How to check RAM on Mac and free it up
Checking RAM on Mac comes down to two things: how much memory the Mac has and whether it’s enough for what you do. This guide shows where to see both, how to read Activity Monitor, whether memory can be added and what really helps when it runs short. Little free memory is normal on a Mac: macOS puts unused memory to work on purpose.
How to check RAM on Mac
- Choose Apple menu › About This Mac.
- Look at the Memory line: that is the amount of RAM in your Mac, for example 16 GB.
The same window shows the Chip (on a Mac with Apple silicon) or the Processor (on a Mac with Intel). More details are in System Settings › General › About.
Can you add more RAM to a Mac?
On a Mac with Apple silicon, memory is part of the chip package and can’t be upgraded: the amount is chosen when the Mac is bought. Some older Macs with Intel have memory slots. To check yours:
- Hold Option and choose Apple menu › System Information.
- In the sidebar, under Hardware, click Memory.
- If you see a Memory Slots section, its Upgradeable Memory line says whether memory can be added. If there is no such section, the memory can’t be upgraded.
See how RAM is used in Activity Monitor
- Press Command-Space, type «Activity Monitor» and press Return.
- Click Memory at the top of the window.
- Look at the Memory Pressure graph at the bottom. Green means the Mac uses its memory well. Yellow means it may need more RAM over time. Red means it needs more RAM now.
- Click the Memory column header to put the apps that use the most memory on top.
- Physical Memory: how much RAM is installed.
- Memory Used: how much is in use now. Most of it being used is normal.
- Cached Files: files macOS keeps in free memory to open them faster. Apps get this memory back as soon as they need it.
- Swap Used: how much the Mac has moved from RAM to the startup disk. Large swap together with yellow or red pressure means memory is short.
Little free memory doesn’t mean the Mac is slow: macOS puts unused memory to work on purpose. Watch the pressure graph, not the free amount.
How to clear RAM on Mac
macOS manages memory itself, so clearing RAM on a Mac comes down to two things:
- Quit apps you aren’t using. Sort Activity Monitor by the Memory column, and quit the heavy apps with Command-Q. Browsers with dozens of open tabs are frequent leaders.
- Restart the Mac. A restart empties memory and swap completely. Choose Apple menu › Restart.
Advice online sometimes suggests the purge command. Its manual page says it only empties the disk cache to imitate a fresh start for performance tests and doesn’t touch memory that apps use. You don’t need it.
If memory pressure is often red
- Find out which app keeps memory pressure high in Activity Monitor and quit it when you don’t need it.
- Stop apps you don’t use from starting with the Mac: see how to stop apps opening at startup.
- Keep free space on the startup disk: swap lives there. See how to free up space on Mac.
Keep your Mac tidy
MacWashing doesn’t free RAM: macOS manages memory itself. If the Mac is slow and its disk is almost full, System Junk frees space for swap by clearing app caches, logs and leftovers, and Uninstaller removes apps you no longer use together with their files.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
How much RAM does my Mac have?
Choose Apple menu › About This Mac and look at the Memory line. Activity Monitor › Memory shows the same as Physical Memory.
How do I clear RAM on a Mac?
Quit the apps that use the most memory (Activity Monitor › Memory, sorted by the Memory column) or restart the Mac. There is no need for special RAM cleaners: macOS frees memory on its own.
Is it bad that Memory Used is almost the whole RAM?
No. macOS fills free memory with caches to work faster and gives it back to apps when they need it. Only yellow or red memory pressure means RAM is short.