you an error message:
“ Your computer is low on memory To restore enough memory for programs to work correctly, save your files and then close or restart all open programs. ”
Or Windows prompts you “ Close programs to prevent information loss. Your computer is low on memory. Save your files and close these programs. ” The issue occurs when you open Outlook 2013, a large-scale game, or any program.
When you receive the low memory error, it means that your computer is running out of RAM and becomes low on virtual memory. Why is the computer low on memory? That’s because some programs on your computer take too much allocation of memory.
You should know, the low memory issue can happen when you run more programs than the RAM installed on the computer is designed to support. And this issue can also occur when a program doesn’t free up memory that it no longer needs. We call this memory overuse or memory leak .
If you are bothered by the computer running out of memory issue, what should you do to get rid of trouble? Just go to the next part to get the solutions.
Full Fixes - Your Computer Is Low on Memory Windows 10/8/7
In Windows, there are built-in features to be used to troubleshoot problems (mostly caused by incompatibility related problems ) with ease. However, it turns out this error message about low memory cannot be fixed by using traditional methods of troubleshooting and reboot operation.
In this post, we collect four helpful ways to fix computer low on memory error in Windows 10/8/7. Please try them one by one.
Way 1: Stop Any Program That Is Using Too Much Memory
Usually, when there are many processes running or your programs are using too much memory, “your computer is low on memory” warning displays in Windows 10/8/7. In this case, your RAM won’t support all these processes and you need to disable some programs.
Exactly, end the process which is using much memory and not important for you to fix the issue. Kindly reminder: if you disable a system process, the OS can be damaged. So, be careful.
Step 1: In Windows 10/8/7, launch Task Manager on your computer by right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting the option Task Manager . Or run this application by holding down the Shift , Ctr l, and Esc keys.
Step 2: Then in the main window of Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and click Memory to sort your processes by memory usage.
Step 3: Right-click on the process that is taking too much memory and choose the End task option to close it. If the processes that are using the most memory are more than one, just repeat this step to close them.
Like this, the operation may help you to close the warning “your computer is low on memory”.
Way 2: Disable Startup Programs
Sometimes, if there are many startup programs, you may be bothered by the computer running low on memory issue. Here, we suggest disabling these startup programs. Here take Windows 10 as an example.
Step 1: You need to press Win + R keys to open the Run box.
Step 2: Input msconfig and click Enter .
Step 3: Under the Startup tab, click Open Task Manager and then right-click on one program to choose Disable .
If it fails to fix the low memory error in Windows 10/8/7, just go to the next way.
Way 3: Manually Increase Virtual Memory
Another way to resolve the low memory issue or alert is to increase your virtual memory. Of course, you will have to do that manually since there are no apps dedicated to this matter.
The operation can be easily performed, just follow the guide below to get rid of the message “your computer is low on memory save your files and close these programs”.
Step 1: Go to the search box of Windows 10/8/7, input advanced system settings and click the first result search. Or hold down the Windows logo and R key on your keyboard to call the Run dialog, then type sysdm.cpl and click the OK button to open the System Properties window.
Step 2: Go to the Advanced tab, and click the Settings button under the Performance section.
Step 3: In the pop-up window, you need to go to the Advanced tab again, choose to adjust for best performance of programs and click the Change button in the Virtual Memory panel.
Step 4: Uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives box.
Step 5: Then, click one drive and choose the Custom size option. And you need to add a new size in MB in these two sections including Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB ). Note that the sizes you set should be more over than the Recommended size.
Finally, click the Set and OK buttons to save the change.
Doing this will increase the paging file size and add the virtual memory of the system. Just go to check if computer low on memory is fixed.
In addition, if you have tried the above 3 methods but “your computer is low on memory” warning still appears in Windows 10/8/7, the only thing you can do is to add physical memory or upgrade your RAM . In the following paragraphs, we will show some details.
Way 4: Upgrade RAM or Add a New Memory
As with the most thing about PC upgrade, you need to figure out what you need. By contrast, it is a breeze to install your memory physically.
Generally speaking, more RAM is better but now we recommend at least 8GB of RAM for most of you. This is a kind of the sweet spot. If you are a gamer, or you need to perform lots of bigger programs, 12-16 GB is suitable.
Besides, before installing new memory, you should know how much RAM your computer can handle. This is based on the versions of Windows and the motherboard. What’s more, you need to determine what type of RAM your computer is able to use.
