“Why is my Mac running out of application memory when I only have Safari, Chrome, and Spotify open? Help, please!”
___A Question from Reddit
Suddenly, everything grinds to a halt on your Mac. The apps freeze, your mouse lags, and nothing opens. You’re left staring at a screen with the message, “Your system has run out of application memory.”
So, what’s hogging it up, and where to begin? In this guide, we’ll tell you the reasons why your Mac gets stuck like this, and share several solutions to clear the application memory!
Key Takeaways
- Application memory on Mac is used by open apps, and running out signals RAM and virtual memory are full.
- Common causes for running out of application memory include memory-hungry apps, memory leaks, and too many browser tabs.
- To fix the error, reboot your Mac, quit unnecessary apps, and clear space using Tenorshare Cleamio.
- Reducing browser tabs, managing startup apps, and adjusting Finder preferences also help reclaim memory.
- Maintain 10-20% free disk space for virtual memory to prevent application memory errors.
Table of contents
Overview of Your System Has Run Out of Application Memory Error
What’s Application Memory on Mac?
Application memory is the part of your Mac’s RAM that’s being used by the apps you have open right now. It’s different from storage, which is where your files, photos, and apps are saved permanently. You can think of storage like a filing cabinet. It holds everything, but is slower to access.
While RAM is like a desk where you place what you’re currently working on. When you open an app, macOS moves what it needs from storage into RAM so it can run quickly and flawlessly. Application memory is basically the total space on that “desk” used by all active apps and processes.
Why Is My Mac Running Out of Application Memory?
The error “Your system has run out of application memory” on Mac doesn’t just mean your Mac is out of RAM. It means both your actual RAM and the extra backup space it uses on storage (virtual memory) are full. Think of it like your desk being completely covered with work, and even the extra overflow space in your filing cabinet is packed.
When there’s no room left anywhere, the system can’t manage more tasks, which causes this error to appear. So, if you’re contemplating, “Why is my Mac running out of application memory,” the memory can become full because of the following reasons:
- Some apps use a lot of memory, like browsers with many tabs or heavy creative software.
- Some apps may have bugs called memory leaks, where they keep taking more RAM without releasing it, slowing down or freezing your Mac.
- Browser extensions, startup apps, and system processes you don’t see can quietly use memory, and sometimes they spike due to bugs or updates.
- Sometimes running many demanding apps together can exceed the memory your Mac has available.
Methods to Fix Your System Has Run Out of Application Memory Error
If your Mac runs out of application memory, here are 8 options to resolve this issue. Start with the most basic resolutions and proceed further for advanced options next:
Reboot Your Mac
Sometimes, temporary files and background processes can become stuck or overuse system resources, resulting in the ‘your system has run out of application memory’ error on Mac. But when you reboot your computer, it closes background processes, and clears up temporary files, freeing up system resources.
Clear Application Memory via Tenorshare Cleamio
If your Mac has run out of application memory, it could be because of junk and cache files, unnecessary apps, duplicates, etc. But rather than removing them manually or through built-in Mac tools, you can use a professional Mac Application Memory Cleaner app.
Tenorshare Cleamio offers one-click free cleanup of junk files, caches, logs, and leftover files. It can also fully uninstall unnecessary apps and delete leftover data. Here’s more detail about this tool:
- 100% clean and secure, with free system junk removal.
- Finds and deletes duplicate files, similar photos, and large files.
- Removes blurry and burst photos to save space.
- Batch renames multiple files using AI.
- Manages app updates in one place.
- Monitors CPU, memory, disk space, network, and startup items in real time.
- Frees up storage, boosts performance, and speeds up your Mac
Step 1: Download, install, and open Tenorshare Cleamio. Then, select “Junk Files.” Hit “Scan.”
Step 2: Once the scan is completed, preview the results by file type (system junk, app junk, browsing data, trash, unused installer, etc).
Step 3: Choose the files to delete. Tap “Smart Cleanup.” Next, hit “OK” when finished to complete the cleanup.
