"Aw, Snap! Out of Memory" in Chrome: What It Means and How to Fix It

"Aw, Snap! Something went wrong while displaying this webpage. Error code: Out of Memory." If you have seen that screen, Chrome stopped one tab because it could not get the memory it needed. The rest of Chrome keeps running, which is the point: each site runs in its own process, so one page running out of room does not take your other tabs down with it.

This guide explains the two reasons Aw, Snap out of memory happens, how to get the page back, and the fixes that keep it from returning. Most people need only the first two or three.

The short answer#

• Reload the page once. Many out-of-memory errors are one-off.
• Free memory first: close other tabs and heavy apps, then reload.
• Test without extensions if it keeps happening on the same site.
• On Windows, check virtual memory; on any system, update Chrome.

What we measured on a Mac#

Tested on a MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) with 16 GB of RAM, macOS 26.3, Chrome 155, October 21, 2026. We opened Wikipedia in one tab and, in a second tab, ran a small script that allocated memory in a loop and never let any of it go.

• The script reached roughly 5.4 GB in about 15 seconds, then Chrome killed that tab's process.
• The Wikipedia tab kept working: we read its title after the crash without reloading it.

That is what an Aw, Snap! Out of memory error is: Chrome stops one runaway page so the rest of the browser and your Mac stay usable. Reloading that page starts it from zero, so if the error comes back on the same site, the page itself is the problem, not your computer.

Why Chrome says Out of Memory#

There are two ways to get there:

1. The page asked for too much. Some pages try to load huge amounts of data: a giant spreadsheet, a long video editor timeline, a map with thousands of points, a buggy page stuck in a loop. Chrome limits how much memory a single page can take, and when a page goes past what the system can give, the tab fails.
2. The computer had nothing left to give. If dozens of tabs, extensions and other apps already fill memory, even a normal page can fail when it asks for more.

Google's help page for common Chrome errors treats Aw, Snap as Chrome having trouble loading the page and suggests reloading and general troubleshooting. The steps below follow that order, from quickest to most involved.

1. Reload the page#

Click Reload on the error page or press Ctrl+R (Command+R on a Mac). If memory was only briefly short, the page loads normally. Save or copy anything important as soon as it does.

2. Free memory, then reload#

If the error comes back:

1. Close tabs you do not need. Chrome's task manager (Shift+Esc on Windows, Window menu, then Task Manager on a Mac) sorts them by Memory footprint so you can close the heaviest first.
2. Quit heavy apps you are not using: video editors, games, other browsers.
3. Reload the failed tab.

If this works, your computer is simply short on memory for how you use it. The fixes in Chrome using too much memory will stop it recurring, starting with turning on Memory Saver so idle tabs give their memory back on their own.

3. Test without extensions#

Extensions that run on every page add memory to every tab, and a few interfere with heavy pages.

1. Open the site in an Incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N, or Command+Shift+N on a Mac). Most extensions do not run there.
2. If the page works in Incognito, go to chrome://extensions and turn extensions off one at a time until the normal window works.
3. Remove or replace the one that causes it.

4. Update Chrome#

Open the three-dot menu, then Help, then About Google Chrome. Chrome checks for updates and asks you to relaunch. Memory fixes and crash fixes ship in regular releases.

5. On Windows, check virtual memory#

Windows uses a page file on disk to extend memory. If someone turned it off or set it very small, programs run out of memory sooner.

1. Search the Start menu for View advanced system settings.
2. Under Performance, choose Settings, then the Advanced tab, then Change under Virtual memory.
3. Turn on Automatically manage paging file size for all drives and restart.

Also make sure your system drive has several gigabytes free; the page file needs room to grow. Macs manage this automatically, but a nearly full disk causes the same problem. Free some space if you have less than 10% left.

6. Try with hardware acceleration off#

Some memory errors come from the graphics side, especially on older graphics drivers. In Settings, then System, turn off Use graphics acceleration when available, relaunch, and try the page again. If it fixes the error, update your graphics driver and turn acceleration back on later. If the error comes back with acceleration off, the tab is simply too big for your free memory: see Chrome using too much memory.

7. When the page really is too big#

Some pages need more memory than a laptop with 8 GB can comfortably give, especially with other apps open. Options:

• Use the site's desktop app if it has one.
• Split the work: a smaller file, a shorter date range, fewer layers.
• Open the page in its own Chrome window with nothing else running.
• Ask the site's support team. If it fails on many computers, the page is the problem.

Keep it from coming back#

Out-of-memory errors usually mean memory is tight all the time, not just once. Three habits help:

• Let idle tabs sleep. Memory Saver does this automatically. Cleaner Pro does it on a fixed 30-minute timer and also closes duplicate tabs in one click; its free Tab Manager side panel sorts tabs by estimated memory so you see what to close. Pro is a one-time $19.99.
• Keep fewer extensions. Remove anything you have not used in a month.
• Restart Chrome weekly if you leave it open for days.

The bottom line#

Aw, Snap! Out of Memory means one tab could not get the memory it needed. Reload, free memory and reload again, then test without extensions and update Chrome. If it keeps happening on many sites, Chrome and your other apps are asking for more memory than the computer has, and the long-term fix is fewer live tabs, not a different browser. For crashes that are not about memory, see Chrome freezing.