How to Fix “Not Enough Memory to Open This Page” Error in Your Browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox & More)

The “Not enough memory to open this page” error (often with “Error code: Out of Memory” or “Aw, Snap!” in Chrome) is a frustrating browser issue that appears when trying to load a webpage. It happens even on powerful PCs with plenty of free RAM (e.g., 16GB, 32GB, or even 128GB free), as reported across forums like Reddit and Microsoft Q&A in 2025-2026.

This error doesn’t always mean your computer is truly out of memory. It can stem from browser-specific limits (like per-tab/process caps in Chromium-based browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Brave), memory leaks, bad extensions, corrupted cache, or settings like “Enhance your security” in Edge. Below is a complete, step-by-step guide to fix it permanently in most cases.

Quick Fixes First (Try These in Order – 80% of Cases Resolved Here)

1. Close Unnecessary Tabs & Programs

• Too many tabs (especially heavy ones like YouTube, Google Docs, or complex sites) eat RAM fast.
• In Chrome/Edge: Press Shift + Esc to open the built-in Task Manager → Sort by Memory footprint → End high-usage tabs/processes.
• Close other apps via Windows Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) → Processes tab → End unnecessary tasks.

1. Restart Your Browser (or Computer)

• Simple restart clears temporary glitches.
• For Chrome/Edge: Type chrome://restart or edge://restart in the address bar and hit Enter.
• Full PC restart often resolves persistent issues.

1. Clear Browser Cache & Cookies

• Accumulated junk causes memory overload.
• In Chrome: Menu (3 dots) → More tools → Clear browsing data → Select “Cached images and files” + “Cookies” → Clear data (time range: All time).
• In Edge: Settings → Privacy, search, and services → Clear browsing data → Same options.
• Reload the problematic page.

1. Disable or Remove Extensions

• Faulty extensions (especially ad blockers, VPNs, or productivity tools) leak memory.
• Go to chrome://extensions/ (Chrome) or edge://extensions/ (Edge).
• Toggle off all → Test the page → Re-enable one by one to find the culprit.
• Remove suspicious ones completely.

Advanced Fixes (If Quick Ones Don’t Work)

5. Enable Memory Saver Features

• Chrome: Settings → Performance → Turn on “Memory Saver” (frees RAM from inactive tabs).
• Edge: Settings → System and performance → Enable “Efficiency mode” or “Sleeping tabs”.
• This is a game-changer for users with 20+ tabs.

5. Update Your Browser

• Outdated versions have memory bugs.
• Chrome/Edge: Menu → Help → About → It auto-checks and updates → Restart.
• Firefox: Menu → Help → About Firefox.

5. Turn Off Hardware Acceleration

• This uses GPU but can cause conflicts.
• Chrome/Edge: Settings → System → Toggle off “Use hardware acceleration when available” → Restart browser.

5. Increase Virtual Memory (Pagefile) on Windows

• If physical RAM is low or exhausted, Windows uses disk as virtual memory.
• Right-click This PC → Properties → Advanced system settings → Performance Settings → Advanced → Virtual memory → Change.
• Uncheck “Automatically manage” → Set custom size (Initial: 1.5× your RAM, Maximum: 3× your RAM, e.g., for 16GB RAM: 24576 MB max).
• Restart PC.
• Note: Best on SSD drive.

5. Edge-Specific Fix (Common in 2024-2026 Updates)

• Some users report “Enhance your security on the web” (Balanced mode) causing sync loops.
• Quick workaround:
  • Go to edge://settings/privacy → Turn off “Enhance your security on the web”.
  • If it re-enables after sync: Delete your Edge profile folder (C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default) → Restart → Quickly disable the setting before sync.
• Or update Edge via edge://settings/help and restart.

5. Other Tips for Persistent Issues
   • Switch browsers temporarily (Firefox often handles heavy pages better due to higher per-tab limits).
   • Scan for malware (use Windows Defender or Malwarebytes).
   • If on low-RAM PC (<8GB), upgrade RAM if possible.
   • For very memory-heavy sites (e.g., Atlassian/Jira, large dashboards), try Incognito mode (Ctrl+Shift+N) to bypass extensions.

Why This Happens Even with Tons of Free RAM

Chromium browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave) impose per-process/tab memory limits (often ~4-8GB) for stability/security. A single tab/site with leaks or heavy scripts can hit this cap, triggering the error regardless of total system RAM.

With these steps, most users resolve it in minutes. If the problem continues on a specific site, it could be the website’s fault (poor optimization/memory leak) — report it to the site owners.