Brother · Current Brother MFC memory platform

Brother Out of Memory: Machine memory is full

Brother Out of Memory means machine memory is full; corrective action depends on whether fax/copy, scan, or print is in progress. This guidance is specific to Current Brother MFC memory platform and the Storage / Memory / Controller subsystem. For a print or copy workload, reduce the pages/copies processed at once.

Error meaning

Machine memory is full; corrective action depends on whether fax/copy, scan, or print is in progress.

This interpretation is tied to the reviewed family/platform and subsystem. Do not reuse the visible code by itself on another printer family.

Applies to

Current Brother MFC memory platform

  • MFC-L3720CDW
  • MFC-L3765CDW
  • MFC-L3780CDW
  • MFC-L5710DN
  • MFC-L5710DW
  • MFC-L5715DW
  • MFC-L5717DW
  • MFC-L5915DW
  • MFC-L6810DW
  • MFC-L6915DW
  • MFC-L8395CDW

Common formatting

These are lookup or formatting aliases for this reviewed condition, not separate pages.

  • Out of Memory
  • OUT-OF-MEMORY

What usually causes it

  • Out of Memory means the machine’s working memory is full, but the useful corrective action depends on what it was doing: fax/copy, scanning, or printing.
  • The exact reviewed condition is: Machine memory is full; corrective action depends on whether fax/copy, scan, or print is in progress.
  • For a print or copy workload, reduce the pages/copies processed at once. For scanning, reduce batch size or resolution when appropriate. For fax work, follow Brother’s option to send/print stored pages or cancel safely.

What to try

Step 1:

Check the condition this code actually names

For a print or copy workload, reduce the pages/copies processed at once. For scanning, reduce batch size or resolution when appropriate. For fax work, follow Brother’s option to send/print stored pages or cancel safely.

Step 2:

Keep the test focused

Change only the setting, supply, paper path, or component named above. Leave unrelated network, driver, and service settings alone so the retest tells you something useful.

Step 3:

Run a controlled confirmation test

Retry a smaller version of the same operation. If it succeeds, continue in smaller batches rather than changing network or toner settings.

After each corrective action

Retry the original operation that produced Out of Memory. If it works, stop there rather than moving into unrelated troubleshooting.

If the code returns

If Out of Memory occurs on small simple tasks, note which function was active and whether stored fax/secure jobs are consuming memory.

When service may be needed

Do not open the machine for a memory-full message. Persistent abnormal memory exhaustion should be reviewed by Brother support.

Continue with guided troubleshooting

If the printer still is not working after the reviewed checks, carry this verified error context into the guided troubleshooter.

Continue with this error

Related information

Verified source

Manufacturer documentation ↗

Brother Out of Memory. Meaning and troubleshooting are paraphrased for this reviewed scope.

Printer Triage is an independent troubleshooting reference and is not affiliated with Brother.