I keep getting a warning that my mac is running low on memory. When I go into Disk Utilities the Hard drive says. Used 164.29GB Other Volumes 1.84GB Free 833.86 GB. The visual blue bar would not even take up 1/3 of its overall length. The processor is 1.6GHz Intel Core i5. Memory 8GB 1867MHz DDR3. Graphics Intel HD Graphics 6000 1536MB.

Optimized Storage helps you save storage space space by storing your content in iCloud and making it available on demand:

• When storage space is needed, files, photos, movies, email attachments, and other files that you seldom use are stored in iCloud automatically.
• Each file stays right where you last saved it, and downloads when you open it.
• Files that you’ve used recently remain on your Mac, along with optimized versions of your photos.

If you haven't yet upgraded to macOS Sierra or later, learn about other ways to free up storage space.

How To Free Up Memory On My Imac

Find out how much storage is available on your Mac

Choose Apple menu  > About This Mac, then click Storage. Each segment of the bar is an estimate of the storage space used by a category of files. Move your pointer over each segment for more detail.

Click the Manage button to open the Storage Management window, pictured below.

A window will pop up confirming you want to delete the files and asking you for your Mac’s password. Image: Screenshot: Kristin Wong Once you enter your password, Mac will clear your cache. Memory Cleaner (was Boost & Memory) is an app to monitor memory usage and clean up your memory. It increases your Mac’s performance by cleaning cached memory, making more memory available for new apps. The application monitors RAM usage on your computer and frees up unused memory with one click.

Manage storage on your Mac

The Storage Management window offers recommendations for optimizing your storage. If some recommendations are already turned on, you will see fewer recommendations.

Store in iCloud

Click the Store in iCloud button, then choose from these options:

• Desktop and Documents. Store all files from these two locations in iCloud Drive. When storage space is needed, only the files you recently opened are kept on your Mac, so that you can easily work offline. Files stored only in iCloud show a download icon , which you can double-click to download the original file. Learn more about this feature.
  
• Photos. Store all original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Photos. When storage space is needed, only space-saving (optimized) versions of photos are kept on your Mac. To download the original photo or video, just open it.
  
• Messages. Store all messages and attachments in iCloud. When storage space is needed, only the messages and attachments you recently opened are kept on your Mac. Learn more about Messages in iCloud.

Storing files in iCloud uses the storage space in your iCloud storage plan. If you reach or exceed your iCloud storage limit, you can either buy more iCloud storage or make more iCloud storage available. iCloud storage starts at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a month, and you can purchase additional storage directly from your Apple device. Learn more about prices in your region.

Optimize Storage

Click the Optimize button to save space by automatically removing watched movies and TV shows. When storage space is needed, movies or TV shows that you purchased from Apple and already watched are removed from your Mac. Click the download icon next to a movie or TV show to download it again.

Your Mac will also save space by keeping only recent email attachments on this Mac when storage space is needed. You can manually download any attachments at any time by opening the email or attachment, or saving the attachment to your Mac.

Optimizing storage for movies, TV shows, and email attachments doesn't require iCloud storage space.

Empty Trash Automatically

Empty Trash Automatically permanently deletes files that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.

Reduce Clutter

Reduce Clutter helps you identify large files and files you might no longer need. Click the Review Files button, then choose any of the file categories in the sidebar, such as Applications, Documents, Music Creation, or Trash.

You can delete the files in some categories directly from this window. Other categories show the total storage space used by the files in each app. You can then open the app and decide whether to delete files from within it.

Learn how to redownload apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books.

Where to find the settings for each feature

The button for each recommendation in the Storage Management window affects one or more settings in other apps. You can also control those settings directly within each app.

• If you're using macOS Catalina or later, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, click Apple ID, then select iCloud in the sidebar: Store in iCloud turns on the Optimize Mac Storage setting on the right. To turn off iCloud Drive entirely, deselect iCloud Drive.
• If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, then click Options next to iCloud Drive. Store in iCloud turns on the Desktop & Documents Folders and Optimize Mac Storage settings.
• In Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud. Store in iCloud selects iCloud Photos and Optimize Mac Storage.
• In Messages, choose Messages > Preferences, then click iMessage. Store in iCloud selects Enable Messages in iCloud.

• If you're using macOS Catalina or later, open the Apple TV app, choose TV > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Files. Optimize Storage selects “Automatically delete watched movies and TV shows.”
• In you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes, choose iTunes > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Advanced. Optimize Storage selects “Automatically delete watched movies and TV shows.”
• In Mail, choose Mail > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Accounts. In the Account Information section on the right, Optimize Storage sets the Download Attachments menu to either Recent or None.

