Are you unable to use your Windows photo viewer because the “not enough memory” message keeps popping up on your screen every time you try to open a photo?
It can be quite annoying not being able to open the file on your computer and having to resort to other applications or programs. Luckily, in the majority of cases, you can easily fix this issue and continue using your Windows Photo Viewer.
So, what could be causing the not enough memory error in Windows Photo Viewer and how can you fix it once and for all? Let’s find out!
Why does Windows Photo Viewer have not enough memory?
If the Windows Photo Viewer is showing this message, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the problem is in your computer’s memory. Let’s see what could be causing this message to pop up every time you try to open a photo using Viewer.
1. Your Photo Viewer isn’t up to date
One of the most common reasons why Photo Viewer isn’t able to load a file is that you’re using an outdated version. In case you’ve skipped updates and you haven’t updated the Viewer in quite some time, it may be that an update is required.
In case the Windows Photo Viewer is up to date and the images still aren’t loading (even after you’ve restarted the computer), the Photo Viewer version isn’t the issue.
2. Image format isn’t supported
If you’re unable to open the image even once you’ve updated the Windows Photo Viewer, it could be that the image format isn’t supported by this program.
The file formats supported by Windows Photo Viewer include JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, and WDP. In case your image is in another format, you won’t be able to view it using this photo viewer.
3. The image file is corrupt
In case you cannot open the image file using Windows Photo Viewer, but it won’t load in other photo viewing programs, and it won’t open even after you’ve converted it into another format like PDF file, it is possible that the problem is in the image file and not the program.
Before deciding that a file is corrupt, it is necessary to go through all the aforementioned steps to rule out the file format issue.
4. Phone backup suite
Yes, the phone backup suite you’ve installed on your computer may be affecting the Windows Photo Viewer because the computer system is automatically switching to the phone’s photo viewing program.
In case you’ve recently installed photo backup software for your phone, this is a very likely scenario.
5. Image file is encrypted
If you’ve transferred the image file from your mobile device, it could be that it is encrypted and that’s why the Windows Photo Viewer may be showing the “not enough memory” message when you try to open it.
Therefore, before you attempt to open the image from your phone on your computer, it is necessary to turn the encryption off so you can view it in Windows Photo Viewer.
6. The file was deleted or transferred
Sometimes you’re unable to open the file in Windows Photo Viewer because you’ve either deleted it or moved it to another folder. If the image is no longer available in this folder, you won’t be able to view it regardless of the program.
7. There isn’t enough memory
If Windows Photo Viewer keeps displaying the “not enough memory” and none of the above-mentioned issues seem to be the case, it could be that there is indeed not enough memory on your computer.
Also, a possible problem is that the file you’re trying to open is too large. If, in addition, there isn’t enough memory on your computer, Windows Photo Viewer will not be able to load this image file.
8. The Photos app hasn’t been properly installed
Windows 10 users will have the Photos app instead of the Windows Photo Viewer, but there may still be similar issues when it comes to opening an image file.
In case you cannot open an image in the Photos app and the problem isn’t the memory, image format, backup software, or anything we’ve mentioned so far, you could try to reset the Photos app.
How to fix Windows Photo Viewer memory problem
As you can see, memory is just one of the potential factors that could cause the program to show that there is not enough memory when opening a photo.
Here are some of the most effective methods you can try to get rid of this message and open the image in Windows Photo Viewer.
1. Update Windows Photo Viewer
Just like any other program, Windows Photo Viewer will not function properly if you haven’t downloaded the latest version, as well as all the necessary updates.
To check if you’re currently using the latest version of this program, go to Start, then choose Settings. Click on Update&Security, and finally choose Windows Update.
In this menu, click on the Check for updates button to see if there are any available updates for the Windows Photo Viewer. In case there are, you will see an Install Updates option right next to the Windows Photo Viewer.
Click on the Install Updates button and restart the computer once the updates have been completed.
2. Check the image format
As we’ve mentioned, there are specific image file formats supported by Windows Photo Viewer (JPEG/JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, and WDP), and in case your file is in another format, you won’t be able to open it using this program.
In this case, you could convert the image into another format using an online image converter. All you need to do is go to Google and type in “convert add the current format extension of your image to add the format you want the image to be in”.
Keep in mind that these image converters will probably lower the resolution of your image, but the quality shouldn’t be too poor.
In case you don’t want the resolution to be affected, you can always use another photo viewing program that supports the format your image is in, such as Adobe Photoshop or Raw Image Viewer.
3. Fix a corrupt image file
How will you know that an image file is corrupt? If you can open it with neither the Windows Photo Viewer nor another program, and even the conversion doesn’t work, it could be that the problem is in the file structure itself.
In this case, you can repair a corrupt image file by using photo repair software. Depending on the image format you’re trying to repair, you will find different photo repair software options online.
4. Uninstall photo backup suite
If you’ve recently installed a photo backup suite for your phone, it could be that the computer is automatically opening the image using the phone’s default photo viewing program.
If this is the case, you may need to uninstall the photo backup program that is affecting the Windows Photo Viewer. To do so, press the combination Windows+R.
Once the dialog box pops up, enter the following sequence: cpl, then hit Enter. Finally, look for a program associated with your phone in the Programs and Features menu. Once you’ve located the program, click on the Uninstall button next to it.
Restart your computer, then try using the Windows Photo Viewer. The “not enough memory” message should not appear on the screen anymore.
5. Turn off the image encryption
Windows Photo Viewer will not be able to open an encrypted image file from your phone, so it is necessary to turn the encryption off before you can open it in the Viewer.
You can turn off the image encryption by right-clicking on the desired photo, then choosing Properties>Advanced. Under this tab, you want to make sure that the Encrypt Contents to Secure Databox is unchecked.
Hit OK to save the changes. You may want to restart the computer for these changes to take place if the Windows Photo Viewer is still not opening the image file.
6. Recover deleted image file
In case you’ve moved the file to another location, you can always track it down by typing the name into the search bar.
However, if the file has been deleted, you will have to retrieve it from deleted files. You can do so by recovering it from the Recycle Bin if you’ve recently deleted it (Recycle Bin>select the files you want to retrieve>right click on these files>Restore).
In case the image file isn’t in the Recycle Bin, you can look for it in your backup if you’ve set it up.
If none of these methods seem to work and you still cannot locate the file, you may want to download third-party software for data recovery to try and salvage the file you’ve deleted.
7. Clear out your computer storage
We’re all guilty of downloading unnecessary programs or keeping software and files we don’t really need or rarely ever use.
If this is the case with you, it may be time to clear out your computer storage and get rid of all unnecessary files and programs.
In case you’re not ready to delete some files and you’d like to save them, you can always use an online file backup service, or an external SSD or hard drive device to backup your files.
Restart the computer and try opening the image file in Windows Photo Viewer.
8. Reset or reinstall the Photos app
Finally, if you’re unable to open a photo in your Photos app on Windows 10, you may have to reset or reinstall it, as certain functions may be compromised.
To reset the Photos app, press Windows+I, then go to Settings>Apps>Apps&Features. In this menu, click on Photos, then select Advanced Options, and hit Reset.
In case the Photos app is still not working and you cannot open your image files, you may need to reinstall the app. You can do so by pressing Windows+S and typing “powershell” in the text box.
Look for Windows PowerShell, then right-click on that option and choose Run as administrator.
Enter the following sequence: get-appxpackage *Microsoft.Windows.Photos* | remove-appxpackage, then hit Enter to complete the action.
You can now download the Photos app again from the Windows Store.
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