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low memory warning

Technology guides and FAQs tagged with low memory warning.

FAQs

How to Reduce RAM Usage on Windows, Mac and Phone

To reduce RAM usage, close the apps and browser tabs you are not using, disable startup programs, turn on your browser's memory saver, and restart the computer to clear any memory leak. Before you change anything, open Task Manager on Windows or Activity Monitor on Mac and check which process uses the most memory. If usage stays high after these steps, scan for malware, update your software, or add more RAM. If you want the basics first, read our guide on what is RAM.

Is High RAM Usage Always a Problem?

No. Windows and macOS keep recently used data in memory on purpose, because reading from RAM is much faster than reading from a drive. A computer that shows 70 percent memory use and runs smoothly is behaving normally. Act when you notice slowdowns, freezing, apps closing on their own, or a low memory warning. On a Mac, the Memory Pressure graph in Activity Monitor is the better guide: green is healthy, yellow means pressure is building, and red means the Mac is short of memory.

Find What Is Using Your Memory

  • Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, open the Processes tab, and click the Memory column to sort from highest to lowest.
  • Mac: Open Activity Monitor from the Utilities folder, choose the Memory tab, and sort by Memory.
  • Chrome: Press Shift + Esc on Windows, or choose Window and then Task Manager on Mac, to see memory use for each tab and extension.

9 Ways to Reduce RAM Usage

  1. Close unused apps and tabs. Every open tab keeps its page data in memory. Close what you are not using and bookmark the rest.
  2. Restart the computer. Choose Restart instead of Shut down on Windows, because Fast Startup can keep part of the last session in memory.
  3. Disable startup programs. On Windows, open Task Manager, go to Startup apps, and disable what you do not need. On Mac, open System Settings, go to General, then Login Items.
  4. Turn on browser memory saving. Use Memory Saver in Chrome or Sleeping Tabs in Edge so idle tabs release memory.
  5. Remove extra browser extensions. Each extension runs its own process, and a few poorly built ones use hundreds of megabytes.
  6. Stop apps running in the background. In Windows Settings, open Apps, then Installed apps, choose Advanced options for the app, and set background permissions to Never where the option exists.
  7. Update your system, drivers and apps. Many memory leaks are fixed in later releases.
  8. Scan for malware. Adware and hidden miners can use a large share of memory. Run a full scan with Windows Security or your antivirus.
  9. Replace heavy apps with lighter ones. Chat and collaboration apps built on web technology can use over 1GB each. Use the browser version or a lighter alternative if memory is tight.

Extra Settings to Check on Windows

Leave virtual memory on automatic. Turning the pagefile off can cause crashes when memory runs short. Skip RAM cleaner and booster apps. They force Windows to drop cached data, which then has to be read from the drive again, so the computer often feels slower afterward. If one process grows larger the longer it runs, you are probably looking at a memory leak. Restart that app, update it, and report the problem to the developer if it returns. Official steps are on Microsoft Support.

Reduce RAM Usage on Mac

Closing a window does not always quit an app, so press Command + Q to quit it fully. Apple silicon Macs share one pool of unified memory between the processor and graphics, and macOS compresses memory and uses swap space on the SSD when the pool fills. For that reason, watch the Memory Pressure graph rather than the amount of memory used. More guidance is available from Apple Support.

Reduce RAM Usage on Android and iPhone

Phones manage memory automatically. Swiping every app away rarely frees useful memory, and on iPhone Apple does not recommend force-closing apps as a routine habit. If a phone feels slow, restart it, uninstall apps you no longer use, and check the battery usage screen for apps that run constantly in the background.

When Lowering Usage Is Not Enough

If memory stays above 85 percent during normal work with only a browser and a couple of apps open, the machine has too little RAM. As a rough guide, 8GB suits basic use, 16GB suits most people, and 32GB suits heavy multitasking, editing and gaming. To plan an upgrade, read is 16GB RAM enough for the next 5 years.