Empty Trash Automatically: From the Finder, choose Finder > Preferences, then click Advanced. Empty Trash Automatically selects “Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.”

Other ways that macOS helps automatically save space

With macOS Sierra or later, your Mac automatically takes these additional steps to save storage space:

• Detects duplicate downloads in Safari, keeping only the most recent version of the download
• Reminds you to delete used app installers
• Removes old fonts, languages, and dictionaries that aren't being used
• Clears caches, logs, and other unnecessary data when storage space is needed

How to free up storage space manually

Even without using the Optimized Storage features described in this article, you can take other steps to make more storage space available:

• Music, movies, and other media can use a lot of storage space. Learn how to delete music, movies, and TV shows from your device.
• Delete other files that you no longer need by moving them to the Trash, then emptying the Trash. The Downloads folder is good place to look for files that you might no longer need.
• Move files to an external storage device.
• Compress files.
• Delete unneeded email: In the Mail app, choose Mailbox > Erase Junk Mail. If you no longer need the email in your Trash mailbox, choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items.

Learn more

• The Storage pane of About This Mac is the best way to determine the amount of storage space available on your Mac. Disk Utility and other apps might show storage categories such as Not Mounted, VM, Recovery, Other Volumes, Free, or Purgeable. Don't rely on these categories to understand how to free up storage space or how much storage space is available for your data.
• When you duplicate a file on an APFS-formatted volume, that file doesn't use additional storage space on the volume. Deleting a duplicate file frees up only the space required by any data you might have added to the duplicate. If you no longer need any copies of the file, you can recover all of the storage space by deleting both the duplicate and the original file.
• If you're using a pro app and Optimize Mac Storage, learn how to make sure that your projects are always on your Mac and able to access their files.

How to remove 'Your computer is low on memory' from Mac computers

What is 'Your computer is low on memory'?

'Your computer is low on memory' is a deceptive pop-up window displayed by rogue applications (e.g. adware, browser hijackers or other Potentially Unwanted Applications - PUAs). It is displayed by ScreenSaver.app, ScreenCapture.app, Spaces.app, MacSecurityPlus and other dubious apps. The pop-up is designed to trick users into giving the application displaying it various permissions such as control over browsers and the data stored therein.

The text presented in the pop-up claims that the computer is low on memory and suggests that the user close some opened applications to free up memory. This pop-up hides another window, and thus the 'Close' button of the first window is also the consent option of the next pop-up. Therefore, when 'Close' is clicked, users unintentionally click the hidden button as well. The disguised pop-up is a system window through which the rogue application displays requests to allow potentially harmful capabilities/actions. For example, in this deceptive manner, the app might request permission to control the browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Safari, etc.). Once such access is allowed, the app behind this pop-up can gain access to documents and data stored on the browser, and then misuse it in various ways. Furthermore, 'Your computer is low on memory' is displayed when users attempt to uninstall the application displaying it. Therefore, if you encounter this pop-up, you are strongly advised to immediately remove the app responsible for it.

PUAs such as ScreenSaver.app, ScreenCapture.app, Spaces.app, and MacSecurityPlus display 'Your computer is low on memory'. These unwanted applications have various dangerous capabilities. Adware-types display intrusive ads (e.g. pop-ups, banners, surveys, coupons, etc.), which significantly diminish the browsing experience by limiting browsing speed and website visibility. Additionally, when these ads are clicked, they redirect to sale-based, untrusted, compromised, deceptive/scam and malicious sites. They can also be triggered (by clicking them) to download/install content (e.g. PUAs) without users' consent. Other unwanted apps called browser hijacker modify browsers, restrict or deny access to settings and promote fake search engines. Most PUAs (regardless of other capabilities) can track data. They can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and gather users' personal information derived from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). This collected data is shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) seeking to generate revenue by misusing it. To summarize, rogue apps can cause browser and system infiltration/infections, lead to serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft. To ensure device and user safety, remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

An example of a pop-up displayed due to rogue apps is '* will damage your computer. You should move it to the Trash.', which is caused by Helperamc, Hlpradc, Smbstrhlpr, Helpermcp and others. While unwanted applications do not need express user permission to infiltrate devices, they can also be promoted by various deceptive/scam web pages. They are promoted as legitimate and useful software with a broad array of features, but despite how good these offers may sound, they are typically nonoperational. PUAs can cause serious problems. These apps are simply used to generate profit for the developers. PUAs run intrusive advertisement campaigns, force-open all kinds of untrusted and malicious websites, hijack browsers and collect private data.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

