One of the main reasons your PC becomes sluggish after prolonged use is because you are running out of RAM. If you don’t have enough RAM for your work or have a lot of background applications running, hitting your memory limit can really slow down your PC and make you feel like you need to replace the whole thing.
But that’s probably not true. If you just take a few steps to free up some memory, you might even be able to extend its lifespan a bit.
Andrew Brookes/Getty Images
How to clear RAM on Windows
If there’s one thing Windows applications love to do, it’s scour your memory. That doesn’t mean they can’t reap the benefits: more and faster memory can lead to higher application performance. But there are some apps that like to take up a lot of it – especially if they’ve been running for a while. Here’s how to reduce the amount of RAM your PC currently needs so you can free it up for other purposes.
Step 1: Restart your computer. Unless you’re in the middle of a project, small RAM issues can often be fixed with a quick reboot. On both Macs and PCs, you can experience background activity from apps you no longer use and similar issues that use up a significant amount of RAM that doesn’t really need to be used. Save what you are working on and restart your computer. Then continue to see if your speed has improved.
Step 2: Quit unnecessary background apps. Many apps and processes can run in the background with little sign that they are running, even though they are taking up RAM. You can check all activities including background apps using Task Manager on PCs. Select the apps that serve no purpose and quit them.
If you find that rebooting frees up a lot of RAM, you can also simply shut down some of the applications you are running. On the other hand, if restarting doesn’t help much, you may need to launch fewer applications on your PC. Here is a quick guide to changing startup programs.
Step 3: Overclock your existing RAM. In some cases, you can overclock RAM like a CPU. The process is a bit complicated – you have to set a baseline, overclock manually, and carefully check your progress without overloading your RAM, and that’s actually only possible on some PCs. If you’re interested, here’s a complete guide on what you need to do.
Step 4: Clear your browser cache. Your browser cache stores lots of temporary files to speed up the loading of certain websites. This doesn’t directly affect your computer’s memory, but it does affect how efficiently browsers use data, and if the cache gets too full, it can seem like it’s running out of memory. Fortunately, browsers have ways to quickly clear the cache when needed, usually in the Tools or Settings section.
Step 5: Switch to another browser. Some browsers use more RAM than others, while others use data more efficiently for a streamlined process. If you keep having problems opening too many tabs, it may be worth considering switching to a different browser.
We regularly compare the latest web browser versions from all major developers. Check out our coverage of the best browsers to find the right one for you.
Step 6: Check your extensions. Extensions and add-ons can add new capabilities to your browser, tools that make work easier, help you manage your passwords, give you faster access to certain content, or integrate an app into the browser. The problem is that many extensions use background processes to monitor and run and are always active when you use the browser. If you install too many extensions, your browser will struggle with RAM usage. Review the extensions you currently have installed and remove any that you don’t really need.
Step 7: Keep your apps and operating system up to date. Updates don’t just fix bugs and add new features. They also make certain processes more efficient, which in many cases means less RAM is required. Don’t let apps or your operating system go for long periods of time without updates – they’re likely using more RAM than necessary. Update and reboot when you have time.
Step 8: If all else fails, you may need to upgrade your RAM. It’s very straightforward – even on a laptop – and there are many games and applications that simply perform better with more memory. If you’re trying to game with 16GB of RAM or less, it’s definitely worth considering an upgrade.
How to Clear RAM on Mac
MacOS doesn’t have the same ability to free up RAM as a PC – RAM overclocking isn’t really an option here – but a lot of the advice remains the same, so you still have methods to try. Let’s go through some of the most important ones.
Step 1: Close background apps. This trick is very similar to the one on PC, but here you will do it System settings and with that Activity Monitor on Macs. This allows you to see all the apps running on your Mac and select the ones you don’t need to quit. Likewise, you may also want to check any apps you have set to launch when you log in, especially if you don’t need them.
Step 2: Switch to another browser. As mentioned above, Opera works very well on MacOS and could be a useful replacement if you like having many tabs open at once. The other browser tricks we mentioned, like reducing a large number of running extensions, also help here.
Step 3: Clean your desktop. Operating systems offer different ways to display icons and folders on your desktop Start screen. Shortcuts themselves probably aren’t a big problem. But sometimes, lots of icons and folders on your desktop screen – especially on MacOS – can take up more RAM than necessary and hinder normal operation. Keep your desktop as clean as possible and limit it to the most important icons and folders. Avoid automatically saving files directly to your desktop: the Mac does this for screenshots, for example, but you can change that.
Step 4: Keep MacOS up to date. The efficiency gains will be worth it over time. If you need help updating, check out our guide to updating macOS here.
Frequently asked questions about freeing up RAM
Why is my Mac RAM so full?
Macs may work a little differently than PCs, but their memory will still be full for the same reasons. Running too many applications at once, running too many browser tabs at once, running apps that are too demanding for your laptop’s specifications, or any number of other reasons. It could be something as simple as needing to restart it after too many hours, days or even weeks of uptime.
The good news is that there are several ways to increase your Mac’s free RAM.
Can you use Mac RAM in a PC?
Maybe, but the chances of it being as compatible as buying memory for Windows PCs are slim. You need to choose the right generation and form factor and make sure the speed is supported by the Windows PC. It’s more likely to work this way than trying PC RAM in a Mac, but in either case the process is unlikely to work. It’s better to stick with approved storage designed for each platform.
Does more RAM make Macs faster?
More RAM will only make any computer faster if it doesn’t have enough to begin with. RAM speed can have an impact on how fast a computer (Mac or Windows PC) runs, but only if it is the bottleneck in your system. Typically, a faster processor or graphics card will have a much greater impact on performance, depending on what application you are running.
Editorial recommendations