All these are important things that you should pay attention to, otherwise, the new memory is not compatible with your computer. Then, you can open your computer case and install the new memory to the slot. For more information about how to upgrade or replace your RAM , you can read the help document from howtogeek.
Later, you can go to Settings > System > About to check out the amount of recognized RAM. By this way, “your computer is low on memory” can be fixed completely.
How to upgrade motherboard and CPU without reinstalling Windows 10/8/7? Here are some ways to replace or change them without fresh install.
Important: There is a special situation that you should notice. For 32-bit versions of Windows 10, it can only handle up to 4GB of RAM whether you are running Home, Professional or Enterprise edition (usually, you'll only be able to access around 3.2GB).
This is because of memory addressing limitations. And the same situation also happens on Windows 7 32-bit. But with a 64-bit OS, you can have full access to the whole 4GB.
Therefore, if you add a new memory or upgrade your RAM in Windows 7 and 10 32-bit, you still cannot use the redundant memory. To let the rest of the memory work, you need a 64-bit system. If you use a 32-bit system of Windows 7 and 10 previously, you need to reinstall the system and install a 64-bit one.
Back up Important Files before Installing 32-Bit OS
In order to easily back up crucial files, Windows backup software , MiniTool ShadowMaker, is worth recommending. As a professional and reliable backup program, this tool can help you to back up files, OS, disk, and partition to an image file within simple clicks. To use the files in case of data loss, you need to perform a restoration.
Besides, it can help you to sync files to another location to keep data safe. When locating the path, you can directly use the files. Just get MiniTool ShadowMaker from the button below and install it on your 32-bit system to start a file backup.
Free Download
Step 1: Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker.
Step 2: In the main interface of this software, you can see the Backup and Sync features in the toolbar. Just choose a proper one to continue. Here, we take file sync as an example.
In the Sync window, click the Source section to choose files that you need to back up.
And then, go to the Destination section to choose a storage path. And here an external hard drive, USB flash drive, NAS or network is available.
Step 3: When going back to the following interface, click the Sync Now button to immediately perform the operation.
If you want to use the Backup feature to back up your important files, read this post - How to Backup Files on Windows 10 .
Later, you can install Windows 7 or 10 32-bit operating system to take advantage of the added memory.
“I add memory to fix low memory error but I can only use 3.2GB RAM. Then, I decide to install 64-bit system. Thankfully, MiniTool ShadowMaker helps back up files before reinstallation. ” Click to Tweet
Bottom Line
Get the message “Your computer is low on memory” in Windows 7/8/10? If you are bothered by the low memory error, don’t panic. And this post shows you four useful solutions to fix computer low on memory issue. Just try them one by one.
Should you have any suggestions of computer running out of memory, please tell us by sending an email to [email protected] or leaving your idea in the comment part.
Your Computer Is Low on Memory FAQ
- Go to Start > Settings .
- Type performance and press Enter .
- Click Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows .
- Go to the Advanced tab, click Change from the Virtual memory section.
- Don’t choose Automatically manage paging file size for all drives .
- Choose Customize size and type a value to the boxes of Initial size and Maximum size .
- Save the new settings.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Vera is an editor of the MiniTool Team since 2016 who has more than 5 years’ writing experiences in the field of technical articles. Her articles mainly focus on disk & partition management, PC data recovery, video conversion, as well as PC backup & restore, helping users to solve some errors and issues when using their computers. In her spare times, she likes shopping, playing games and reading some articles.
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How To Fix “Your Computer Is Low on Memory” Error on Windows 10
This is why your computer is so slow
You’re just browsing the web, listening to some music and trying to get that Excel spreadsheet done when suddenly you get a popup that says “Your Computer Is Low on Memory”. Why is this happening and how can you fix this error on Windows 10?
Memory Is Not Disk Space
In this case “Memory” does not refer to hard drive space. It refers to RAM (Random Access Memory) . That’s the fast working memory of your computer and exists as physical microchips , separate from the hard drives that permanently store your operating system, apps and data.
This means that to fix this issue, you need to free up your computer’s working memory. However, it’s also doesn’t hurt to free up some disk space too if you’re running low.
Close Unneeded Programs (or Browser Tabs)
The most obvious thing to do is close programs that you don’t need. You can do this the usual way by simply using the X button at the top-right of the Window. If the program isn’t responding, you can end it the brute force way.
