anyone know how to get rid of "your system has run out of application memory".

[kariimm]

also im on version 10.14.6 and on a 2012 macbook pro

 

[pm-r]

also im on version 10.14.6 and on a 2012 macbook pro

Try some of these:

Google Search

A shut down and reboot or just a restart should do it pretty well I would have thought...




- Patrick
=======

 

[Rod]

Go to the Apple menu in the Menu bar, click on About this Mac, in the window that appears click on the Storage tab and wait for the bar graph to populate.
How much total storage do you have and how much is free?
This is really just to find out if what you are seeing is an error.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

also im on version 10.14.6 and on a 2012 macbook pro

This is a question that comes up fairly often. The error message logically sounds like the problem is that your Mac doesn't have enough memory (RAM), but I've yet to hear of an instance where this was actually the problem.

In every case the problem turned out to be that the user's hard drive was too full and it was at the point where either a large amount of data had to be offloaded from the drive and, in the case of a rotating disk hard drive, then erased (and, even better, the hard drive then defragmented), or the drive needed to be replaced with a new, much bigger, drive. (DO NOT try and defragment or erase an SSD!)

You should note that when a rotating disk hard drive is around 80% full, it's going to start becoming problematic:

http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
Item #5 and Note #1

Or, if you have an SSD, they are done when they are around 70% full:

"In practice, an SSD’s performance begins to decline after it reaches about 50% full."
https://www.seagate.com/tech-insights/ssd-over-provisioning-benefits-master-ti/

"The rule of thumb to keep SSDs at top speeds is to never completely fill them up. To avoid performance issues, you should never use more than 70% of its total capacity.
...
"When you’re getting close to the 70% threshold, you should consider upgrading your computer’s SSD with a larger drive."
https://pureinfotech.com/why-solid-state-drive-ssd-performance-slows-down/

 

[kariimm]

This is a question that comes up fairly often. The error message logically sounds like the problem is that your Mac doesn't have enough memory (RAM), but I've yet to hear of an instance where this was actually the problem.

In every case the problem turned out to be that the user's hard drive was too full and it was at the point where either a large amount of data had to be offloaded from the drive and, in the case of a rotating disk hard drive, then erased (and, even better, the hard drive then defragmented), or the drive needed to be replaced with a new, much bigger, drive. (DO NOT try and defragment or erase an SSD!)

You should note that when a rotating disk hard drive is around 80% full, it's going to start becoming problematic:

Macintosh Routine Maintenance
Item #5 and Note #1

Or, if you have an SSD, they are done when they are around 70% full:

"In practice, an SSD’s performance begins to decline after it reaches about 50% full."
SSD Over-Provisioning And Its Benefits | Seagate US

"The rule of thumb to keep SSDs at top speeds is to never completely fill them up. To avoid performance issues, you should never use more than 70% of its total capacity.
...
"When you’re getting close to the 70% threshold, you should consider upgrading your computer’s SSD with a larger drive."
Why solid-state drive (SSD) performance slows down as it becomes full - Pureinfotech

I just want to delete it not fix it.

 

[MacInWin]

I just want to delete it not fix it.

You get rid of it by fixing it. Then it goes away on its own.

 

[pigoo3]

Many times "Running out of Application Memory" is RAM related. This can happen when the computer has too little RAM...or too many applications are open at one time (including too many browser tabs)...or both.

This situation can also be caused by too little free space on the computers storage. Once the computers RAM is full...then the computer will start swapping storage space to make up for the deficiency of RAM.

To investigate this:

1. To investigate RAM resources...Open Activity Monitor...click on the "Memory" tab...then look at the "Memory Pressure" graph at the bottom.
2. To investigate amount of storage space used or free...go to...Apple Menu >> About this Mac >> Storage tab. This will show amount of storage used & free.

Nick

 

[pm-r]

I just want to delete it not fix it.

I thought that's what fixing it would do, just as Jake mentioned.

Have you tried any of the suggestions that have been offered and suggested???



- Patrick
=======

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Many times "Running out of Application Memory" is RAM related. This can happen when the computer has too little RAM...or too many applications are open at one time (including too many browser tabs)...or both.

