There is not enough memory to complete this action excel

Memory issues are very common while dealing with the Microsoft Excel application. No matter what MS Excel version you are using memory errors is not bounded to any specific versions.

There are different types of Excel memory error occurs that prevent the user to execute a specific action.

In this blog, we will discuss those Excel not enough memory errors and try different solutions to get rid of them.

But before going to troubleshoot Excel out of memory error, it is recommended to find out the root cause of this error. As this will help you to prevent any type of Excel there isn’t enough memory to complete this action error from letting happened in the future again.

Why Does Excel Say I Don’t Have Enough Memory?

Following are the causes of Excel Not Enough Memory error :

1. Copying Formulas to Large Area 

It’s obvious to encounter Excel insufficient memory error if you are trying to copy the formula to large area of your worksheet. Excel 32 bit versions have a limit of 2 GB thus working with a large worksheet section leads to generate this error.

2. Formula Re-Calculations

Such a type of memory error also arises due to the recalculation of formulas mainly when you insert any columns/rows, copy-paste, or while performing any calculations.

Suppose, your excel workbook contains thousands of formulas on the sheet and you have just added one more column into it. In that case, Excel has to recalculate the entire formula of your worksheet for adjusting this newly added column.

All in all Excel out of resource error also depends on the complexity of your spreadsheet such as what formulas are involved in it or how your spreadsheet is built.

3. Other Problem Causing Elements Of The Spreadsheet

Even though your PC is having enough space in the local memory but you get there isn’t enough memory to complete this action excel error due to the presence of complex pivot tables, macros, complex charts in the workbook.

4. Other Heavy Applications Are Holding Up The Memory Space

 Another reason can be the execution of heavy-size applications on your PC that has already captured a huge amount of your PC’s memory space. Thus excel is not getting enough memory to work with.

Now, coming to the point, let’s start solving different memory errors one by one:

How To Fix There Isn’t Enough Memory To Complete This Action Excel Error?

Method 1# Fix Corrupt Excel File

Sometimes such an error also arises due to Excel file corruption. So in that case always look for reliable tools like Excel repair tool.

• This tool is very much efficient to resolve any type of corruption, error, and issues that occurred in your Excel workbook.
• With this unique tool, you can repair multiple Excel files in just one go and easily recovers entire data in your desired location.
• It is very easy to use and quite compatible with both Windows as well as Mac OS.
• Well, support for Excel entire versions.
• Before making the purchase you can try the demo version of this tool, it’s free of cost.

* Free version of the product only previews recoverable data.

Method 2# Lack of PC Memory

It is seen that many cheaper PCs are having only 1 to 2 GB of memory space. Well, it’s enough for browsing the internet and many more tasks but not fits under these circumstances.

• If you are using Windows 7 or XP 32 bit version PC then you need to use the 4GB memory space.
• Users of Windows 7 or Windows 10 64 bit version need to buy extra memory.

After launching Microsoft Excel 2016, Microsoft is pressurizing the users to install 64-bit Office in order to skip the running out of memory and resource issues. In their previous version of Excel, Microsoft suggested 32-bit because some of the controls and add-ins were not yet present in the 64-bit compatible versions. If you are dealing with a lot of macros then it is recommended to test it first before migrating to 64-bit Excel.

Method 3# Separate Excel File Into Different Workbooks

Split the large size Excel file into separate workbooks as this will avoid the complexity of handling Excel large files.

By implementing this trick you can easily avoid the restriction of using 2GB memory space on Excel files.

Here are the steps which you need to follow:

• Select the sheet from your workbook sheets tab. Make a right-click over the sheet and then from the menu choose the “Move or Copy”

• By pressing the “Ctrl” key you can select several other non-adjacent sheets.

2) From the opened window of “Move or Copy“, choose the “(new book)” option which is present under the list of “To book”. Also, choose the option of “Create a copy” and then click the “OK” button.

3) Your chosen worksheets are now shifted to a fresh new workbook. Hit the “File” tab and choose the “Save” option to save new excel.

Method 4# Switch To Manual Calculation Method

To solve Excel out of memory error you need to stop the Excel application for recalculating the complete data after any changes.

To set manual calculation to your Excel workbook, you need to follow down these steps:

1) Go to the “File” tab from the Excel ribbon

2) From the list of appearing menus choose the “Options”.

3) This will open the Excel Options window; here you have to choose the “Formulas” tab from the left pane.

4) Hit the Manual option which is present under the section of the calculation option. Here you will see an option “Recalculate workbook before saving” if you keep this option enabled then each time before saving the workbook, complete data is recalculated.

Besides this, you can also approach the faster method of worksheet’s manual recalculation.