PUAs proliferate via the download/install set-ups of other software. The deceptive marketing method of pre-packing normal products with unwanted or malicious additions is called 'bundling'. Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options) endangers devices with potential infiltration and infections. Some PUAs have 'official' download pages. When clicked, intrusive ads can stealthily download/install PUAs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

All products should be researched before download/installation and/or purchase. Use only official and verified download channels. Download sources such as free file-hosting sites, P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders are untrusted and should be avoided. When downloading/installing, you are advised to read the terms, explore available options, use the 'Custom/Advanced' options and opt-out of all additions (apps, tools, features and so on). Intrusive ads usually seem legitimate and harmless, however, they can redirect to dubious web pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others). If you encounter these advertisements/redirects, check the system and remove all suspect applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins without delay. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Text presented in the pop-up window:

Your computer is low on memory.

To free up some memory, please close a few applications.

Another example of 'Your Computer Is Low On Memory' pop-up message:

Screenshot of a rogue installation setup, promoting applications that display 'Your computer is low on memory' pop-up:

IMPORTANT NOTE! Most rogue applications are hidden deep within the system and do not appear on any list of installed software. Therefore, the removal process might be complicated. Taking the aforementioned ScreenCapture.app as an example:

1) Navigate to the '~/Library/Application Support/.screencapture/' directory, right-click on the 'ScreenCapture' application, and select 'Show Package Contents':

2) Navigate to the 'Contents/MacOS' directory and delete the 'ScreenCapture' application:

3) Once the previous steps are performed, the process associated with the ScreenCapture application will no longer be automatically re-started and you will be able to easily terminate it and remove the remaining application files:

4) After removing the ScreenCapture application, navigate to the '/Users/Test/Library/Application Support' directory and enable the display of hidden directories. Then, search for a directory with a dubious name (e.g., '.helper', '.dir', or similar), which contains an application called 'Finder'. Once located, this entire directory must be deleted. Note that MacOS actually has a genuine Finder application. Yet, the malicious version has a completely different icon (typically, a Terminal logo) and criminals simply use this as a disguise:

Instant automatic Mac malware removal:Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for MacBy downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited three days free trial available.

Quick menu:

• STEP 1. Remove PUA related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue add-ons from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

Potentially unwanted applications removal:

Remove potentially unwanted applications from your 'Applications' folder:

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select 'Applications'. In the applications folder, look for 'MPlayerX','NicePlayer', or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.

Combo Cleaner checks if your computer is infected with malware. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited three days free trial available.

Remove 'your computer is low on memory' pop-up related files and folders:

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents

In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/Application Support

In the “Application Support” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, “MplayerX” or “NicePlayer”, and move these folders to the Trash.

Check for adware-generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons

In the “LaunchDaemons” folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example “com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist”, “com.myppes.net-preferences.plist”, 'com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist”, “com.avickUpd.plist”, etc., and move them to the Trash.

Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:

If you have followed all the steps in the correct order you Mac should be clean of infections. To be sure your system is not infected run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file double click combocleaner.dmg installer, in the opened window drag and drop Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates it's virus definition database and click 'Start Combo Scan' button.

Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays 'no threats found' - this means that you can continue with the removal guide, otherwise it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.

How To Free Up Ram Memory On Imac

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

'Your computer is low on memory' pop-up removal from Internet browsers:

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Remove 'your computer is low on memory' pop-up related Safari extensions:

Open Safari browser, from the menu bar, select 'Safari' and click 'Preferences...'.

In the preferences window, select 'Extensions' and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the 'Uninstall' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Remove 'your computer is low on memory' pop-up related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:

Open your Mozilla Firefox browser. At the top right corner of the screen, click the 'Open Menu' (three horizontal lines) button. From the opened menu, choose 'Add-ons'.

Choose the 'Extensions' tab and look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Remove' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Mozilla Firefox browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Remove 'your computer is low on memory' pop-up related Google Chrome add-ons:

Open Google Chrome and click the 'Chrome menu' (three horizontal lines) button located in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, choose 'More Tools' and select 'Extensions'.

In the 'Extensions' window, look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Trash' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Google Chrome browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.