- Open the Task Manager by using any of the following methods:
- Press Ctrl + Alt + Del and click Task Manager
- Right-click the Start Button and select Task Manager
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc
- Click on the Memory header to arrange apps by RAM usage.
- Remember to save your work before you close anything important.
- Right-click on the app that’s using too much memory. Select End Task .
- If your web browser (we’re looking at you Chrome!) is the big memory hog, try closing some tabs instead of the whole program. Also read our article on how to get Chrome to use less memory .
- After you’ve closed the offending app, start it up again. It may use less memory after it restarts.
Sometimes memory management goes awry in a way that can’t be fixed by closing apps. In this case, simply restarting your computer may do the trick.
Check That Your Paging File Is Okay
While RAM is not the same as your hard drive space, Windows does use a reserved section of your hard drive as overflow space when RAM is full, known as the “paging” file .
When you get the low memory warning, it means that this safety net has also filled up completely. If the above measures don’t work, it’s worth adjusting your paging file .
Another option is Disk Cleanup. Windows includes a handy Disk Cleanup utility that can quickly take care of a full hard drive. If your paging file is being squeezed through a lack of disk space, it’s worth trying this:
- Open Windows File Explorer .
- Right-click on the full drive and select Properties .
- Under the General tab , select Disk Cleanup.
- Check all the types of files that you want automatically removed.
- Select Clean up system files .
After the cleanup is complete, you can close the disk properties window.
Check for Malware
There’s a small chance that malware (viruses or spyware) is responsible for the “Your Computer Is Low on Memory” warning message.
To check for and remove malware, you need special software. Windows 10 has a built-in application known as Windows Defender . That’s good enough for most people, but if you’d like check out How to Scan for Malware in Windows 10 and How To Remove Stubborn Malware .
Check Your Minimum Requirements and Buy More RAM (Maybe)
If you’re getting low memory warnings with a specific application, make sure your system meets the minimum Windows 10 RAM requirements of the software you’re trying to run.
Allocate More RAM to Specific Apps
Sometimes you may not be running out of total RAM, but some applications may not be getting the RAM they need. Windows usually does a good job of prioritizing RAM, but you can manually override it if needed. Check out How to Allocate More RAM to Specific Apps in Windows to see how it’s done, along with related caveats.
Adjust Application Settings or Workload
Many programs can be tweaked to use less RAM. For example, Adobe Premiere Pro lets you adjust the maximum usable memory limit. This will free up memory for other apps.
Alternatively, you can reduce the amount of RAM an application needs by reducing the size of the data that it works with. For example, you might want to reduce the resolution of a picture or video that you’re trying to edit.
Fixing the “Your Computer Is Low on Memory” Error
Thanks to how modern Windows 10 memory management works, it’s normal for a large chunk of available RAM to be in use even when the computer seems to be doing nothing. Windows tries to predict which applications you’re likely to launch and preloads that data into RAM. This means that your computer will feel snappier and more responsive in general.
RAM usage isn’t a problem unless you’re genuinely running out of RAM and the computer is forced to swap data for active programs into the paging file. Until you hit that point and none of the fixes above help, don’t sweat it!
Sydney Butler is a social scientist and technology fanatic who tries to understand how people and technology coexist. He has two decades of experience as a freelance computer technician and more than a decade as a technologies researcher and instructor. Sydney has been a professional technology writer for more than five years and covers topics such as VR, Gaming, Cyber security and Transhumanism. Read Sydney's Full Bio
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Quickly Solve Your computer Is Low on Memory (7 Ways)
Why does your computer low on memory? How to fix the error? This article will provide you with 7 useful solutions. Please read on.
Reasons for Your Computer Low on Memory
Sometimes when you are using your Windows 10/8/7 computer to work, play games and watch videos, you may encounter an out-of-memory error: Your computer is low on memory. As shown in the image below.
There are two types of memory in your computer, one is RAM and the other is virtual memory. When the computer has used up all of its RAM and is running low on virtual memory, the "Your computer is low on memory" error will appear. These are the most common situations for insufficient computer memory.
- Sometimes your computer doesn’t have enough memory to support certain programs to run. Therefore, the program may get stuck or stop working. To prevent information loss, the system will notify us via this error message.
- Your computer has been infected by some malicious programs that take up a lot of memory, so the system will prompt you that your computer is out of memory.
- This problem occurs when you run too many programs, or programs don’t release unused memory , and it is called memory overuse or memory leaks.