1) Follow this path: Formulas >Calculations Options> Manual

3) You can also press the “Calculate Sheet” options present in the Calculation section. Or just free the “Shift” and “F9” key together from your keyboard. This will perform a quick calculation over the data of your current worksheet.

Different Types Of Excel Memory Error Alongwith Their Fixes:

Error 1# Getting “Not Enough Memory” Error Messages While Trying To Copy Formulas Over Large Area In Excel

You will receive “Not Enough Memory” Error messages when you try to fill or copy formulas into a large area of a worksheet. This error message may also appear when you try to add formulas to a large worksheet. In both instances, you will receive the same error message saying that:

Not enough memory.

Not enough system resources to display completely.

Why This Error Is Triggering?

As we already discussed that each of the Microsoft Excel versions such as Microsoft Excel 2007, Excel 2010, and Excel 2013 32-bit is set to 2 GB of memory which is also called the internal heap space. Along with the memory, each of the instances is also set to the 32,760 source cells to do a smart fill operation. When you try to copy the large sections of a worksheet, then due to these limitations you will get the memory error.

How To Solve This Error?

In order to solve this issue, follow the given steps carefully:

Step 1: Try to fill only the part of the range that you want to fill.

Step 2: Choose only the end row or last two rows of the filled choice, and then paste beyond down the sheet.

Step 3: Now, you have to do again step 2 until you have filled the complete range that you want to fill.

In order to get rid of the memory limit, you should split your tasks into smaller workbooks, and try to open them in different instances of Microsoft Excel.

Error 2# Microsoft OFFICE 2016- There Isn’t Enough Memory To Complete This Action

This issue generally appears while trying to erase one single row in an Excel sheet. It throws an error message: there isn’t enough memory to complete this action Excel and after that, the application freezes up.

The cause behind this issue is not clear, but you can solve this issue with ease. Follow the below-given steps one by one to get rid of this problem:

• First of all, confirm that all of your system drivers are updated. Also, update the Microsoft Office. To do this go through the, File> Account> Office Update> Update Now.

• After it, you need to unmark ‘Disable hardware graphics acceleration’ by going through File>Option>Advanced>Display.

Now, check that the issue is gone or not.

Error 3# Microsoft Excel Cannot Open or Save Any More Documents Because there is Not Enough Available Memory or Disk Space

This error message is very irritating, as your computer or laptop have enough disk space in C or D drive and memory but Excel shows you don’t have enough memory available.

Generally, this error message appears on Excel files that contain complicated formulas, calculations, or external resources.

That’s why; the security settings in Microsoft Excel will stop opening these files and shows this irrelevant error message.

It is clear that this issue is related to the built-in security settings of Excel 2013 or 2016. Follow the given steps to get rid of this issue:

Step 1: First, you have to create a new Excel file and then navigate to the Options from File Menu.

Step 2: Click on the Trust Center Settings and under the Trust Center settings, uncheck all checkboxes in Protected.

Through this, you will help the Excel file to open without any security errors like “Microsoft Excel cannot open or save any more documents because there is not enough available memory or disk space”.

Once you press the OK and applied the settings then try to open the same Excel file which is showing the error.

Error 4# Unable To Open The Attachments In Excel Because Of The “There Isn’t Enough Memory Or Disk Space” Error

In order to get rid of this error and allow more memory, you have to exit from the workbooks or close the application that you don’t need. In order to free disk space, erase files that you don’t need.

If this issue is occurring with a particular file then it is sure that it is a file-specific issue.

• So, first, you have to find out the file format of the attached file. Try to save the file locally on your computer and then try to open the file.
• Right-click on the locally saved file and go to its Properties and unmark the Block option and then again try to open the file.

In case you are still unable to open the file in Microsoft Excel then you have to open the file in CSV file format. To do this, go to the save as option and save the file as a CSV format. After it, try to open the file and check for the issue.

Error 5# “Excel Has Ran Out Of Resources” Whilst Working On Microsoft Excel

This issue generally appears on 32 bit Excel, but sometimes also affects the 64 bit Excel.

To fix this issue you have to set your paging file size to automatic, follow the below-given steps:

• Navigate through the “Start-> Control Panel->Advanced System Settings.

• After that hit the Advanced->Performance> Settings->Advanced->Virtual Memory-> Change. Now, you have to mark the box for Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.

• At last, click on the OK buttons to close all Windows.

Conclusion

After applying the above-given solutions your problem of Excel not enough memory error will easily get resolved. All the given solutions are very simple to apply so you don’t have to call any professional or invest a single penny for it.

But, if you are encountering any other Excel memory error apart from the errors I have listed above. In that case, share your problems with us by commenting on this blog.

