How to Fix Acrobat 9 Out-of-Memory Error When Saving PDFs
Question details
The user experiences a false out-of-memory error when attempting to save a PDF file containing bookmarks in Adobe Acrobat 9, despite having sufficient system resources.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Standard 9
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Saving a PDF document that contains bookmarks.
- Observed behavior
- An out-of-memory error message appears and prevents the file from saving, even though the file size is small and system memory and storage are ample.
Ensure that you have a backup copy of the problematic PDF file saved in a separate local folder to prevent data loss during troubleshooting.
Update Acrobat 9 and Clear System Temp Files
Updating your software to the latest patch and clearing temporary files often resolves memory allocation bugs in Acrobat.
Older versions of Acrobat, such as version 9, may contain bugs related to memory allocation when processing specific document structures. Installing the latest available updates for your version can patch these known issues.
Open Adobe Acrobat 9, navigate to the top menu, and click on Help > About Adobe Acrobat to view your current version.
Go to Help > Check for Updates and install the latest available patches for Acrobat 9.
Close Acrobat, press Windows Key + R, type %temp%, and delete all files in the temporary folder to clear cached data.
Reopen the PDF from a local drive (avoid network drives during this test) and attempt to save it again.
Remove and Recreate PDF Bookmarks
Corrupted document structure or damaged bookmarks can trigger false memory errors. Rebuilding them repairs the file structure.
Use WPS Office to Edit and Save PDFs without Errors
If your current PDF reader is throwing out-of-memory errors, WPS Office provides a robust, lightweight PDF editor that can easily open, edit, and save your documents without performance issues.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Download WPS Office for free from the official website and install it on your computer.
- 2. Open the Problematic PDF: Launch WPS Office, click on Open, and select the PDF file that was causing the memory error.
- 3. Save the PDF Document: Click on Menu > Save As to save a fresh copy of your PDF file, automatically rebuilding the document structure without memory errors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Acrobat say out of memory when I have plenty of RAM?
This is often caused by a software bug in older versions like Acrobat 9 where it fails to allocate memory properly when processing complex document structures or corrupted bookmarks, rather than an actual lack of system RAM.
Can corrupted PDF bookmarks cause file saving errors?
Yes, damaged or improperly structured bookmarks can disrupt the file saving process, leading the PDF software to misinterpret the corrupted data as a memory overload.
Does the file size matter for the out of memory error?
Not always. In cases of corrupted document structures or specific software bugs, even very small PDF files can trigger an out-of-memory error.
