Problems like those, and others like applications crashing, can often be fixed by clearing the RAM on your computer.
Ways to Free Up RAM on Windows or Mac
Whether you have a Windows computer or a Mac, these methods will help you free up some RAM.
Tips For Clearing RAM on Windows Computers
If you’ve tried the basics, and your Windows PC is still running slow, then we have a number of potential fixes that are Windows-specific. Make sure to try each of these tips before you take additional actions like upgrading your RAM.
Tips For Clearing RAM on Your Mac
Macs can also suffer from RAM issues. If you’re experiencing a slowdown, apps crashing, or warnings about insufficient memory on your Mac, try these fixes. Click the Start Menu search bar, type Registry Editor, and select the Registry Editor from the results. Click Yes in the dialog box. In the left pane, navigate to HKEY_Local_Machine > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > Session Manager > Memory Management. Double click ClearPageFileAtShutdown. Enter 1 in the Value data field, and click OK.
What If You’re Still Having Memory Problems?
While the methods we provided above are sure to work in the short term, it’s likely that your problems will eventually reoccur. If you’re running more apps than your computer can handle, trying to run an app that needs more RAM than you have, or have an app that malfunctions and takes too much RAM, then most fixes are just going to be temporary band-aids. Similarly, RAM issues can be caused by malware and other problems. Click Finder, right-click Preferences, and tick off Open folders in tabs instead of new windows. To consolidate your Finder windows into one, click Window > Merge All Windows. Here are some other ways to deal with a lack of RAM:
What Does RAM Do, and Why Clear It?
Every computer has a type of memory called RAM that’s designed for short term data storage. It’s faster to read and write data from the RAM than from your computer’s long term storage, so data from all of the active processes on your computers, like your operating system and apps, ends up stored in the RAM. When you shut your computer down, the RAM is completely cleared out. Then when you start your computer back up, and every time you open or interact with an app, new data is written to and retrieved from the RAM at an incredibly fast rate. This process goes on without notice, behind the scenes, until you open too many apps, or one of your apps is especially hungry for memory, and your RAM fills up. When that happens, apps will slow down, you’ll have trouble switching between apps, and some may even crash. By clearing your RAM, you free up space for your apps to use and work more efficiently.
