| Solution | Difficulty | Time Required |
|---|---|---|
| Restart Chrome & Tabs | Easy | 1 Minute |
| Clear Cache & Cookies | Easy | 2 Minutes |
| Disable Extensions | Moderate | 5 Minutes |
| Increase Virtual Memory | Advanced | 10 Minutes |
What is Chrome Error Code Out of Memory?
The “Out of Memory” error in Google Chrome occurs when the browser exhausts the available RAM allocated by the operating system. This typically results in the “Aw, Snap!” crash screen.
Chrome is a multi-process browser. Each tab, extension, and plugin runs as a separate process. If your system runs low on physical memory or if a specific process leaks memory, Chrome will stop rendering the page to prevent a system-wide crash.
This error can also be triggered by a 32-bit version of Chrome reaching its 4GB memory limit, even if your PC has more RAM available.
Step-by-Step Solutions
1. Close Unnecessary Tabs and Processes
The simplest fix is to free up RAM immediately. Chrome’s Task Manager allows you to see exactly which tab is consuming the most resources.
Press `Shift + Esc` to open the Chrome Task Manager. Identify high-memory processes and click “End Process.” This provides instant relief to the browser engine.
2. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
Overloaded cache files can cause memory management issues. Clearing these files forces Chrome to refresh its temporary storage.
To do this, navigate to `chrome://settings/clearBrowserData`. Select “All time,” check “Cached images and files,” and click “Clear data.”
3. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Sometimes the communication between Chrome and your GPU can cause memory spikes. Disabling hardware acceleration can stabilize the browser.
Go to Settings > System. Toggle off “Use hardware acceleration when available.” Restart Chrome to apply the changes.
4. Increase Windows Page File (Virtual Memory)
If your physical RAM is full, Windows uses a “Page File” on your hard drive as virtual memory. Increasing this can prevent “Out of Memory” errors.
# This is a conceptual command to check system memory via CLI
systeminfo | findstr /C:"Total Physical Memory" /C:"Available Physical Memory"To change this manually:
1. Open “View advanced system settings.”
2. Under “Performance,” click “Settings” > “Advanced.”
3. Click “Change” under Virtual Memory.
4. Uncheck “Automatically manage paging file size” and set a larger “Custom size.”
5. Reset Chrome Settings
If the error persists, there may be a deep-seated configuration issue. Resetting Chrome returns the browser to its original state without deleting your bookmarks or passwords.
Go to Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults. Confirm the action and restart the browser.