Remove “Your computer is low on memory” pop-up in Windows 10/8/7

Learn the most likely root causes for ‘Your computer is low on memory’ error in Windows 7/8/10 and find out how to fix the problem in a few simple steps.

1. What is “Your computer is low on memory” pop-up?
2. Fix “Your computer is low on memory” error in Windows 7/8/10
3. Automated removal of “Your computer is low on memory” malware-borne message in Windows 10/8/7
4. Restore web browser settings to their original defaults

What is “Your computer is low on memory” message pop-up?

Insufficient memory is a serious issue that undermines multitasking on a Windows computer and makes the normal user experience go down the drain. If this type of scarcity occurs, the system will keep displaying an error that says “Your computer is low on memory” during both resource-heavy activities, such as playing video games and working with graphics, and sometimes even when the user is routinely surfing the web or doing some regular word processing. The alert is only the tip of the iceberg that may, among other things, indicate a mismatch between the installed RAM and the combined requirements of all applications being used. The amount of resources that need to be allocated for modern software to operate properly tends to grow as time goes by, and therefore aging PCs ultimately reach a point where they can’t cope with these demands. Whereas these are the obvious nuts and bolts of the issue, there are additional factors that can become catalysts of the annoying predicament.

In addition to the lack of total processing power, the low memory problem can escalate for software-related reasons. For instance, incorrectly installed updates might cause critical system components to become misconfigured. In the upshot of this, Windows 10 will estimate the amount of RAM or virtual memory inadequately. Even if the entirety of apps running concurrently consume less than a half of the readily available capacity, the operating system will still be triggering “Your computer is low on memory” pop-up errors off and on. This is a classic example of a glitch leading to such alerts rather than real shortage of resources. The dialog also includes some basic details of the bug, saying “To restore enough memory for programs to work correctly, save your files and then close or restart all open programs”. This tip is a cold comfort for the user, though, given that the error will reappear shortly afterwards.

An extra facet of this issue that’s hardly covered in the various knowledge bases and tutorials online is that “Your computer is low on memory” alert can be an element of manipulation used in multi-pronged scareware campaigns. Indeed, it’s hard to think of a more persuasive tactic than reporting a problem as serious as this. The error, even a fake one, is likely to make the victim rush headlong into implementing a fix because it significantly diminishes all things computing. In search of the solution, the unsuspecting user runs the risk of following fraudulent recommendations, only to install a phony system cleaner that will fabricate a scan and say it has pinpointed the bug. Then, the rogue optimizer will claim it’s got a quick repair technique in store. However, to fully benefit from it, the perplexed person will be instructed to – you guessed it – purchase the app’s license.

All in all, this is an old school rip-off trick where a piece of malware first concocts a critical issue and then promises to make the victim’s day by fixing it for a fee. If such a plot is the case, the low memory alerts may appear in the browser only. This is unsurprising: a web browser is typically the easiest-to-exploit and hence the weakest link in a computer system. All it takes to execute this attack is to infect it with an adware program that runs malicious JavaScript objects during Internet navigation sessions. As a result, the hijacked browser will be showing the spoofed pop-up error recurrently and the embedded OK button will lead to a scareware download. Note that malicious code is merely one of the series of possible reasons for these alerts and it’s not necessarily the entity to blame in such a situation. And yet, this theory is definitely worth checking, especially if the errors don’t occur outside the browser. The troubleshooting steps below will help you tackle the most common issues underlying this quandary.

Fix “Your computer is low on memory” error in Windows

Be advised that this subsection covers techniques to address non-malicious causes for “Your computer is low on memory” Windows message. Scenarios where this error is part of a fake system optimizer’s tactic will be described further down. So here we go.

Method 1: Close resource-intensive programs

• Open the Task Manager. You can do it by simultaneously hitting Ctrl-Alt-Del key combo or by right-clicking the Start icon and selecting the appropriate entry in the list.
• Take a look at what processes are using the biggest amount of memory. Click the “Memory” column title so that the memory hogs are easier to identify as they’ll be shown at the top.
• Right-click the process that has the most significant memory footprint and click End task.

Method 2: Use Windows native troubleshooting tool

• Go to Windows Settings and select Update & Security. In the left-hand navigation bar, click the Troubleshoot entry.
• Since the low memory issue might stem from a buggy or misconfigured program, consider selecting Windows Store Apps in the list and go through the troubleshooting process that will spot and fix such problems.
• Also, click the Windows Update button in the troubleshooter screen to find possible errors with a previously installed update that may have affected your system.

