| Previous | Next |
| ERROR_PAGEFILE_QUOTA | ERROR_MENU_ITEM_NOT_FOUND |
ERROR_COMMITMENT_LIMIT
The system cannot extend its committed-memory guarantee.
ERROR_COMMITMENT_LIMIT is Win32 error 1455 (0x5AF). Committed virtual memory must be backed by physical memory or paging files. When commit charge approaches the commit limit and Windows cannot grow available backing storage, a new allocation or operation requiring commit fails even if some physical RAM appears free.
Why commit runs out
- one or more processes leak private committed memory
- large workloads reserve and commit much more data than expected
- paging files are disabled, capped, inaccessible, or cannot grow
- a sudden fork-like or copy-on-write workload increases private backing needs
- kernel allocations and drivers contribute substantial commit pressure
What to collect immediately
Record system commit charge, commit limit, peak commit, paging-file sizes and free disk space, per-process commit, private bytes, kernel pool usage, and Resource Exhaustion Detector events. Capture a process breakdown before terminating applications. Working-set size alone is insufficient because pages can leave RAM while remaining committed.
Diagnostic sequence
Identify which processes or kernel components account for the growth and when it began. Compare commit trends with workload counters, deployments, and scheduled jobs. Verify that system-managed paging files can grow on volumes with adequate free space and that policy has not forced an unsuitable fixed maximum.
Review application allocations for unchecked sizes, unbounded caches, retained mappings, and queues that hold complete request payloads. A process may show moderate resident memory while consuming a large commit amount. On a reproducible test system, use allocation tracing or dumps to attribute committed regions.
Recovery and prevention
Stop the largest leaking or optional workload, free committed data, and restore viable paging-file capacity. A reboot is sometimes required when critical services cannot recover, but it is not a root-cause fix. Establish alerts below the limit so diagnostics can be captured before allocations begin failing.
Related failures
ERROR_PAGEFILE_QUOTA can represent a narrower process or account allowance. ERROR_WORKING_SET_QUOTA concerns resident pages. Error 1455 is the system-wide inability to back more committed virtual memory.
Example
An image service retains every decoded frame in a private cache. Its working set fluctuates as Windows pages data out, but total commit keeps climbing until new mappings fail with 1455. Limiting the cache by committed bytes and monitoring commit charge resolves the outage pattern.
References
- Microsoft: System Error Codes (1300–1699)
- Microsoft: PERFORMANCE_INFORMATION
- Microsoft: Determine an appropriate page-file size
Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.