Excel Performance Problems

Fix Excel 2019 Not Enough Memory Error After Windows 11 24H2 Upgrade

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user encounters a memory availability error when attempting to copy an entire worksheet in Excel 2019. This issue specifically surfaced after upgrading the operating system to Windows 11 version 24H2. Standard troubleshooting steps, including reinstalling Office, disabling add-ins, and turning off hardware acceleration, failed to resolve the problem.

Product: Excel 2019
Device & OS: Windows 11 24H2
Scenario: Copying an entire worksheet to another location or workbook after a major Windows OS upgrade.
Observed behavior: Excel blocks the action and displays the error message: 'No memory available to complete this action'.

Before you start

Before attempting profile resets, ensure you have backed up all important user files and workbook data to an external drive or cloud storage.

Solution 1Recommended

Create a New Windows User Profile

Since the issue occurs post-upgrade, the Windows user profile may have become corrupted. Creating a fresh profile restores normal system resource allocation for Excel.

In many cases involving Windows 11 24H2 upgrades, the user profile registry keys related to memory management get corrupted. Generating a new local or domain profile allows Excel to run without these inherited limitations.

Access Windows Accounts

Press Windows Key + I to open Settings, then navigate to Accounts > Other users.

Add a New User

Click 'Add account' under 'Other users'. Choose 'I don't have this person's sign-in information' and then 'Add a user without a Microsoft account' to create a new local profile.

Grant Administrator Privileges

Once created, click on the new account, select 'Change account type', and set it to 'Administrator'.

Test Excel in the New Profile

Sign out of your current account, log into the newly created profile, and open Excel 2019 to verify if the worksheet can now be copied without memory errors.

Domain Users: If you are on a business network, you may need to ask your IT administrator to recreate your domain user profile on the local machine.

Solution 2

Copy Only the Used Range

Avoid copying the entire worksheet, which includes millions of empty cells that can instantly exhaust Excel's memory limit.

Solution 3

Perform a Windows Clean Boot

A clean boot starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs to determine if a background process is conflicting with Excel.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Switch to WPS Office for Better Resource Management

If Excel 2019 continues to experience memory issues due to Windows 11 compatibility bugs, WPS Office provides a highly optimized, stable environment. It manages memory efficiently, allowing you to handle large worksheets and heavy copying tasks without unexpected resource limitations.

1. Download and Install: Get the free version of WPS Office from the official website and install it on your Windows 11 computer.
2. Open Your Workbook: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the exact .xlsx file that was causing memory errors in Excel.
3. Copy Without Restrictions: Right-click the sheet tab and select 'Move or Copy', or simply copy large data ranges seamlessly.

Lightweight architecture consumes significantly less RAM and CPU power.Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls, .csv) formats.Familiar tabbed interface makes migrating fast and effortless.Handles massive datasets and sheet duplications smoothly without crashing.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Excel say it has not enough memory when I have 16GB or more RAM?

Excel operations are constrained by internal software limitations, the Windows clipboard, and user profile integrity. If a Windows OS update corrupts memory allocation keys in your user profile, Excel will falsely report out-of-memory errors regardless of physical hardware RAM.

Can copying blank cells really cause Excel memory errors?

Yes. When you click the top-left corner to select the entire sheet, you are copying over 17 billion cells (1,048,576 rows by 16,384 columns). If the clipboard attempts to process formatting or hidden characters in these blank cells, it can quickly exhaust application memory.

Does reinstalling Office 2019 fix this Windows 11 24H2 compatibility bug?

Typically, no. The issue usually resides in the Windows user profile registry rather than the Office installation files. Reinstalling Office will not reset a corrupted Windows user profile, which is why creating a new local profile is the recommended solution.

Excel & Data Problems