Not enough memory to run Microsoft Excel [Fixed]

If you see Not enough memory to run Microsoft Excel error while launching Excel, then the solutions provided in this article may help you fix it. This error prevents users from working in Microsoft Excel because they can’t open any spreadsheet. Some users have seen this error while attaching an Excel file in Microsoft Outlook or while opening an Excel file from Outlook and from another email client.

The complete error message is as follows:

Not enough memory to run Microsoft Excel. Please close other applications and try again.

Not enough memory to run Microsoft Excel

The following fixes will help you resolve this problem. Before you proceed, close any other running applications and try opening Microsoft Excel. If not, restart your computer and check if the issue is fixed.

Run Excel as an administrator
Make the Excel folder empty
Change your default printer
Troubleshoot Excel in Safe Mode
Troubleshoot your computer in a Clean Boot state
Change the Trust Center settings
Toggle the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) mode
Check the status of the Windows Defender Firewall service
Unblock the Excel file
Turn off Preview Pane in File Explorer
Delete temporary files and folders
Repair Office

Below, we have explained all these fixes in detail.

1] Run Excel as an administrator

Sometimes the problem occurs due to administrative privileges. To check this, launch Microsoft Excel as administrator and then see if you get the same error message. To do that, right-click on the Microsoft Excel shortcut and select Run as administrator.

If this fixes your problem, you can make Excel always run as administrator.

2] Make the Excel folder empty

When you create a new spreadsheet or edit the existing one, Microsoft Excel creates its unsaved copy in the Excel folder. This is how Excel recovers your unsaved document when your computer or Excel crashes suddenly. These files remain in that folder until you save your spreadsheet. By default, these temporary files are located in the Roaming folder. In addition, some temporary cache files may be created in that folder.

Empty the Excel folder and check if that fixes your problem. To do that, follow the steps below:

Open the Run command box by pressing the Win + R keys.
Type %appdata% and click OK. This command will directly open the Roaming folder on your C drive.
Now, open the Microsoft folder and then open the Excel folder. You may see some temporary files and folders there.
Move all the files and folders to another location in order to make the Excel folder empty.
Open Microsoft Excel and see if the problem disappears.

If the problem still occurs, you can move the files back to the Excel folder.

3] Change your default printer

Sometimes, the problem occurs when Excel is not able to access the default printer. To check this, change your default printer. You can also make a virtual printer as your default printer, like Microsoft Print to PDF or Microsoft XPS Document Writer. After performing this step, check if the problem occurs.

4] Troubleshoot Excel in Safe Mode

There might be problematic add-ins in Excel causing the issue. To check this, you have to troubleshoot Excel in Safe Mode. Check whether you can launch Excel in Safe Mode. If yes, some of your Add-ins are the culprit.

To launch Excel in Safe Mode, open the Run command box and type excel /safe. After that, click OK. This will open Excel in Safe Mode. Now follow the steps below:

Go to “File > Options.”
Select Add-Ins from the left side.
Click on the Manage drop-down and select COM Add-ins. Click Go.
Deselect anyone add-in to disable it and click OK.
Close Excel in Safe Mode and launch Excel in normal mode. See if the issue appears. If yes, repeat the above steps to disable another add-in and then launch Excel in normal mode again.

The steps above will help you identify the problematic add-in. Once you find it, remove it from Excel.

5] Troubleshoot in a Clean Boot state

If there is no problematic add-in in Excel, the issue might occur due to a conflicting background or startup app. You can easily identify that program by starting your computer in a Clean Boot state. After starting your computer in a Clean Boot state, launch Microsoft Excel and see if the “Not enough memory to run Microsoft Excel” message appears. If not, there is a program that is conflicting with Microsoft Excel due to which Excel is displaying this error.

To identify the program, enable disabled programs in Clean Boot state, then start your computer in a normal state. Launch Excel after starting your computer in the normal state and see if the error occurs. If yes, some of the programs you have just enabled are causing the problem. To identify the programs, disable them one by one and launch Excel each time you disable a program. This will help you identify the problematic startup application.