Note: RAM and virtual memory are completely different from disk space. RAM is the physical hardware inside the computer, while virtual memory is a technique of memory management of the computer system that allows applications to have continuously available memory.
Recommendation: Make Backups of Your Important Data in Advance
When your computer is low on memory, the most obvious phenomenon is that your system is running slowly and unstably. In severe cases, slow boot-up, black screen or blue screen may occur, which may eventually lead to the loss of your important data. So, to prevent this kind of problem from occurring, you can use AOMEI Backupper Standard to make a backup of all files and data on your disk.
This software is a simple and free PC backup tool which supports various backup methods such as system backup, disk backup, file backup and partition backup. At the same time, you can set different time periods to automatically perform your scheduled backups and improve your data security.
And it is not only suitable for running on Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista, but also supports the different backup path such as local disk, USB drive, SSD, NAS, network share, etc.
Before you make the backup, please download AOMEI Backupper Standard and install it first.
Steps by Step Guide to Make File Backup
Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper Standard and select Backup > File Backup.
Step 2. Click Add File or Add Folder , then select the files or folders to be backed up.
Step 3. Fill in the backup path and click Start Backup.
Notes: You can set three options in the left corner for more backup functions.
- Options: You can choose the backup mode between Intelligent Sector Backup and Exact Backup. You can also turn to Advanced settings to set other backup settings as compressed backup or split backup.
- Schedule: You can set your scheduled backups according with different intervals such as daily, weekly and monthly. Besides, you can choose to make the full backup or differential backup. By default, the software will select daily and incremental backups for you to backup your PC data.
- Scheme: In higher versions, you can also enjoy different backup schemes to manage the disk space by clicking this option.
- Cloud backup is also a popular choice for many users in order to save disk space and keep data safe. You can backup your files to AOMEI Cloud. When you sign up for an AOMEI account, it will give you 1TB of free storage space for 15 days.
7 Ways to Solve Your Computer Is Low On Memory
The lack of computer memory will directly affect our experience, and perhaps you will feel frustrated by it. So how to get rid of your computer is low on memory? Here are some solutions for you.
- Close memory overload programs.
- Disable startup programs.
- Run system maintenance programs.
- Increase virtual memory.
- Upgrade Windows to the latest version.
- Remove malware with an anti-virus program.
- Upgrade memory.
Method 1. Close Memory Overload Programs
Some programs take up a lot of memory in your computer when they run, causing your computer low on memory, so you just need to end the processes.
Step 1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to pop up the Task Manager.
Step 2. Select the program that takes up the most memory under the Processes option, then click End task.
Method 2. Disable Startup Programs
Sometimes, several programs will run automatically when your computer starts up. It is also one of the reasons why your computer is running low on memory. So you can disable these startup programs.
Step 1. Open the Task Manager as we mentioned before.
Step 2. Under the Startup option, right-click the programs you want to disable and click Disable option.
Method 3. Run System Maintenance Programs
The system maintenance program can automatically troubleshoot a part of problems on your computer and solve them for insufficient memory of your computer. Below are the steps:
Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run window, and type control to open the Control Panel.
Step 2. Then type Troubleshooting in the search box and click Troubleshooting.
Step 3. Click View all on the left.
Step 4. Find System Maintenance and click it.
Step 5. Click Next in the pop-up window.
Step 6. Select Try troubleshooting as an administrator.
Step 7. Finally, the system will automatically exclude the problem of insufficient memory. When it has been completed, click Close the troubleshooter.
Method 4. Increase Virtual Memory
Increasing virtual memory manually is also one of the ways to solve your computer is low on memory.
Step 1. Press Win+R to open the Run window, type sysdm.cpl to open System Properties , and click Settings under the Advanced tab.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, select Advanced > Change.
Step 3. Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, check Custom Size . Then fill in the appropriate values for Initial size and Maximum size. Finally, click Set and OK.
- The Initial size and Maximum size you set should be larger than the recommended size.
- If you increase the value, you don’t need to restart the PC. However, if you decrease the value, you need to restart the PC.
Method 5. Upgrade Windows to the Latest Version
Sometimes old system versions can also cause your computer is low on memory, you can try updating your system to the latest version.
Step 1. Press Win+I to open Settings and click Update & Security.
Step 2. Select Windows Update on the left, then click Download to update Windows 10 to the latest version.
Method 6. Remove Malware with an Anti-virus Program
Viruses or malware may also be the cause of your computer is low on memory. If your computer is constantly popping up with a low memory message, you may need to use anti-virus software to remove malware programs or viruses from your system.
