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The practical fix is to identify which program and operation failed, close competing workloads, retry, restart the program and then Windows if necessary, and inspect both memory and commit/pagefile usage. Chrome, Java services and industrial software can need additional, product-specific steps.
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What “not enough memory” means
Microsoft maps Windows ERROR_NOT_ENOUGH_MEMORY to error 8 (0x8) and the text “Not enough memory resources are available to process this command.” The wording describes a failed allocation: the operating system or a program could not reserve the resources required for that command at that moment.
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Do not confuse error 8 with Microsoft’s separate ERROR_OUTOFMEMORY, error 14 (0xE). Error 14 is worded “Not enough storage is available to complete this operation.” Storage capacity can affect a pagefile or swap-backed workload, but a disk-space warning and a memory-allocation failure are different diagnoses.
| Windows code | Exact message | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
ERROR_NOT_ENOUGH_MEMORY (8, 0x8) |
Not enough memory resources are available to process this command. | An allocation for the command failed; the message does not identify the limiting resource. |
ERROR_OUTOFMEMORY (14, 0xE) |
Not enough storage is available to complete this operation. | The operation reported insufficient storage resources, which is distinct from error 8. |
Diagnose the failure before changing settings
Write down the exact application, file, browser tab, command or service that produced the message. Note whether it appeared during startup, after a particular action, or only after a long session. This information prevents a system-wide fix from being applied to a problem confined to one process.
Compare the four useful signals
- Scope: Does only one application fail, or do several programs and Windows components report the message?
- Timing: Is the failure tied to a repeatable workload, or does it occur immediately after boot?
- Resource type: Is the evidence pointing to physical RAM, commit/pagefile or swap, process address space, or disk capacity?
- Persistence: Does restarting the application clear the problem, or does it return until the same workload is repeated?
A single browser tab failing under a heavy session points toward browser workload or extensions. A Java service that cannot start points toward host RAM, swap and JVM sizing. An industrial program should be checked against its vendor’s error code and workload settings.
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Take a safe snapshot
- Save documents, projects and any other work that can be saved.
- Record the failed operation and its time. If the application has an error log, preserve the relevant entry before restarting.
- Open Windows Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc. On the Processes view, look for a process whose memory use is growing or is unusually large for the task. On Performance, observe memory and committed usage while reproducing the operation.
- Check whether the system’s commit/pagefile capacity or, on another platform, swap capacity is close to its limit. There is no universal percentage at which this error must occur; the threshold depends on the operating system and workload.
General Windows fixes
Close competing applications and tabs
Close programs you are not using, especially other applications that process large files, virtual machines, games, editors and browser windows with many tabs. End only processes you recognize and do not terminate a Windows process merely because its name is unfamiliar. Retry the same command after the workload has been reduced.
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Restart the affected application
Exit the program normally, wait for it to close, and open it again. A restart releases allocations held by that process and is a useful test: if the operation succeeds immediately afterward but fails again during the same workload, the problem is likely tied to that application’s session or workload rather than a permanent lack of installed RAM.
Restart Windows when the condition persists
If closing applications does not help, save everything and restart the computer or server. A restart clears process state and recreates the operating system’s memory pools. Mitsubishi Electric’s SLMP Data Collector documentation likewise directs users to close other applications and restart the Industrial PC for its not-enough-memory errors.
Reproduce with a smaller workload
Try the operation on a smaller file, fewer records, fewer browser tabs or a shorter batch. If the smaller job works, increase the workload in stages and note the point at which it fails. This gives the application administrator a reproducible limit instead of an assumption that a new RAM module is required.
Check pagefile or swap capacity instead of guessing
Physical RAM is only one part of the resource picture. A system can have free RAM while its committed memory is constrained, or a server can have swap that is too small or fragmented for a startup allocation. Confirm the actual memory and commit/pagefile or swap readings during the failure. Do not infer a universal threshold from one computer, because operating-system configuration and workload determine the limit.
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Separate a recurring application fault from a system fault
If one application fails while other programs remain stable, update or configure that application according to its vendor’s documentation, inspect its logs and reduce its workload. If multiple unrelated programs fail, investigate system-wide memory and commit/pagefile or swap pressure. If the message appears immediately after boot, look for a service or startup workload that consumes resources before the affected program runs.
