What to Do If an Application Memory Error Appears on Your Mac
“Your system is low on memory for applications” is not a friendly warning. It feels cold and dark, as if your Mac is telling you the end is near. Luckily, the end hasn’t come yet , but getting this warning on your computer is still a matter of concern. Depending on your machine, this could be just a bug or a persistent problem to look out for. Let’s see how to distinguish problems from each other.
Your Mac’s RAM is the key to this warning
Let’s start with a simple explanation for anyone not in the know: Your Mac has a fixed amount of RAM (random access memory). This RAM allows your computer to run multiple applications and tasks at the same time. In short, the more RAM you have, the more your computer can do at the same time; the less RAM you have, the less your computer is capable of it. Simple enough.
Apple’s macOS usually does a good job of managing RAM, so you don’t need to worry often if you’re doing too many tasks at the same time. However, sometimes the system goes beyond it. If there are more applications running than the available RAM, macOS cannot continue, which triggers this application memory warning.
The problem is that this app memory warning affects Mac with a lot of RAM. You don’t expect a Mac with 16, 32, or 64GB of RAM to run into problems launching applications like Mail, Photoshop, or even Final Cut Pro. Yet Macs of all types see this warning when they are performing tasks that their computers should be able to do without interruption. Affected machines range from brand new MacBook Pro M1 Pro and M1 Max to older Intel-based Macs.
The problem is likely related to a software bug on many Macs.
These applications also do not use the usual amount of system memory. Some applications take up gigabytes of memory, which is completely abnormal. According to 9to5Mac , one user reported that Apple Pages and Keynote apps used 80GB to 90GB or more of memory. This is a huge red flag indicating that something is wrong, and since there are many reports of this kind of memory overload, it indicates that the problem is with a software bug.
While there have been reports of an issue affecting older versions of macOS, most cases are found on Macs running macOS Monterey. As such, it is highly likely that Apple will release a fix for this bug soon.
How to determine if a warning is buggy or legal
It is important to note, however, that this warning is not only an error. It exists for a purpose; your computer may run out of application memory, in which case you will have to kill applications to get everything working again. However, if you see this warning, it can be difficult to know if it is legal or part of an error.
The most important clue to look out for is how much memory the application is using. Typically, most applications will use megabytes of memory, possibly single-digit gigabytes of memory. If you see any applications using 2-digit memory for no reason, this is a sign that your Mac is prone to this memory error. However, if all the numbers look reasonable, you may just be running out of application memory. There are exceptions, of course, as professional and high performance applications can use a lot of memory. But since these warnings affect users in normal use, we are looking at it here.
If applicable, this warning usually applies to Macs with little RAM. For example, if you are using a MacBook Air with 4GB of RAM, you may already be familiar with these warnings. Most software and programs these days prefer at least 8GB of RAM, if not more, so the less RAM you have, the more likely you are to push the system to its limits, especially if you are using memory-consuming applications such as Google. Chromium.
Add more RAM to your Mac if you can.
In some cases, you are not stuck in the RAM you have. If your Mac is good for upgrading RAM, then you should consider doing this. Increasing the amount of RAM for the system will help avoid these unpleasant situations and allow you to run more tasks at the same time.
The only way to know for sure if you can upgrade the RAM on your Mac is to find your machine. Apple has a list of compatible iMacs here , MacBook Pros here and Mac minis here , and instructions on how to install additional memory in your machine. If you don’t see your Mac listed on one of these pages, it means the RAM can’t be updated and you’re stuck with what you have. However, if you have a Mac mini, Apple makes it clear which models cannot be upgraded instead of removing those models from the list.
Unfortunately, this is a side effect of Apple’s design philosophy of recent years. Instead of making components like RAM accessible and removable for the user, they solder them directly to the computer’s board, making updates impossible. It’s okay if your Mac has enough RAM, but for older Macs that struggle to keep up, there is no way to give them that extra boost.
Aside from buying a new machine, the best thing you can do for your low-RAM Mac is to keep in mind how many apps you open at the same time. Minimize the number of browser tabs (especially Chrome) and try to keep apps open only if you’re actively using them. It hurts, but it’s better than running alerts in app memory multiple times a day.
[ 9to5Mac ]