Method 7. Upgrade Memory
If none of the above methods can solve your computer is low on memory, it is recommended that you can upgrade or replace the memory with a larger memory stick. Since it can make your computer have a better running speed.
Tip: If you are not a computer professional, you’d better not do this by yourself. You can seek help from a computer professional.
When your computer is low on memory, the 7 methods mentioned in this article will help you to solve this problem. Before you solve the problem, it is safest to use AOMEI Backupper Standard to backup important files in advance. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about losing data while you solve the problem.
In addition to backup the significant data, this software also has many useful features, such as create bootable disk , clone HDD to SSD, clone dynamic disk, disk wipe, etc. You can download and use it right away and explore more useful functions.
Fix Your Computer Is Low On Memory Warning [SOLVED]
Your Computer Is Low On Memory warning happens when Windows has run out of space to put the data it needs to store when you’re running different applications . This can be either in the RAM modules in your computer, or also on the hard disk when the free RAM has been filled up.
Your computer is low on memory to restore enough memory for programs to work correctly, save your files and then close to restarting all open programs.
When your computer doesn’t have enough memory for all of the actions it’s trying to perform, Windows and your programs can stop working. To help prevent information loss, Windows will notify you when your computer is low on memory.
Your computer has two types of memory, Random Access Memory (RAM) and virtual memory . All programs use RAM, but when there isn’t enough RAM for the program you’re trying to run, Windows temporarily moves information that would normally be stored in RAM to a file on your hard disk called a paging file. The amount of information temporarily stored in a paging file is also referred to as virtual memory. Using virtual memory—in other words, moving information to and from the paging file—frees up enough RAM for programs to run correctly.
Your computer is low on memory warning occur when your computer runs out of RAM and becomes low on virtual memory. This can happen when you run more programs than the RAM installed on the computer is designed to support. Low memory problems can also occur when a program doesn’t free up memory that it no longer needs. This problem is called memory overuse or a memory leak .
Table of Contents
Fix Your Computer Is Low On Memory Warning
Before moving to the below-listed advanced tutorials, first, you can kill the programs that are using too much memory (RAM) . You can use Task Manager to kill these programs which might be utilizing too much CPU resources.
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
2. Under the Processes tab, right-click on the program or process utilizing the most memory (will be in red color) and choose “End task”.
If the above doesn’t fix the Your Computer is low on memory warning then in order to prevent such warnings, you can change the minimum and maximum size of the paging file by following these steps.
Method 1: Increasing Virtual Memory
Now the more the RAM size (for example 4 GB, 8 GB, and so on) in your system, the faster the loaded programs will perform. Due to the lack of RAM space (primary storage), your computer processes those running programs slowly, technically because of memory management. Hence a virtual memory is required to compensate for the job. And if your computer is running low on memory then the chances are that your virtual memory size is not sufficient enough and you may need to increase virtual memory in order for your computer to run smoothly.
1. Press Windows Key + R and type sysdm.cpl in the Run dialog box and click OK to open System Properties .
2. In the System Properties window, switch to the Advanced tab and under Performance , click on Settings option.
3. Next, in the Performance Options window, switch to the Advanced tab and click on Change under Virtual memory.
4. Finally, in the Virtual memory window shown below, uncheck the “ Automatically manage paging file size for all drive ” option. Then highlight your system drive under Paging file size for each type heading and for the Custom size option, set the suitable values for fields: Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB). It is highly recommended to avoid selecting No paging file option here .
5. Now if you’ve increased the size, a reboot is not mandatory. But if you’ve decreased the size of the paging file, you must have to reboot to make changes effective.
Method 2: Run Antivirus or Anti-Malware Scan
Virus or Malware might also be the reason for your computer running low on memory issues. In case you are experiencing this issue regularly, then you need to scan your system using the updated Anti-Malware or Antivirus software Like Microsoft Security Essential (which is a free & official Antivirus program by Microsoft). Otherwise, if you have third-party Antivirus or Malware scanners, you can also use them to remove malware programs from your system.
Therefore, you should scan your system with anti-virus software and get rid of any unwanted malware or virus immediately . If you don’t have any third-party Antivirus software then don’t worry you can use the Windows 10 in-built malware scanning tool called Windows Defender.
