Microsoft Word — "There is not enough memory or disk space" — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

This error means Microsoft Word does not have enough computer resources to do what you asked. It could be that your PC is running out of RAM (short-term memory) or your hard drive is almost full. Word cannot finish the task and stops to warn you before something goes wrong.

Affected Models

Microsoft Word 2016
Microsoft Word 2019
Microsoft Word 2021
Microsoft 365 Word

Common Causes

Your PC's RAM is full because too many programs are running at the same time
Your hard drive or SSD is nearly full, leaving no room for temporary files
The document you are working with is very large, containing many images or embedded objects
A corrupted Word installation is misreporting available resources
Too many open Word documents or browser tabs are consuming available memory

How to Fix It

Close every other program you have open — browser, email, music player, everything. Then try your Word task again.

Each open program uses a slice of your RAM. Closing them frees up space for Word.
Check your free disk space. Open File Explorer, right-click your C: drive, and click Properties. You need at least 1 GB free. If you have less, delete old files or empty the Recycle Bin.

Word needs temporary disk space to work. A nearly full drive will trigger this error even if the document is small.
Restart your computer completely. Do not just sleep or hibernate — do a full restart.

A restart clears all RAM and closes background processes that may be hogging memory.
If the document has many large images, try compressing them. Go to Picture Format > Compress Pictures and choose a lower resolution.

Images are often the biggest cause of bloated Word files. Compressing them can cut file size dramatically.
Repair your Office installation. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Microsoft 365 (or Office), click Change, then choose Quick Repair.

A corrupted Office installation can cause false memory errors. Quick Repair takes about five minutes and fixes most issues.

When to Call a Professional

If your hard drive is healthy but still runs out of space regularly, an IT technician can help you clean up files and optimize storage. If you keep running out of RAM with normal tasks, a technician can advise on upgrading your computer's memory. RAM upgrades typically cost $30–$80 for parts plus labor.

Frequently Asked Questions

My computer has 16 GB of RAM — how can Word run out of memory?

Even with plenty of RAM, a very large document with hundreds of high-resolution images can push Word to its limits. Also, if you have 20 browser tabs, Outlook, Teams, and several other apps open at the same time, your available RAM can drop quickly. Closing background apps almost always fixes the problem.

How much free disk space does Word need?

Microsoft recommends at least 4 GB of free space on your system drive for Office to run well. Word itself needs temporary space to auto-save, undo changes, and render documents. If your C: drive is under 10% free, start deleting old files or moving them to an external drive.

Will I lose my document if this error appears?

Usually not. Word's AutoRecover feature saves a copy of your document every few minutes. If Word crashes due to this error, reopen Word and it will show you a recovered version. Make sure AutoRecover is turned on under File > Options > Save.