Chrome: use Memory Saver for tab pressure
Chrome’s Memory Saver “deactivates tabs that you aren’t currently using. When you access an inactive tab, it automatically reloads.” This reduces the number of active tabs competing for memory while preserving the tabs themselves.
- Open Chrome’s three-dot menu and choose Settings.
- Open Performance.
- Under Memory Saver, choose Moderate, Balanced or Maximum.
- Return to the page that failed and retry. An inactive tab may reload when selected, so save form entries or other unsaved work first.
Chrome can also show performance-issue alerts that recommend deactivating tabs. Treat a failure limited to one tab differently from a failure affecting the whole desktop: first reduce that browser session and test again before changing Windows-wide settings.
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Java services can fail during startup when physical memory and swap are fully utilized or fragmented. Atlassian lists three remedies for Confluence Data Center and similar services: free system memory, increase available swap, and adjust JVM heap settings so they fit the host’s constraints.
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Free host resources first
Stop or reschedule unrelated jobs, close unnecessary applications on the server, and reproduce the startup with the service’s normal workload. Confirm whether physical memory and swap usage change as the service starts.
Increase swap only with capacity planning
Additional swap can provide backing for committed allocations, but it does not replace adequate physical memory. Account for the server’s storage, workload and other services before changing it. A larger swap area is not a reason to ignore sustained RAM pressure.
Set the JVM heap to fit the host
Adjust the service’s JVM heap according to its documented capacity plan and the memory required by the operating system and companion services. Blindly increasing the heap can starve the operating system and make the same allocation problem worse. Change one variable at a time and verify startup and normal workload behavior.
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Industrial and vendor-specific applications
Applications may reuse the phrase “Not enough memory” for their own allocation failures. Mitsubishi Electric’s SLMP Data Collector, for example, reports this error when it cannot obtain enough memory to execute an operation and instructs users to close other applications and restart the Industrial PC.
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- Capture the exact operation, data size and vendor error entry.
- Close other applications on the Industrial PC and retry.
- Restart the Industrial PC if the error remains.
- Check the product’s workload, memory settings and release-specific documentation before changing operating-system or controller settings.
Do not treat a vendor’s message as proof that the computer’s RAM is defective. The application’s operation size, configuration and process limits may be the deciding factors.
Is it a RAM problem or a disk-space problem?
Start with the code and the resource telemetry, not the wording alone. Error 8 identifies a failed memory-resource allocation. Error 14 identifies insufficient storage for an operation. A full disk can also prevent a pagefile or swap-backed allocation from working, so storage is worth checking when commit or swap is involved, but freeing disk space is not a universal fix for error 8.
- If one program fails during a repeatable large operation, investigate that program’s workload and address-space or commit behavior.
- If many programs fail while committed usage is near its limit, investigate pagefile or swap capacity and the applications consuming memory.
- If the failure clears after restarting and returns only after prolonged use, focus on the repeating workload and process behavior.
- If it occurs immediately after boot, inspect startup services and the host’s baseline memory use.
When hardware advice is premature
The error alone is not enough evidence to recommend a particular RAM stick, SSD, cooling pad or bootable diagnostic device. Hardware selection requires the device model, operating system, memory telemetry and a confirmed root cause. First establish whether the limit is physical RAM, commit/pagefile or swap, address space, fragmentation or an application-specific setting. Only then can an upgrade be matched to the actual constraint.
A repeatable troubleshooting checklist
- Identify the exact program and operation.
- Save work and record the message or log entry.
- Close unnecessary applications and browser tabs.
- Retry the operation with the same inputs.
- Restart the application.
- Use Task Manager or the platform equivalent to observe memory and commit/pagefile or swap usage.
- Restart Windows or the server if the failure persists.
- For Chrome, configure Settings > Performance > Memory Saver.
- For Java services, free host memory, plan any swap change, and size the JVM heap within the host’s limits.
- For industrial software, follow the vendor’s error-specific procedure and preserve the workload details.
- If the problem recurs, provide the application owner or administrator with the scope, timing, resource readings and reproducible workload.
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The Bottom Line
“Not enough memory” means an allocation failed, not automatically that the computer has no usable RAM. Identify the failing workload, reduce competing usage, restart, inspect commit/pagefile or swap as well as physical memory, and then apply the product-specific Chrome, Java or vendor procedure that matches the evidence.
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