Guide
Guide
Fix Chrome 'Out of Memory' (Error Code 5)
Fix Chrome 'Out of Memory' (Error Code 5)
Jan 14, 2026
Jan 14, 2026
Error Code 5 (Out of Memory) occurs when a specific tab exceeds the V8 JavaScript engine's memory limit. On 64-bit systems, this limit is typically 4GB. Single Page Applications (SPAs) like Figma or Linear can easily breach this if left open alongside media-heavy tabs.
Error Code 5 (Out of Memory) occurs when a specific tab exceeds the V8 JavaScript engine's memory limit. On 64-bit systems, this limit is typically 4GB. Single Page Applications (SPAs) like Figma or Linear can easily breach this if left open alongside media-heavy tabs.
The Manual Fix
The Manual Fix
Shift + Esc to open the Chrome Task Manager. Sort by "Memory Footprint" to find the tab consuming >2GB.chrome://discards and manually click [Urgent Discard] on the heaviest background tabs.Shift + Esc to open the Chrome Task Manager. Sort by "Memory Footprint" to find the tab consuming >2GB.chrome://discards and manually click [Urgent Discard] on the heaviest background tabs.The Automated Fix
The Automated Fix
SuperchargeBrowser actively monitors tab idle time. It triggers the native discard API automatically before the system reaches memory saturation, preventing the "Healsnap" or "Out of Memory" crash from ever occurring.
SuperchargeBrowser actively monitors tab idle time. It triggers the native discard API automatically before the system reaches memory saturation, preventing the "Healsnap" or "Out of Memory" crash from ever occurring.
The V8 Memory Ceiling
Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine has a hard memory limit per process. No matter how much RAM your computer has (32GB or 64GB), a single tab generally crashes if it tries to use more than 4GB. This is why you see crashes even on high-end machines.
Why Native Memory Saver Fails
Chrome's built-in Memory Saver is conservative. It prioritizes keeping data ready over saving RAM, often waiting too long to intervene. It also lacks visibility—you cannot easily see which tabs are being saved or force a save on a specific group.
The Local-First Fix
SuperchargeBrowser acts as a resource governor. By enforcing a strict suspension policy (e.g., suspend after 10 minutes), it ensures that background tabs are serialized and removed from RAM. This keeps the total system commit charge low, leaving the full V8 limit available for your active foreground task.
The V8 Memory Ceiling
Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine has a hard memory limit per process. No matter how much RAM your computer has (32GB or 64GB), a single tab generally crashes if it tries to use more than 4GB. This is why you see crashes even on high-end machines.
Why Native Memory Saver Fails
Chrome's built-in Memory Saver is conservative. It prioritizes keeping data ready over saving RAM, often waiting too long to intervene. It also lacks visibility—you cannot easily see which tabs are being saved or force a save on a specific group.
The Local-First Fix
SuperchargeBrowser acts as a resource governor. By enforcing a strict suspension policy (e.g., suspend after 10 minutes), it ensures that background tabs are serialized and removed from RAM. This keeps the total system commit charge low, leaving the full V8 limit available for your active foreground task.