Fix the MSFS 2024 “Memory resources getting low” error by checking RAM versus VRAM, enabling the page file, testing add-ons and reducing load.
To fix the “Memory resources getting low” error in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, restart Windows, enable a system-managed page file, free space on its drive, close memory-heavy background apps, and test without add-ons. If it returns, reduce texture, LOD and traffic settings while checking whether system RAM or GPU VRAM is actually exhausted.
Why does MSFS 2024 report low memory?
On PC, the warning usually appears when Windows is approaching its commit limit, although exhausted GPU memory or a leaking add-on can produce similar symptoms. The commit limit is based largely on physical RAM plus the Windows page file.
This explains why Task Manager may still show some available RAM when the warning appears. A disabled or undersized page file, insufficient free space on its drive, detailed aircraft, dense airports, traffic and high-resolution add-ons can all reduce the remaining headroom.
Memory use that rises initially and then levels off is normal caching behaviour. Use that keeps climbing during an otherwise unchanged flight until the warning appears points more strongly to an add-on or simulator memory leak.
How can I tell whether RAM or VRAM is running out?
Task Manager can distinguish system-memory exhaustion from a full graphics card before you start changing unrelated settings. Open it with Ctrl+Shift+Esc, select Performance and inspect both Memory and the active GPU.
| What you see | Likely cause | Best first action |
|---|---|---|
| Memory is nearly full and Committed is close to its second figure | System RAM and page-file headroom are exhausted | Enable a system-managed page file, close background apps and test without add-ons |
| Dedicated GPU memory is full but system commit has headroom | VRAM pressure | Lower Texture Resolution, render scaling and high-resolution add-on textures |
| The Windows or page-file drive is nearly full | The page file cannot expand normally | Free SSD space and restart Windows |
| Usage climbs only with one aircraft, livery, airport or traffic tool | Add-on memory consumption or a leak | Update, disable or remove that specific component |
How do I fix the low-memory error on PC?
The most reliable approach is to restore Windows memory headroom first, then test Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in a controlled configuration.
- Restart Windows, not only the simulator. This releases memory retained by the sim, external traffic tools, browsers, recording software and other background processes.
- Free space on the Windows SSD. A system-managed page file needs room to expand. Also check that security or disk-management software is not preventing Windows from managing it.
- Restore automatic page-file management. Search Windows for
View advanced system settings, then open Advanced, Performance Settings, Advanced, Virtual memory and Change. EnableAutomatically manage paging file size for all drives, confirm the change and restart. If you intentionally manage individual drives, useSystem managed sizeon an SSD and select Set. - Run a clean baseline flight. If Safe Mode is offered after a crash, use it. Otherwise, close the sim, move the contents of the
Communityfolder somewhere temporary, disable nonessential third-party Marketplace content and stop external injectors. Test a default aircraft at a small airport with traffic disabled. - Restore add-ons in batches. If the clean test works, re-enable half the removed content at a time. Once the faulty group is identified, test its items individually. A mistake we see constantly is removing Community content while leaving the responsible Marketplace package or external traffic programme active.
- Reduce the correct settings. Lower Texture Resolution for VRAM pressure; reduce Terrain Level of Detail, Object Level of Detail, ground aircraft and traffic for system-memory pressure. Our guide to settings that improve MSFS 2024 performance explains the wider performance cost of each adjustment.
- Install pending updates. Update the simulator, Windows and the graphics driver. Use our step-by-step MSFS 2024 update checks if the in-sim packages and platform installation appear out of sync.
Should I set a huge custom page file?
No. A system-managed page file is safer than copying an arbitrary fixed size from another computer. Disabling virtual memory because the PC has substantial RAM can actually trigger this error when a demanding flight pushes Windows beyond its commit limit.
The page file prevents an abrupt allocation failure; it does not make slow storage behave like RAM. If Windows must page heavily, MSFS 2024 may stutter even though it no longer displays the warning. Memory-cleaner utilities are also poor fixes because they can force useful cached data out of RAM without correcting the underlying workload.
Which MSFS 2024 settings use the most memory?
Texture quality and output resolution mainly pressure VRAM, while scenery detail, traffic and complex add-ons also consume system memory.
- Texture Resolution: lower this first when dedicated GPU memory is full.
- Render scaling and display resolution: reduce these when VRAM use rises with resolution, especially in VR or across several displays.
- Terrain and Object Level of Detail: lower these when dense cities and airports cause system-memory or main-thread pressure.
- Live, AI and injected traffic: reduce aircraft counts, ground aircraft and airport vehicles. Detailed traffic models accumulate quickly at major hubs.
- Aircraft, airports and liveries: test lower-resolution liveries and default scenery. Combining several individually demanding products is often what crosses the limit.
Restart the simulator after making substantial reductions; allocated memory may not be returned immediately during the same session. If the warning appears mainly after a long flight or near a dense destination, our arrival-area frame-rate diagnosis covers the traffic, scenery and resource buildup typical of that phase.
Do I need more RAM?
More RAM is justified when a clean, updated installation repeatedly approaches the commit limit during the flights you actually operate. A 16 GB PC has relatively little headroom for MSFS 2024, complex aircraft, detailed hubs and background tools; moving to 32 GB can reduce paging substantially in those workloads.
Do not buy system RAM to solve full GPU VRAM. Likewise, extra RAM will not repair an add-on whose use rises continuously without reaching a stable level. Confirm the bottleneck in Task Manager and reproduce it with default content first.
What if the error appears on Xbox or PlayStation?
Console users cannot adjust a Windows page file, so fully close MSFS 2024 rather than leaving it suspended, restart the console and confirm there is free internal storage. Install simulator and system updates, disable the newest third-party content, then repeat the flight with a default aircraft, light traffic and a small airport.
If the warning becomes a crash to desktop or the simulator closes without displaying it, work through our full MSFS crash-troubleshooting checklist; driver faults, unstable hardware and corrupted cache data can resemble a memory failure.