'Your system has run out of application memory' Mac Error
Data from active processes is stored in the system's RAM. If that memory runs out of space, then macOS will resort to what is known as virtual memory - a specific portion of your boot drive will be used as additional RAM. However, when even that space reaches a critical point, you may be presented with a warning message stating that 'Your system has run out of application memory.'
There are four major culprits that eat into the RAM. Identifying and dealing with the one you are experiencing currently will help you fix the situation. These include:
- Running low on disk space on your boot drive
- Having lots of applications open simultaneously
- Having lots of browser tabs open
- An application “hogging” memory
You can use the Activity Monitor, a convenient tool that comes built-in with macOS, to ascertain how much memory is the currently active processes taking. You can start the Activity Monitor from the Utilities subfolder found in Applications. Then, either close some of the unnecessary applications through the Force Quit button or, as is most often the case nowadays, close some of the countless browser tabs that you may have opened.
To free space on your boot drive in a more efficient manner, you can take advantage of another tool that comes packed with your macOS - Apple's Storage Management.
- Click the Apple menu and select 'About this Mac.'
- Select the 'Storage' tab.
- Click on 'Manage.'
- Choose 'Recommendations.'
- Check the suggestions made by your OS that will help you free up storage space.
- Pick the ones that best suit your needs and follow the instructions.