Photoshop Not Enough RAM? Fixes That Actually Work

If Photoshop is telling you it doesn’t have enough RAM, the fix is usually a combination of increasing the RAM allocation in Photoshop’s preferences, closing memory-hungry background apps, and checking that your scratch disk isn’t full. This article explains why Photoshop runs out of memory, how to fix it in minutes, and what to do if your computer simply doesn’t have enough physical RAM for your workflow.

Why Photoshop Runs Out of RAM

Photoshop is a memory-hungry application. Every image you open, every layer you add, every history state you keep, and every smart object you edit is stored in RAM so the program can access it instantly. When you run out of RAM, Photoshop can’t hold all that data, so it either slows to a crawl, shows an error, or uses a fallback called a scratch disk.

The most common reason for a “Not enough RAM” error is not that your computer has zero RAM left, but that Photoshop’s memory limit is set too low, or another application is hogging the available memory. By default, Photoshop uses about 70% of your system’s available RAM, but that number can be adjusted. If you have 8GB of RAM and you’re editing a 2GB file with dozens of layers, you will hit the ceiling quickly.

How to Increase Photoshop’s RAM Allocation

The quickest fix is to tell Photoshop to use more of your system’s RAM. Here’s how:

1. Open Photoshop and go to Edit > Preferences > Performance (on macOS, it’s Photoshop > Preferences > Performance).
2. In the Memory Usage section, you’ll see a slider labeled Let Photoshop Use. Drag it to a higher percentage. A safe maximum is around 85–90% – leaving some RAM for the operating system and other apps.
3. Click OK and restart Photoshop for the change to take effect.

If you have 16GB of RAM, increasing the allocation from 70% to 85% gives Photoshop an extra 2.4GB. That can be the difference between an error and a smooth edit.

Check Your Scratch Disk

When Photoshop runs out of RAM, it uses a portion of your hard drive as virtual memory, called a scratch disk. If that disk is full, Photoshop can’t write temporary files, and you’ll get a “Scratch Disk Full” or “Not Enough RAM” error.

To check your scratch disk:

• Go to Edit > Preferences &strong>Scratch Disks.
• Make sure you have a drive with plenty of free space selected (ideally an SSD with at least 20–50GB free).
• Uncheck any drives that are nearly full.
• Restart Photoshop.

A common misconception is that the scratch disk only matters when RAM is full. In reality, Photoshop uses the scratch disk even when RAM is available, so a slow or full scratch disk can cause performance issues even if you have 32GB of RAM.

Close Memory-Hogging Apps

Photoshop isn’t the only app using your RAM. A web browser with 20 tabs, Slack, Spotify, or a video call can consume several gigabytes. Before blaming Photoshop, check your system’s memory usage:

• Windows: Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), go to the Processes tab, and sort by Memory. Close anything you don’t need.
• macOS: Open Activity Monitor (Spotlight search for it), go to the Memory tab, and sort by Memory. Quit apps you’re not using.

If you regularly work with large files, consider making it a habit to close other apps before launching Photoshop. Even if you don’t see an error, freeing up RAM will make Photoshop faster and more responsive.

When You Need More Physical RAM

If you’ve increased the allocation, cleared the scratch disk, and closed other apps, but you still get the error, your computer likely doesn’t have enough physical RAM for your workflow. Here’s a rough guide:

• 8GB RAM: Fine for basic editing of small images (under 50MB), but you’ll struggle with multi-layer files or 4K+ images.
• 16GB RAM: Good for most photographers and designers. Handles 100MB files with multiple layers reasonably well.
• 32GB RAM: Ideal for heavy work – large panoramas, 3D, video editing in Photoshop, or working with dozens of layers at once.
• 64GB+ RAM: Only needed for extreme cases like 8K+ images or complex 3D scenes.

If you’re on a laptop with soldered RAM, you can’t upgrade. In that case, you’ll need to work with smaller files, flatten layers when possible, or use a different computer for heavy projects.

Optimize Your Photoshop Workflow

Even with enough RAM, a bloated file can cause memory issues. Here are some best practices:

• Flatten layers when you’re done editing them. Each layer adds to the file size and RAM usage.
• Delete unused layers and channels.
• Use Smart Objects sparingly – they store the original data, which increases memory usage.
• Limit history states in Preferences > Performance. The default is 50, but 10–20 is usually enough.
• Close images you’re not working on. Each open image uses RAM.
• Use the “Save As” command to reduce file size if you don’t need all the metadata.

Photoshop Not Enough RAM on Mac vs Windows

The fixes are essentially the same on both platforms, but there are a few platform-specific quirks:

Windows: Windows uses a portion of RAM for system caching. If you have 16GB, you might see 12GB available. Photoshop’s memory allocation is based on total RAM, not available RAM, so you may need to lower the percentage if you see frequent system slowdowns.

macOS: macOS is very aggressive about using RAM for caching. Photoshop can sometimes report low memory even when your Mac has free RAM, because the system is holding onto cached files. Restarting Photoshop often helps. Also, on Apple Silicon Macs, Photoshop uses a different memory model, but the performance preferences are the same.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much RAM does Photoshop actually need?

Adobe recommends at least 8GB, but 16GB is the practical minimum for comfortable use. For professional work with large files, 32GB is recommended. If you only edit small JPEGs, 8GB might be enough, but you’ll likely hit the limit eventually.

Does increasing the RAM percentage in Photoshop cause crashes?

Not directly, but if you set it too high (e.g., 100%), your operating system may run out of memory for other tasks, which can cause system instability or crashes. Stick to 85–90% max.

Why does Photoshop use so much RAM even for small files?

Photoshop pre-allocates memory for undo history, smart objects, and the scratch disk. Also, a small file in terms of pixel dimensions can still be large in RAM if it has many layers, masks, or adjustment layers.

Can I use a USB drive as a scratch disk?

Technically yes, but it’s a bad idea. USB drives are much slower than internal drives, especially USB 2.0. Using a USB drive as a scratch disk will make Photoshop painfully slow. Use an internal SSD or a fast external SSD (USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt) instead.

Will adding more RAM fix all Photoshop performance issues?

No. RAM is only one factor. A slow CPU, a full scratch disk, or a file with too many layers can still cause slowdowns. But if you’re getting “Not Enough RAM” errors, adding RAM is the most direct fix.

Is there a way to make Photoshop use less RAM?

Yes. Lower the memory percentage in Preferences, reduce history states, close unused images, and flatten layers. You can also disable “Allow background save” and “Automatically save recovery information” in Preferences > File Handling to reduce background memory usage.

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