This wikiHow teaches you how to free up RAM (Random Access Memory), which is the portion of memory on your smartphone or computer that is needed to run programs. You can free up RAM by closing any open programs, or restarting your computer/mobile device. On the iPhone, you can use a few additional tricks to free up RAM. On most Android devices, you don't need to clear RAM because all you have to do is force stop apps that are consuming a lot of memory. For Samsung Galaxy users, use the Device Maintenance service to optimize RAM usage.
Step
Method 1 of 4: On Windows Computer
Step 1. Close all unneeded programs
You can close it by clicking X in the upper-right corner of the program window. To close programs that are running in the background, do the following:
-
Click icon
Android7expandless which is in the lower right corner.
- Right-click the icon of the application you want to close in the pop-up menu that appears.
- Click Quit, then confirm when prompted.
Step 2. Forcibly close stubborn programs
If the program cannot be closed in the normal way, force close the program:
- Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc (or right-click the taskbar, then click Task Manager).
- Under the " Processes " tab, click the program you want to close.
- Click End task in the lower right corner.
Step 3. Disable unneeded start-up programs
Start-up programs are programs that run when you boot your computer. In addition to slowing down the computer boot process, start-up programs also drain RAM. Disable the program by doing the following:
- Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc (or right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager).
- Click tab Startup located at the top of the window.
- Click the unwanted program when the computer starts up.
- Click Disable which is in the lower right corner.
Step 4. Use a more efficient web browser if necessary
If you're still using Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer, you can save RAM by switching to Firefox or Chrome.
Microsoft recommends Microsoft Edge for best performance. However, if Edge is slowing down your computer, you might want to try a different browser
Step 5. Restart the computer
After the start-up programs are disabled, restart the computer to help maintain the stored RAM:
-
Click Start
Windowsstart -
Click Power
Windowspower - Click Restart.
Method 2 of 4: On Mac Computer
Step 1. Close all unnecessary programs
To remove the program window, you can click on the red circle in the upper left corner. However, if you want to stop a program on your Mac computer completely, do the following:
- Control-click the icon of the desired program in the Mac computer dock.
- Click Quit in the pop-up menu.
Step 2. Force close stubborn programs
If any program cannot be closed, force stop the program by doing the following:
-
open Spotlight
Macspotlight - Type in activity monitor, then double click Activity Monitor.
- Select the program you want to close in the CPU tab.
- Click sign X which is in the upper left corner of the program window, then select Force Quit.
Step 3. Disable unneeded start-up programs
Start-up programs are programs that run when you boot your computer. In addition to slowing down the computer boot process, start-up programs also drain RAM. This program can be disabled by doing the following:
-
open Apple menu
Macapple1 - choose System Preferences….
- Click Users & Groups, then click your username located on the left.
- Click Login Items.
-
Uncheck the box next to each item you want to disable when you turn on your Mac.
You may first have to click on the lock icon in the lower left corner and enter your password before you can uncheck the item
Step 4. Switch to a more efficient browser if necessary
While Safari is considered the most suitable browser for Mac, try switching to Firefox or Google Chrome as they are both fast browsers and use very little RAM.
Step 5. Clear the current RAM cache using Terminal
Do the following things to clear RAM space:
-
open Spotlight
Macspotlight - Type in terminal, then double click Terminal in the drop-down menu that appears.
- Type in sudo purge, then press Return.
- Enter the password when prompted, then press Return.
Step 6. Restart the computer
Provided you've disabled the start-up programs you want to avoid, restarting your Mac can prevent excess RAM from using up after restarting:
-
Click Apple menu
Macapple1 - Click Restart….
- Click Restart when requested.
Method 3 of 4: On iPhone
Step 1. Press the Home button twice
This will bring up a list of currently open iPhone apps.
- On iPhone X, swipe up from the bottom of the screen towards the center of the screen and keep your finger there until the currently open app is displayed.
- If pressing the Home button twice does not have any effect, it means that there are no applications open at this time.
Step 2. Check the currently open apps
Swipe the screen right or left in the list of open applications to find the program you want to close.
Step 3. Close unneeded apps
Swipe the currently open application window to close it.
Apps that require large amounts of memory (such as streaming programs or video editors) will have a significant effect on iPhone RAM than light apps
Step 4. Clean the stored iPhone RAM
Sometimes, the iPhone's RAM cache has filled up so that the iPhone becomes slower than usual. You can fix this by pressing and holding the Lock button until the button slide to power off on the iPhone appears. Next, press and hold the Home button until the Home Screen is displayed again (at least 5 seconds).
- To do this, you may first need to disable Siri.
- On iPhone X, turn on AssistiveTouch and do any of the following: go to Settings, tap General, scroll down the screen and tap Shut Down, tap the AssistiveTouch icon, then press and hold the button Home until the Home Screen reappears.
Step 5. Restart iPhone
If iPhone is still running slowly, force restart the device to resolve the issue:
- iPhone 6S and earlier - Press and hold the Lock and Home buttons until the Apple logo appears on the screen, then release both buttons and let iPhone restart.
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus - Press and hold the Lock and Volume Down buttons until the Apple logo appears on the screen, then release both buttons and let iPhone restart.
- iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X - Press and release the Volume Up button, press and release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Lock button. Next, release the Lock button when the Apple logo is displayed.
Method 4 of 4: On Android Device
Step 1. Force shutdown the app on any Android device
Unlike the iPhone, Android apps that have been closed cannot free up RAM. You can force shut down apps so they don't use up RAM. How to do it:
- open Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- Select the program you want to close.
- Tap FORCE STOP which is at the top of the page.
- Tap FORCE STOP or OK when requested.
Step 2. Open Settings on Samsung Galaxy
Swipe down from the top of the device screen, then tap the icon Settings
in the form of a gear in the upper-right corner of the drop-down menu.
If your device is not a Samsung Galaxy, the method described in the rest of this article will not work
Step 3. Tap Device maintenance at the bottom of the screen
The Device Maintenance application will run.
Step 4. Tap the Memory tab located at the bottom of the screen
Step 5. Tap CLEAN NOW in the middle of the page
Once you do that, the RAM in the Samsung Galaxy will start cleaning.
Step 6. Wait for the RAM on the device to finish cleaning
If the graphic in the middle of the screen disappears, it means that the RAM in the Samsung Galaxy has been cleaned.
Step 7. Restart Samsung Galaxy if necessary
If the Samsung Galaxy continues to run slowly, restart the device to free up any remaining RAM. How to do it: press and hold the Power button, tap Restart, then tap Restart return when prompted.
