NEW MacBook Air M1 8gb 256gb: "your system has run out of application memory"

something definitely changed. I already posted about this here https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253040104 but I'll repost here too:

I have a 16gb M1. got it in november 2020, was very happy with it. I was able to open ALL the apps I routinely use, and just leave them all open! numbers, safari with several windows and dozens of tabs (including 4 large and complex google sheets, big enough that every time I went back to them, safari said they were reloaded for using too many resources lol), DEVONthink, fantastical, omnifocus, iTerm2, 1password, plus a whole slew of iPad apps. so many apps, in fact, that my dock became a tiny little colorful ribbon and the CMD-tab switcher was useless. it was glorious.

then right after a software update (I believe it was the 11.3 or 11.4 update, not exactly sure), I can't do that any more.

now most of the time when I wake it up from sleep, I get the dreaded "your system has run out of application memory". so now I'm in the habit of running an app when I need it, then quitting it. normally when my mac goes to sleep, I only have omnifocus, iTerm2, Finder, Messages, 1password, and obsidian running. and sometimes upon wake, MacOS will kill iTerm2!

I have activity monitor running now, showing memory usage for all processes. the memory pressure at the bottom is always green.

meanwhile, my work intel macbook pro (also 16gb) still routinely has 25 apps open without trouble, but my m1 with only 6 or 7 is complaining.

I do have some background things running, like backblaze, Hook, Hazel, some setapp apps like Paste, Forecast Bar, iStat Menus, Timing, bartender. but all these were also running before the software update, when I was running tons of apps all the time without trouble.

I'd bet dollars to donuts this is a MacOS bug, and I guess I'm just cathartically posting here that I wish they'd fix it.z

I suppose I should make another account just for the fun of it and see if I can run lots of apps there, but since I don't see any culprits in activity monitor, I'm not sure that will help.

P.S., I'm not running VMWare or adobe or anything like that

Notice: Safari is not on the list.

Do you have any antivirus software installed?

Never.

I am having the same issue on my MacBook Pro M1 8gb 512GB. Never had this issue on my Intel MBP. Really disappointed. Also, MB M1 does not support 2 screens and I can't get over it.

forgot to post my thread on this topic: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253040104

Yes, lmahlstrom.

DisplayLink is a workaround, that uses an intermediary display buffer (which is why it is «Sometime a little slower»).

Just to add I have a M1 MacMini and experience same problem but for me Lightroom Classic is the memory hog " 8gb

Thanks for clarifying your points. It did sound as if you thought it wasn't a problem. Looking into activity monitor.

I have found I can generate a diagnostics report. I'm no longer an IT techie (haven't the memory anymore) is it ok to post the report here?

Thank you, Wallace_Ugulino, for providing a website for me to use to try to reproduce the Safari memory issue.

Same specs for my new Macbook Air and I just received this message today. Safari wasn't running. I use Microsoft Edge.

Same issue, how can this be using up all my memory?

Welcome, Kevin Geiss, to Apple Support Communities!

So long as you «have activity monitor running …, showing memory usage for all processes. [where] the memory pressure at the bottom is always green», then you are having no actual problems at the Operating System (OS) level.

Do make sure you are viewing “All Processes”, not just the default of “My Processes”, so you can see what is going on with all your «background things running».

My M1 Mac mini is up-to-date (11.5.2; had no trouble with even earlier updates), and still has no issues with «"your system has run out of application memory"» errors or warnings, unless I try very hard to use huge amounts of virtual memory (like well over 32 GB of Swap space, as I can see by watching the VM partition).

Tip: Make sure none of your «background things running» are Intel code (trying to use Rosetta). Such will run very poorly, if they run at all.

I also recommend you check all your software for updates, and try to minimize how much Intel based software you are running. (Same goes for any software not explicitly compatible with Big Sur: older software may have worked before an OS update, but could fail afterward, if not specifically designed for Big Sur.)

this whole thing about rosetta 2 is a red herring. do you know how it actually works? it takes the intel binary, and translates it once (using compiler techonology) into an arm binary, and saves that translation for future runs. if you give the source code of the app to the compiler (i.e., you're a developer and you re-compile the app), yes, you end up with a slightly better arm binary (I've seen differences in performance of 10 or 20%). but just because an app was an intel binary doesn't mean it's going to run poorly or leak memory that it didn't leak before when it was running an an intel chip.