One of the Excel error messages that disrupt the user’s workflow and aren’t so easy to resolve is the “Not Enough Memory” error. In this tutorial, I will tell you when this error usually occurs, will explain the possible causes behind it, and will give you some effective steps and solutions to fix it.

A- When does “Not Enough Memory” Excel error occurs

The “Not Enough Memory” Excel error can be shown in different message forms with almost the same meaning.

The error message can say:

• There isn’t enough memory to complete this action. Try using less data or closing other applications. To increase memory availability, consider:
  • Using a 64-bit version of Microsoft Excel.
  • Adding memory to your device.

or:

• Out of Memory.

or:

• Not enough System Resources to Display Completely.

or:

• Excel cannot complete this task with available resources. Choose less data or close other applications.

The “Not Enough Memory” Excel error can occur in the following situations; When:

• You open multiple large Excel workbooks.
• You open or close a large Excel workbook.
• You save large Excel workbooks.
• You work on large sheets with lots of formulas
• You sort a lot of data in a large Excel spreadsheet.
• You Copy and paste a lot of data in a large Excel spreadsheet.
• You fill formulas into a large range of cells.
• You run a complex Excel VBA project.

B- Causes of “Not Enough Memory” Excel error

Although the “Not Enough Memory” Excel error might seem to state the available memory as the problem, the root causes of this error are beyond the simple device memory amount and are more related to the bitness of your Excel version (32-bit or 64-bit), to the number of your open workbooks, to their content, and to the installed add-ins.

The causes of the “Not Enough Memory” Excel error can be:

• The number of open workbooks and their sheets.
• A big workbook in the 32-bit Excel edition.
• A large number of complex Excel features.
• Use of complex formulas that involve large data.
• Use of unnecessary large references in formulas.
• Interfering add-ins.

– The number of open workbooks and their sheets

The number of the Excel workbooks that you can open and the number of the spreadsheets in a workbook are limited by the available memory and the system resources as specified by Microsoft in its Excel specifications and limits. So, you might get the “Not Enough Memory” Excel error if you are working on a lot of workbooks and/or the open workbooks contain a huge number of spreadsheets.

– A big workbook in the 32-bit Excel edition

When working with big workbooks in the 32-bit Excel edition, you might get the “Not Enough Memory” Excel error; this is because the virtual address space allocated to Excel in the 32-bit edition is limited to 2GB that a workbook has to share with the Excel application itself and the installed add-ins. So, the size of a workbook in the 32-bit Excel edition should be much less than 2 GB to enable a flawless workflow, without hanging up or generating memory errors.

– Use of a large number of complex Excel features

The number of complex Excel features that can be used in a workbook is limited by the available memory and the system resources as specified by Microsoft in its Excel specifications and limits. Examples of these features limitations are the number of the names in a workbook, of the linked spreadsheets, of the scenarios, of the reports, of the charts linked to a spreadsheet, of PivotTable and PivotChart reports, and of the views on a shared workbook.

– Use of complex formulas that involve large data

If you’re getting the Excel memory error while trying to insert rows or columns, copying and pasting data, or calculating using formulas, most probably is that you’re including ranges of cells that are involved in calculation formulas, which forces Excel to automatically recalculate all involved formulas each time such actions are performed in order to match the new situation.

– Use of unnecessary large references in formulas

Out of laziness, we often tend to select entire columns or rows when setting references in our formulas, which add time to the recalculation period that occurs each time a change is made in the spreadsheet or workbook, and may consume a lot of memory depending on the number of columns and rows.

– Interfering add-ins

The activation and use of some add-ins might consume too much memory and causes the throw of Excel memory errors.

The “Not Enough Memory” Excel error would have many solutions depending on the sources of the error, that I listed in the above section.

So, to fix the “Not Enough Memory” Excel error, you should do one of the following, depending on your situation:

• Close other applications that consume memory.
• Break your large workbooks into smaller ones.
• Reduce the number of used complex features.
• Reduce the range of cells you’re using.
• Use adequate references in your formulas.
• Use Manual calculation instead of Automatic.
• Use Vlookup function instead of OFFSET.
• Use VLOOKUP instead of MATCH and INDEX.
• Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration.
• Deactivate the suspect add-in.
• Update the 32-bit Excel 2013 or 2016.
• Upgrade Excel 32-bit to 64-bit edition.
• Add more memory to your device.

Let’s now dig deeper into each of the above solutions.

– Close other apps that may consume too much memory

Your computer memory may be not sufficient to load at the same time large Excel workbooks with complex features and formulas, and other applications, so, you mighty need to close these other programs to let enough memory to Excel.

