In Windows 10, you receive “Your device is running low on memory” error message when your computer is running out of RAM. This usually happens when the Windows operating system and programs are approaching the limits of installed physical RAM or page file on disk, or both.
When you get the above error message, the easiest way to make the error go away is to terminate programs responsible for high memory usage. In addition to this, you can do a few more things.
End programs that are using high RAM
Closing program(s) using high memory is the easiest way to fix the error. Generally speaking, web browsers and video/image editing tools might use a significant amount of RAM. To figure out the program using high memory:
Step 1: Open the Task Manager by right-clicking on the taskbar and then clicking the Task Manager option.
Click More details.
Step 2: Under the Processes tab, click on the Memory column to sort apps by memory usage. Kill the first two or three programs in the list. Or close the program that is using a significant amount of RAM.
If a web browser is using a significant amount of RAM, try closing a couple of tabs instead of closing the browser. That will free up some RAM. If it does not, close the browser.
Kill programs that are using the high page file
Most users often ignore this. The “Your device is running low on memory” error might show up when programs are approaching the limits of page file on disk. If you are getting the error when the physical RAM usage is less than 90%, it is likely because of the page file.
Step 1: Open the Task Manager. Switch to the Details tab.
Step 2: Right-click on the table headers (refer to the picture below) and then click Select columns option. And then, select Commit size to add Commit size column.
Step 3: Now, sort the Commit size column. Close programs that are using large commit size.
Install more physical RAM
If your Windows 10 device often runs out of memory, installing more physical RAM is the best way. In other words, if the installed RAM is anything less than 8 GB, we recommend installing more RAM.
When adding RAM, if your PC’s motherboard supports, install RAM in dual channel. Most modern motherboards support Dual Channel Technology. The Dual Channel, when enabled, doubles the original memory bandwidth.
How to check if your Windows 10 PC has an SSD guide might also interest you.