1. Open Windows Defender.
2. Click on Virus and Threat Section.
3. Select the Advanced Section and highlight the Windows Defender Offline scan.
4. Finally, click on Scan now.
5. After the scan is completed, if any malware or viruses are found, then the Windows Defender will automatically remove them. ‘
6. Finally, reboot your PC and see if you’re able to fix Your Computer is low on memory warning.
Method 3: Run CCleaner in order to fix Registry issues
If the above method didn’t work for you then running CCleaner might be helpful:
1. Download and install CCleaner .
2. Double-click on the setup.exe to start the installation.
3. Click on the Install button to start the installation of CCleaner. Follow on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
4. Launch the application and from the left-hand side menu, select Custom.
5. Now see if you need to checkmark anything other than the default settings. Once done, click on Analyze.
6. Once the analysis is complete, click on the “ Run CCleaner ” button.
7. Let CCleaner run its course and this will clear all cache and cookies on your system.
8. Now, to clean your system further, select the Registry tab, and ensure the following are checked.
9. Once done, click on the “ Scan for Issues ” button and allow CCleaner to scan.
10. CCleaner will show the current issues with Windows Registry , simply click on the Fix selected Issues button.
11. When CCleaner asks “ Do you want backup changes to the registry? ” select Yes.
12. Once your backup has completed, select Fix All Selected Issues.
8. Reboot your PC to save changes. This method seems to Fix Your Computer Is Low On Memory Warning in some cases where the system is affected because of the malware or virus.
Method 4: Run System Maintenance
1. Type control in Windows Search then click on Control Panel from the search result.
2. Now type troubleshoot in the search box and select Troubleshooting.
3. Click View all from the left-hand window pane.
4. Next, click on the System Maintenance to run the Troubleshooter and follow the on-screen prompts.
Method 5: Run System File Checker
1. Press Windows Key + X then click on Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Now type the following in the cmd and hit enter:
3. Wait for the above process to finish and once done restart your PC.
4. Next, run CHKDSK to Fix File System Errors .
5. Let the above process complete and again reboot your PC to save changes.
Method 6: Disable Windows Memory Warnings
Note: This method is only for users having RAM 4G or more, if you have less memory than this please don’t try this method.
The way to do this is to prevent the Diagnostics service from loading RADAR which consists of 2 DLL files, radardt.dll, and radarrs.dll.
1. Press Windows Key + R then type “ Regedit ” and hit enter to open Registry Editor.
2. Now navigate to the following registry key and delete each of them completely:
3. Once done, reboot your PC to save changes. Now you won’t see any memory warnings including Your Computer Is Low On Memory.
Method 7: Update Windows
1. Press Windows Key + I to open Settings then click on Update & Security.
2. From the left-hand side, menu click on Windows Update.
3. Now click on the “ Check for updates ” button to check for any available updates.
4. If any updates are pending then click on Download & Install updates.
5. Once the updates are downloaded, install them and your Windows will become up-to-date.
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That’s you have successfully Fix Your Computer Is Low On Memory Warning but if you still have any queries regarding this post please feel free to comment and let us know.
About The Author
Aditya Farrad
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10 thoughts on “fix your computer is low on memory warning [solved]”.
thank u a lot….. its working
It said the changes I made require me to restart computer in order for them to take effect. Does this mean I decreased the memory size? If so..isn’t this the opposite of what I was trying to accomplish since I have already been getting memory message pop-ups. I followed this article to a “t” please help ! Thanks
Thank you vert much it really works
Thank you. It worked…sort of. Chose Method 1, went to “Performance Options” and under “Visual Effects” I changed from “Custom” setting to “Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer.” (I didn’t go into “Advanced” settings because that would have required me to make a change in “Virtual memory” and I’m not into that). But the change worked and boosted my available memory from 5-10% to 55-60%. However. when I went back to re-check the settings later, the “Visual Effect” setting had changed back on its own from “Let Windows… to “Custom.” I think I need new spark plugs.(I’ll get my coat)
Please we won’t from memory to be big about 1000GB
your computer is low on memory dialogues coming
I was able to increase available memory on c drive from 40MB to 623MB using 3 of the 4 tips recommended here. Only took me about 35 minutes. Thank you!
I had less than 1GB left out of 465GB SSD. After following the first step I got back 10GB, then the second I got back an additional 165GB! Outstanding!
Anyone have this problem ? Anytime I start a game is crashed with this error. I’ve tried everything. Please help :} Thank you. Out of memory (requested-1430938 KB) footprint 218798971 KB.
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