Method 3: Optimize virtual memory amount

• Go to Windows Settings and select System. Then, click the About entry shown at the very bottom of the navigation pane. Under “Related settings”, click System info.
• Select Advanced system settings in the follow-up screen.
• Open the Advanced tab in the System Properties window. Click Settings in the Performance area.
• When the Performance Options screen appears, click the Advanced tab.
• Click the Change button under the “Virtual memory” section.
• In the Virtual Memory window, deselect the option that says “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives”.
• Enable the radio button for Custom size and enter your preferred initial size and maximum size in megabytes.
• Keep in mind that there is no such thing as a universal amount to specify here. Normally, it’s recommended to multiply the total amount of available memory by 1.5 and put the resulting amount in the “Initial size” field. For “Maximum size”, multiply the amount of installed memory by 3.
• When done entering these paging file sizes, click the Set button and exit the screen by clicking OK.

Method 4: Delete temporary files and folders

• Scroll down the Start menu list and find Windows Administrative Tools. Expand this entry and select Disk Cleanup. Pick the name of the drive Windows is installed on.
• In the Disk Cleanup screen, click the Clean up system files button.
• Wait until the tool calculates the amount of disk space that can be released. Put checkmarks in boxes next to the types of data you no longer need and click OK to clean it up.

Automated removal of “Your computer is low on memory” malware-borne alerts in Windows 7/8/10

Owing to an up-to-date database of malware signatures and intelligent behavioral detection, the recommended software can quickly locate the infection, eradicate it and remediate all harmful changes. So go ahead and do the following:

1. Download and install the antimalware tool. Open the solution and have it check your PC for PUPs and other types of malicious software by clicking the Start Computer Scan button

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2. Rest assured the scan report will list all items that may harm your operating system. Select the detected entries and click Fix Threats to get the troubleshooting completed.

Uninstall the app that displays “Your computer is low on memory” alert

• Right-click the Start icon and select Apps and Features in the list.

• When on the “Apps & features” page, look for a potentially unwanted program that was recently installed. A quick tip is to sort the applications by date so that the latest additions come first. Once the culprit is found, select it and click Uninstall.

• Follow further dialogs to complete the removal process.

Restore web browser settings to their original defaults

If “Your computer is low on memory” error problem in Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 is isolated to a web browser, this could be a symptom of an adware attack. In this case, executing a browser reset makes the most sense despite a few obvious downsides. Customizations such as saved passwords, bookmarked pages etc. will be gone, but so will all the changes made by the potentially unwanted program. The instructions below address the workflow for the web browsers most targeted by this virus.

Reset Google Chrome

• Open Chrome, expand the Customize and control Google Chrome menu and choose Settings

• Scroll down the settings screen and click Advanced down at the bottom

• Move on to the Reset and clean up sub-section and select the option that says Restore settings to their original defaults

• Finally, confirm the restoration by clicking Reset settings on the warning message

• Restart Chrome.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

• Open Firefox, type about:support in the URL area and press Enter. Alternatively, you can click on the Open menu icon in the top right-hand part of the browser window, then select the Help option and proceed to Troubleshooting Information

• On the Troubleshooting Information screen, spot the Refresh Firefox button and click on it

• Follow subsequent directions to reset Firefox to its original settings

• Restart the browser.

Reset Internet Explorer

• Select Internet options under IE’s Tools (Alt+X)

• Proceed by clicking on Advanced tab, then select Reset

• To confirm the intended changes, click Reset on the Reset Internet Explorer Settings screen after ascertaining that the Delete personal settings checkbox is enabled

• Reboot the machine to fully implement the fix.

Reset Safari

• Go to the Safari menu and select Preferences

• When on the Preferences screen, select the Privacy tab and hit the Remove All Website Data button if you are up to erasing all website data stored on your Mac. Otherwise, you can use a site-specific removal option described below

• A dialog will appear, asking you to validate your choice. Click the Remove Now button if you are sure. Be advised this will log you out of online services and undo personalized web browser settings such as saved passwords, etc.

• Safari also allows deleting data for specific sites rather than all sites in general. To use this option, click the Details button under Privacy tab

• Select the websites for which you would like to erase data and click the Remove button

• Click the Done button to confirm and exit. You can also select the Remove All option to remove all data stored by the listed websites.

Revise your security status

Post-factum assessment of the accuracy component in malware removal scenarios is a great habit that prevents the comeback of harmful code or replication of its unattended fractions. Make sure you are good to go by running an additional safety checkup.

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