Quit Memory-Hungry & Unnecessary Apps
Your background apps might be gulping up too many resources on your Mac. This could be why you’re facing an error like ‘Your system has run out of application memory’ on MacBook. So, close any apps you don’t need right away.
If you’re unsure which one is using too much memory, you can check the “Activity Monitor.” It’s a built-in Mac tool that shows how your memory is being used. Here’s how to clear up application memory on a Mac by closing unnecessary and memory-hungry apps:
Step 1: Open “Spotlight.” Then, type “Activity Monitor” followed by pressing the Enter key.
Step 2: Next, click the “Memory” tab to see each process and how much memory it’s using.
Step 3: Pay attention to “App Memory,” which shows how much RAM apps are using. Close the apps that you don’t need.
Turn Off Apple Intelligence
Mac’s Apple Intelligence feature can use about 7GB or more of storage space, which is a lot on smaller drives like 128GB or 256GB. The only way to get that space back is to turn it off, because simply not using it won’t remove the files.
However, disabling it doesn’t free RAM. It only frees storage. But if your drive was full, your Mac couldn’t create virtual memory. So clearing that space lets it function again and fixes an error message like “Your system has run out of application memory” on Mac. Here’s how:
Step 1: Open the “Apple menu.” Then, choose “System Settings.” Next, tap “Apple Intelligence & Siri.”
Step 2: Toggle the switch to “off.” Then, tap “Turn Off Apple Intelligence” to confirm.
Reduce Browser Tabs and Extensions
Modern browsers run each tab and extension as separate processes, so having many tabs open can use several gigabytes of memory. Extensions also use memory all the time and may leak RAM. Even “suspended” tabs still hold some memory. Thus, closing all of them can get rid of the error “Your system has run out of application memory” on MacBook.
Free Up Disk Space for Virtual Memory
Virtual memory, or swap files, acts as backup space when your Mac’s RAM fills up. If your storage drive is full, macOS can’t create swap files, so it has nowhere to move extra data and shows the “Mac has run out of application memory” error. Freeing disk space restores this safety net, letting the system use storage to ease memory pressure again. So, here’s how to clear up application memory on Mac by freeing up disk space:
Step 1: Open the “Apple Menu.” Then, choose “System Settings.” Tap “General.”
Step 2: Open “Storage.” Next, switch off “Optimize Storage” to free up space for swap files.
Step 3: Keep at least 10–20% of your SSD free (around 20–50 GB on a 256 GB drive), and avoid filling your startup disk completely.
Adjust Finder Preferences
Finder can use extra memory, resulting in the error “Your system has run out of application memory” on Mac. You can reduce its memory usage, though. So, here’s how to clear up application memory on Mac by adjusting Finder Preferences:
Step 1: Open a Finder window. Then, choose “Finder.” Next, tap “Settings.”
Step 2: Click the “General” tab. Change “New Finder windows show:” to a folder other than “Recents” or “All My Files.”
Step 3: Next, press and hold the “Option” key. Then, right-click the “Finder” icon in the “Dock.” Tap “Relaunch.”
Reduce Login Items and Startup Apps
Many startup apps, including those in the “Allow in the Background” section, run silently and consume memory even if they don’t appear in the Dock. This can lead to the error “your system has run out of application memory” on MacBook. But when you disable these items, it frees up memory. Here’s how:
Step 1: Open the “Apple menu.” Next, choose “System Preferences.” Then, tap “Users & Groups.”
Step 2: Click the “Login Items” tab to see startup apps. Select any apps you don’t need. Next, click the “minus (–)” button to remove them.
Conclusion
If you were wondering before, “why is my Mac running out of application memory,” it could be because of heavy apps. Too many browser tabs, background programs, or low storage space can also cause this issue.
But you can fix the ‘your system has run out of application memory’ error by restarting your Mac, closing unused apps, and clearing storage. However, for a quicker fix, consider a cleaner tool like Tenorshare Cleamio. It can clear junk files, duplicates, similar photos, large files, and leftover app data in one click to free up space and improve performance.
