Not enough RAM Photoshop error [Technician Fix]

Madalina Dinita
by Madalina Dinita
Madalina has been a Windows fan ever since she got her hands on her first Windows XP computer. She is interested in all things technology, especially emerging technologies -- AI and DNA computing in... Read more
Updated:
Posted: May 2020
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  • The Photoshop error Not enough RAM can occur often because working on big .psd files may require a lot of memory.
  • In case of such an event, you should increase the Memory Usage setting and see the results.
  • Make sure you have the updated version of the program as well because this may be the issue.
  • Disabling other applications that are working in the background will also free some memory.
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Photoshop users have reported a variety of issues on Windows 10 concerning Photoshop physical memory usage and management.

Namely, it seems that a lot of them, in a variety of instances, get a variation of the Not enough RAM Photoshop error.

This occurs on startup and sometimes while accessing tools. Once it appears, it prevents any and all operations in Windows 10.

Either way, if you are stuck with this Photoshop error, check the steps we listed below to resolve it.

Why does Photoshop not have enough RAM?

1. Use RAM optimizing software

The entire RAM that is installed on your computer is shared between Windows and each and every other program that is running.

Even applications that run in the background, which you don’t interact with, consume RAM.

If there are too many running programs or if some of them encounter problems, not enough memory will be available for running Adobe Photoshop. Therefore, we recommend the tool below for optimizing RAM usage.

The software comes with 2 solutions for this. One is an automated tool called RAMJet which clears RAM memory exactly when you are running low.

The other tool is called Memory Mechanic and is used to perform a deep defragmentation operation to improve responsiveness.

RAMJet is exactly what we need in this situation so that Photoshop will not complain in the future about not having enough memory.

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2. Increase allowed RAM usage

  1. Open Photoshop.
  2. Open Edit, click on Preferences and then access Performance.Not enough RAM Photoshop error
  3. Set the value to 100% of RAM by using the slider.
  4. Confirm the changes.
  5. If you are unable to assign 100% to Memory Usage, set it to 96% and try again.

3. Disable background applications

  1. In the Windows Search bar, type msconfig and open System Configuration.
  2. Under the Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services box.
  3. Click Disable all to disable all active third-party services.Not enough RAM Photoshop error
  4. Confirm changes and try starting Photoshop again.

4. Edit the Registry entry

  1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run command line.
  2. In the command line, type Regedit and press Enter.
  3. Navigate to ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareAdobePhotoshop90.0. The 90.0. part means that the Photoshop version in this example is Photoshop CC 2015. The values change for different versions.Not enough RAM Photoshop error
  4. Right-click on the empty area of the right pane and choose New and select the DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  5. Name the newly created DWORD OverridePhysicalMemoryMB and assign its value to 2400. Make sure that Hexadecimal value is toggled and not Decimal.
  6. Save changes, start Photoshop and look for improvements.

5. Reinstall Photoshop

  1. Search for Control Panel from the Start menu and open it.control panel
  2. Choose Uninstall a program.
  3. Uninstall Photoshop.
  4. Navigate to Program Files on the system partition and delete the remaining folder.
  5. Reboot your PC.
  6. Download the version you have licensed and install it on your PC.

That should deal fully with the Not enough RAM Photoshop error and hopefully you got to the expected results.

If you have any other problems, you can check our excellent guide on how to tackle the most important issues with Photoshop in Windows 10.

In case you have any alternative solutions, make sure to tell us in the comments section below.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • When working with larger files, it needs more memory available to work properly. Keep in mind that the RAM is also shared with Windows and other running programs.

  • Press Win key + X and select System. Below the Windows logo you will see Installed memory (RAM): and the value that represents the amount of RAM installed.

  • You can use the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app to keep each software up to date. Alternatively, you can go to the Help menu and Check of Updates.

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