6] Change the Trust Center settings

If you are unable to attach an Excel in Outlook or if you are getting the error message after opening the Excel file from Outlook or another email client, change the Trust Center settings and see if it works.

Open Microsoft Excel.
Go to “File > Options.”
Now, go to “Trust Center > Trust Center Settings” and select Protected View from the left side.
Uncheck all the options and click OK.
Now, open the Trust Center Settings again and select File Block Settings from the left side.
Uncheck all the options and click OK.

7] Toggle the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) mode

This solution is also for the users who are receiving the error message “Not enough memory to run Microsoft Excel” while attaching an Excel file to Outlook or while opening certain Excel files.

Launch Microsoft Excel.
Go to “File > Options > Advanced.”
Scroll down until you find the General section.
Enable the “Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)” option.
Click OK and close Microsoft Excel.
Wait for a few seconds and launch Excel again.
Now, disable the “Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)” option.
Click OK and close Excel.

This should help. If not, try the next solution.

8] Check the status of the Windows Defender Firewall service

For some users, starting the Windows Defender Firewall service fixed the issue. You should also try this. Open the Services app and check the status of the WIndows Defender Firewall service. If it is stopped, start it. The steps for the same are written below:

Open the Run command box and type services.msc.
When the Services app appears on your screen, locate the Windows Defender Firewall service.
Its status should show Running. If it is stopped, double-click on it to open its properties.
Click on the Startup type drop-down and select Automatic.
Now, click Start to start the service.
Click Apply and then click OK.

9] Unblock the Excel file

If you get an error message when opening specific Excel files, try this fix. This method is also useful for users who cannot open the Excel file from Outlook or another email client.

The steps to unblock an Excel file are written below:

Right-click on the Excel file which is giving you the error.
Select Properties.
Select the General tab.
Enable the Unblock option.
Click Apply and then click OK.

Read: Fix VBA Run-time error Class not registered in Excel.

10] Turn off Preview Pane in File Explorer

Sometimes, the File Explorer’s Preview Pane causes problems on a Windows computer. The Preview Pane displays previews of the files you select. If it is enabled on your system, disable it and then check if you can open Microsoft Excel.

To disable the Preview Pane in Windows 10, open File Explorer and click on the View tab. Now, select the Preview Pane option to enable or disable it. In Windows 11, open File Explorer, then go to “View > Show” and uncheck the Preview Pane option.

If this works for you, you can permanently disable the Preview Pane in File Explorer via the Group Policy Editor and the Registry Editor.

11] Delete temporary files and folders

Another effective and easy solution is to delete temporary files and folders. To do so, go through the following steps:

Open the Run command box and type %temp%. Click OK.
This command will open the folder containing temporary files and folders.
Delete all the files and folders inside the Temp folder.

Now, open Microsoft Excel and see if the error message appears again.

12] Repair Office

If some of your Microsoft Office files get corrupted, you may experience several issues in different Office applications. If the problem that you are currently facing is occurring due to this, repairing the Office application can help. First, run the Quick Repair. If this does not help, run an Online Repair.

Hope this helps.

Read: Excel not scrolling smoothly or properly? Enable Excel smooth scrolling.

How do you fix There isn’t enough memory to complete this action in Microsoft Excel?

If you see the There isn’t enough memory to complete this action error in Microsoft Excel, first try to install the latest Windows Updates (if available). If this does not work, check if there is any add-in causing the problem. To do so, you have to troubleshoot Excel in Safe Mode.

Sometimes, problems occur when Excel is not able to access the default printer. Hence, another solution to fix this problem is to change the default printer. You can also try to launch Excel after disabling your antivirus.

Read: There is not enough free memory to run this program

How do I fix There is not enough memory or disk space to run in Excel?

Launch Excel as administrator and see if the issue appears. If yes, you have to try some other fixes, like troubleshooting Excel in Safe Mode to identify the problematic add-in (if any), troubleshooting your computer in a Clean Boot state to find the conflicting application (if any), turning off the Preview Pane in File Explorer, etc. If nothing works, run an online repair or uninstall and reinstall Microsoft Office.