How to Fix Windows Photo Viewer Not Enough Memory Error? 5 Ways

The Windows Photo Viewer not having enough memory issues usually appears when you are trying to open an image file that is either corrupt, not completely available or there is an issue with the memory management of your PC. In all situations, the Windows Photo Viewer cannot open the file, resulting in the Windows Photo Viewer Can’t Display This Picture Not Enough Memory error. 

If you have encountered a similar issue, do not worry; in this post, we will talk about 5 ways you can fix it. Without further ado, let’s get started!

5 Ways to Fix Windows Photo Viewer Not Enough Memory Error

The not enough memory error usually reflects the lack of available working memory on the PC to open an application. However, when the issue is related to opening an image, multiple other problems may be associated. For instance – 

• Corrupt file
• Unsupported format
• Damaged system files
• Outdated version of the Photo viewer
• Lower memory size

If you can identify any of the issues on your PC, the insufficient memory error should not surprise you. Fortunately, all these contributing factors can be fixed. Check out the fixes below!

Fix 1 – Try Opening the Image Using a Different Photo Viewer

The first thing that you should do is use a different photo viewer application. This helps clear whether the issue lies in the image you are trying to open or with the Windows Photo Viewer. There are multiple alternatives to the inbuilt photo viewer available online. Try any of them and check if they can open the image.

Fix 2 – Completely Recover an Image Before Opening

If, by chance, you are trying to open the image that was half copied or was not properly saved on the PC, the not enough memory error might appear. In such situations, the ideal method is to delete the image completely and recover it using image recovery software. All the missing image data and files can be recovered easily with an application like Photos Recovery. 

The tool is available for Windows and can be a great way to handle images that show errors related to not having enough memory on opening. All you have to do is – 

Step 1 – Download the Photos Recovery application from the link below.

Step 2 – After installation, run the application to find the hard drives and type of scans listed on your PC screen.
Step 3 – Choose the location where the problematic image was stored and set the scan to quick scan.

Step 4 – Click on Start Scan to initiate the recovery process.

Step 5 – Select the file you want to retrieve and click on Recover.

This should recover the file with its necessary data. Simply try and open the file using Windows Photo Viewer, and you shall find that the not enough memory error is no longer available. 

Fix 3 – Change the Format of the Image Using Paint

Sometimes, the Windows Photo Viewer cannot open the file as the format is unsupported. The best way to handle this and avoid not enough memory is to convert the image into the required format.

Multiple applications are available to convert the image. However, the best method is to use the Paint application on Windows. Here’s how it works – 

Step 1 – Go to the image location in the File Explorer.
Step 2 – Right-click on it to find the Open With… option in the quick access menu.
Step 3 – Select the Paint application from the list of apps that support images on your PC.
Step 4 – In Paint, go to the File option in the top left corner of the Window. From there, you may find the Save As option.
Step 5 – Click Save As and choose the format from the list. You can use JPEG, PNG, etc., from the list. 

After converting the image, try opening the image again. Only this time, it should work like a charm.

Fix 4 – Clear Out Memory for Heavy Image Files

If you are trying to open a heavy image file or a RAW file that may require a lot of memory to load, you should clear out the functional memory from your PC. To do so, you must close unnecessary background operations and applications. 

Here’s how you do it – 

Step 1 – Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager.

Step 2 – In the Task Manager, check the memory usage from the tabs above.
Step 3 – Click on the same to sort the list of running applications based on their memory consumption.
Step 4 – Start closing these processes one after the other to free up space.
Step 5 – After clearing memory, try opening the image again.

This is usually a key fix for PCs that have low physical memory available for use. If you are using an older PC, this might help you out!

Fix 5 – Run a System File Check

If none of the above fixes worked, the probability of a system file error is higher. It is best to run a system file check on your PC so that if there are any anomalies, they can be fixed/ 

To do so, simply follow the steps – 

Step 1 – Go to the Start Menu and open CMD as an administrator via Windows Search.

Step 2 – In the CMD window, use the command SFC/ Scannow to initiate the process.

Step 3 – Let the check finish. Once it is over, restart your PC for any changes to take effect. 

After you have restarted the PC, check whether the image is opening now or not. This should fix the problems related to system files that may be bothering the Windows Photos Viewer, leading to not enough memory error on your PC. 

Fixing the Not Enough Memory  Error is EASY

You can also change the display orientation and resolution using System Settings, as sometimes that may be the case. In case multiple images are causing the same Windows Photo Viewer to open the image without enough memory error, the problem is with your monitor. Try contacting a hardware expert for more information on the same. 

With that, we have reached the end of this post, I hope you find it helpful and make the most out of it to resolve the error. Thanks for reading. Good Luck!

Recommended :

How to Recover Deleted Pictures From A Compact Flash Drive
How To Recover Deleted Screenshots on Windows
How To Recover Deleted Photos After A Malware Attack