This situation can also be caused by too little free space on the computers storage. Once the computers RAM is full...then the computer will start swapping storage space to make up for the deficiency of RAM.

Yes, that's exactly what your Mac will do if you run out of real RAM. It won't give you that error message, it will simply start using virtual memory. That's what your Mac is designed to do.

When a Mac gives the subject error message, what it means is that your Mac is having a really hard time finding hard drive space to use as virtual memory. So it tells you that you are out of memory. But what the error message really means is that your Mac has run out of BOTH real memory and virtual memory. That's because your hard drive is too full.

 

[pm-r]

But what the error message really means is that your Mac has run out of BOTH real memory and virtual memory. That's because your hard drive is too full.

I wonder, would it really be beyond Apple's Programmers and Developers and their boss to actually say so and incorporate that information in the appropriate dialog box???

It seems like it would be such a simple solution and provide some clarity for the majority of users.



- Patrick
=======

 

[Rod]

Perhaps Karimm means how do you get rid of the notification rather than how do you fix the cause.
If so, Force Quitting some applications from the Force Quit command in the Apple menu usually does the trick. In some cases you will be offered some suggested apps you can force quit from the notification window.
Just one thing to be aware of is that you may loose some recent data if you force quite an app so its a stop gap method only.
In the end you either need more RAM or more Storage to fix the issue.
I have had this issue myself in the past and used the Command and Tab key (press and hold together) to monitor what apps were running. This simple method displays all running apps in a row on screen. After the display comes up you can release the Tab key but keep the Command key depressed. Now you can move your cursor along the row highlighting each app. If you press Q while the cursor is on any app it will quit. Doing this regularly will keep down the number of running apps but again it's only a stop gap solution.

 

[MacInWin]

Maybe, Rod, but force quitting apps does leave the user open to lost data, corrupted files (whatever is open at the time for the app that is forced to quit), and other anomalies in the system later on. It's better to just fix the issue than to ignore it. Just like putting black tape over the "check engine" light, not dealing with the issue at the core will just lead to more problems later on.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Perhaps Karimm means how do you get rid of the notification rather than how do you fix the cause.
If so, Force Quitting some applications from the Force Quit command in the Apple menu usually does the trick.

If all that you want to do is remove the error message from your sight, then quitting applications will do it. You can even use a free utility to flush your RAM. That should hold the error message at bay.

The problem is that, as with most computer problems, if you ignore fixing the problem you are likely to seriously regret it. Once your hard drive is too full to be used reliably for virtual memory, my experience is that your Mac will start to act flakier and flakier (apps may spontaneously quit right in the middle of an operation, for instance.) Until eventually you start seeing data loss while doing your work.

 

[Rod]

Maybe, Rod, but force quitting apps does leave the user open to lost data, corrupted files (whatever is open at the time for the app that is forced to quit), and other anomalies in the system later on. It's better to just fix the issue than to ignore it. Just like putting black tape over the "check engine" light, not dealing with the issue at the core will just lead to more problems later on.

I think I covered that Jake, "Just one thing to be aware of is that you may loose some recent data if you force quite an app so its a stop gap method only."

 

[MacInWin]

You did, Rod. I must've missed it in my first reading. My bad.

 

[kariimm]

btw i want to delete it entirely so no saying that i should upgrade

 

[pigoo3]

btw i want to delete it entirely so no saying that i should upgrade

Thread title = how to get rid of "your system has run out of application memory"

"Out of application memory"...and a message about upgrading...are not the same thing.

These are two completely different subjects.

Nick

 

[Rod]

Kariimm, you cannot "get rid of" or delete the notification unless you address the cause, it will continue to appear because your device has a problem. If it is eg. a storage problem, as it often is, the last thing anyone would suggest is an upgrade. I'd go so far as to say an upgrade may make things much worse.

So, check "About this Mac" in the Apple menu, click on the Storage tab and see how much storage is free, as already suggested by pigoo3 in post #3. It needs to be at least 20% of the total storage.
We can't help you if we don't know what we're dealing with.