How-To

How to Fix a Google Chrome Not Enough Memory Error

By Brian Burgess

Published December 13, 2023

Struggling with a memory error in Chrome? We’ll show you how to fix a Google Chrome not enough memory error in this guide.

Are you a Chrome user who received an error saying there’s not enough memory to load the page? It may occur each time you try to open a web page, or it may be an intermittent error. There are several causes, but we’ll show you how to fix a Google Chrome not enough memory error.

You can take basic steps like relaunching the browser and installing the latest updates or get more involved and delete temporary files on your system. The memory error stops you from accessing the websites you need, but the problem can be fixed.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to fix the problem if you receive a memory error in Chrome so you can get back to research and other browsing activities on your computer.

Restart Chrome to Fix Not Enough Memory Error

It sounds basic, but sometimes, there may be a problem with Chrome’s configuration or an open tab conflicting with the browser. Restarting Chrome via Task Manager on Windows is an excellent first step.

To Restart Chrome on Your PC

1. Right-click on an empty area of the taskbar and select Task Manager from the menu that appears.
2. Select the Processes tab, right-click Google Chrome, and click End Task.
3. Once Chrome is closed, relaunch it from the Start menu, or taskbar if you have a shortcut, and see if it fixes the memory error.

Update Google Chrome

There could be a bug causing Chrome to give you the memory error, and updating Chrome could provide the fix you need to get it working.

1. Launch Chrome on your computer, click the three-dot menu button in the top right corner, and select Help > About Google Chrome.
2. On the About Chrome page, an update will be downloaded if available. Follow the onscreen prompts to complete the update process, which will restart the browser if needed.

Disable All Extensions in Chrome

If you use a lot of extensions, they could conflict with Chrome and cause memory and other errors. So, try disabling all extensions using the following steps.

1. Launch Chrome, click the menu button in the top right corner, and select Extensions > Manage Extensions from the menu.
2. Scroll through your extensions, toggle each one off, and restart Chrome.
3. If the memory error is no longer present, reenable each extension individually and restart Chrome until you find the culprit. Once you do, you should uninstall it or reinstall a new version.

Delete Temp Files

Temporary files on your PC could be causing the Chrome memory error. You can delete temp files on Windows using the following steps.

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog window.
   
   Note: Before removing temp files, it’s a good idea to close the Chrome browser so its temp files aren’t in use.
2. Type the following and click OK or press Enter.

   %temp%

   

3. Press Ctrl+A to select everything in the temp folder in File Explorer.
4. Once everything is selected, click the command bar’s Delete icon (trash can).
5. Click Yes when the confirmation message appears.
6. When the File in Use or Folder Access is Denied message appears, select Do this for all current items and click the Skip button.
7. After completing the process, relaunch Google Chrome and see if the error message is fixed.

Use Chrome’s Incognito Mode

If you get the error message for a specific page, a site’s cookies may be the problem, so you can try opening the page using Incognito mode.

1. Click the three-dot button in the top right corner of the browser.
2. Select the New Incognito window option from the menu.
3. A new Incognito window will open, and you can try launching the web page you need to access.
4. You can bypass the menu system and open a new Incognito window by pressing Ctrl+Shift+N on a PC or Cmd+Shift+N on a Mac.

Disable Hardware Acceleration

The hardware acceleration feature is meant to improve your browsing experience, especially on graphics-intensive games. However, disabling it can help fix the memory error when loading a page.

To Disable Hardware Acceleration in Chrome

1. Launch Chrome and open Settings.
2. Click the System button in the left panel.
3. Toggle off the Use hardware acceleration when available switch and click the Relaunch button.
4. Try opening the problematic page and see if you still get an error.

Clear Cookies and Browsing History in Chrome

If you haven’t cleaned up cookies and browsing history in a while, the cache could be too large or corrupt and cause memory errors. So, you can clear the Google Chrome cache and try opening the page error-free.

To Clear Chrome’s Cache

1. Open Chrome on your computer.
2. Press the Ctrl+Shift+Delete keyboard shortcut to open the Clear browsing data screen.
3. Click the Advanced tab, set the Time range to All time, select all items, and click the Clear data button.
4. Once the browsing cookies, history, and other items in the cache are removed, try to open the problematic page and see if it works.

Reset Google Chrome Settings

If you continue to have a problem with a Chrome memory error, you can reset the browser to default settings. A reset is the option to use if you want to clean browser settings without reinstalling it. A reset will reset Chrome settings and shortcuts, disable extensions, and delete cookies and other items in the cache.

To Reset Chrome Settings

1. Launch Chrome on your computer and open the Settings page.
2. Click the Reset settings button in the left panel.
3. Click the Restore settings to their original defaults button in the right panel.
4. When the verification message appears, click the Reset settings button. You can choose to send the reset report to Google or not.

Fixing Google Chrome Memory Error

It can be frustrating when you see a memory error while launching a web page in Google Chrome. If a Chrome reset doesn’t work, you’ll have to uninstall and reinstall the browser on your system.

But it shouldn’t come to that if you use the other troubleshooting steps. One or more of these options should get you back in business by fixing the problem.