The easiest way in Windows to check how much memory a program is consuming and freeing it up is by using Windows Task Manager:

Open Windows Task Manager using the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keyboard shortcut. In the process tab, click on the “Memory” header to sort the programs list by memory consumption; then, select the programs that you don’t need and that are consuming too much memory, and click on the “End Task” button.

The selected program will be closed, which will free up more memory to Excel and other applications you’re using.

– Break your large workbooks into smaller ones

To fix the Excel memory error when working with large workbooks, you’ll need to first break them into smaller ones. The simplest way to do is by checking your spreadsheets topics and moving the related ones to new workbooks.

– Reduce the number of used complex features

To fix the memory issue in Excel, try to reduce the number of the names in a workbook, of the linked spreadsheets, of the scenarios, of the reports; also try to reduce the number of or remove any unwanted charts linked to a spreadsheet, any PivotTable or PivotChart reports, or views on a shared workbook.

– Reduce the range of cells you’re using

When you’re working on a large range of cells, for example a copy or filling operation, and get the Excel memory error, you can just choose a smaller range and operate gradually until you complete your goal.

– Use adequate references in your formulas

In your formulas, try to reference only the ranges you need and not whole columns or rows.

– Use manual calculation instead of automatic

To prevent the automatic calculation of Excel formulas each time a change is applied that consumes a lot of memory when dealing with large data, change the automatic calculation to manual and apply it only when you need.

To change the calculation method of Excel from automatic to manual:

• Click on the Formulas tab.
• Go to the Calculation group of commands.
• Click on the Calculation Options drop-down list.
• Select “Manual”.

With this setup, Excel won’t automatically calculate formulas and you’ll need to do it manually when needed by going to the Calculation group of commands in the Formulas tab, then clicking on the “Calculate Now (F9)” command to calculate the entire workbook or the “Calculate Sheet (Shift F9)” command to calculate only the active worksheet.

– Instead of Offset, Use Vlookup or Match and Index

Using OFFSET function or a combination of MATCH and INDEX functions in your formulas can consume a lot of memory, especially when using references of whole columns or rows.

So, the best solution in this case is to instead use the VLOOKUP function that uses less memory in comparison.

– Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration

Hardware graphics acceleration provides animations in the application; and disabling it may help in reducing memory consumption and preventing the memory issue message.

To disable hardware graphics acceleration in Excel:

• Click the File tab (Office button in Excel 2007).
• Click on Options at the bottom.
• Click on Advanced in the left pane.
• Go to the Display section in the right pane.
• Check Disable hardware graphics acceleration.

– Deactivate the suspect add-in

If the Excel memory error is shown each time you use a feature related to an add-in, try to disable it and see if it resolves the problem.

To disable an add-in in Excel:

• Click the “File” tab, then “Options”.
• Excel Options dialog box displays.
• In the left pane, click the “Add-ins” category.
• Next to “Manage”, select the category you want.
• Click on “Go”.
• Uncheck the add-in you want to deactivate.
• And click “OK”.

– Update the 32-bit Excel 2013 or 2016

If your Excel version is 2013 or 2016, Office 365 for 2013, or Office 365 for 2016, AND is a 32-bit edition, you should update Excel to benefit from the Large Address Aware capability that Microsoft provided in this particular situation to allow more memory than the 2GB limitation. See more on this functionality, along with the updates needed, on the Large Address Aware capability change for Excel.

So, with this update:

• On a 32-bit Windows, these Excel versions will have their memory space increased from 2GB to 3GB. This is not automatically done after the update, and you need to follow the instructions here to manually implement this increase.
• And on a 64-bit Windows, the Excel memory space will be increased from 2GB to 4GB. This is done automatically with the update and no further action is required.

– Upgrade Excel 32-bit to 64-bit edition

If you have enough memory on your device, meaning more than 4GB, and you’re working on big sized workbooks, check if your Excel version is a 32-bit edition. If it is, you should probably upgrade it to a 64-bit edition, as this edition doesn’t have the 2GB memory limitation that the 32-bit edition has.

– Add more memory to your device

As a final solution, and if you have only 2GB or 3GB of RAM, you’ll probably need to add more memory to your system. 4GB of RAM would be the minimum for your system to allow enough available memory to Excel and other running applications.

D- Conclusion

There are lots of causes to the Excel “Not Enough Memory” error and you need to choose your solution accordingly.

Depending on the situation, you’ll need to: just close other applications as a first workaround; break your large workbooks into smaller ones and reduce the range of used cells or the number of complex features; define adequate references in the formulas; carefully choose the functions you use; change some Excel settings; deactivate interfering add-ins; either update your Excel version (for Excel 2013 or 2016) or upgrade the 32-bit edition to the 64-bit one; or as a final solution, simply add more memory to your device.