Memory (RAM)

What is memory?

Memory, or RAM (Random Access Memory), is your computer's short-term workspace. When you open an app, your computer loads it into RAM so it can access it quickly. Unlike your hard drive, RAM is fast but temporary—everything in it disappears when you restart.

Think of RAM like a desk: you can only work on what fits on the desk at once. If you pile too many things on it, you have to constantly shuffle papers to and from the filing cabinet (your hard drive), which slows everything down.

Why it matters

When your memory fills up, your computer starts using your hard drive as overflow space (called "swap" or "virtual memory"). Hard drives are much slower than RAM, so this causes noticeable slowdowns.

Modern browsers and video conferencing apps are memory-hungry. A browser with many tabs open can easily use several gigabytes of RAM. Zoom, Teams, and other video apps also need substantial memory to process video streams.

What you can do

Quick fixes:

• Close browser tabs you're not actively using—each tab uses memory
• Quit applications you're not using, especially heavy ones like Slack, Spotify, or Adobe apps
• Restart your computer if you haven't in a while—this clears accumulated memory usage
• Check Activity Monitor (Mac) or Task Manager (Windows) to see what's using the most memory

Long-term solutions:

• Use fewer browser tabs, or use a tab management extension to suspend inactive tabs
• Consider using the web versions of apps instead of desktop apps when possible
• If you regularly run out of memory, your computer may benefit from a RAM upgrade (if upgradeable)
• 8GB of RAM is minimum for modern usage; 16GB is comfortable for video calls with other apps open

What Network Weather shows you

Network Weather monitors your available memory to identify when system resources—not network issues—might be affecting call quality.