Software & Apps > Apps 4 Best Free RAM Test Programs To avoid errors caused by bad computer memory, I use MemTest86 and other RAM testers By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on November 7, 2023 Reviewed by Lisa Mildon Reviewed by Lisa Mildon Southern New Hampshire University Lisa Mildon is a Lifewire writer and an IT professional with 30 years of experience. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications. lifewire's editorial guidelines Apps Best Apps Payment Services Trending Videos Close this video player The memory installed in your computer is sensitive. Testing newly purchased RAM to check for errors is always a good idea. Of course, a test like this is always in order if you suspect a problem with your existing RAM. These programs will let you know if your RAM is good. These programs work from outside Windows, meaning they will run no matter if you have Windows (11, 10, etc.), Linux, or some other PC operating system. 01 of 04 MemTest86 What We Like Completely free. Runs from a flash drive. Easy to use. Supports up to 64 GB of RAM. Used by professionals. What We Don't Like If you're new to programs like this one, the advanced features can be confusing. Latest version doesn't work from a disc. Our Review of MemTest86 Memtest86 is a free and extremely easy-to-use memory test software program. If you only have time to try one tool on this page, I highly recommend you give this one a shot. While this RAM test is free, PassMark also sells a Pro version, but unless you're a hardware developer, the free download and free basic support available from their website should be enough. I recommend installing MemTest86 on a bootable flash drive and running it from there. The latest version supports only UEFI boot; the v4 BIOS release (also through the link below) is available, too. I'll say it again: I highly recommend MemTest86! It's my favorite tool for testing RAM, without a doubt. Download MemTest86 If your memory tests fail, replace the memory in your computer immediately. The memory hardware isn't repairable and must be replaced if it fails. 02 of 04 Windows Memory Diagnostic What We Like Runs the memory test completely automatically. 100 percent free to use. Originally provided by Microsoft. Downloads quickly because of the small file size. What We Don't Like Hasn't been updated in a very long time. Tests only the first 4 GB of RAM. Our Review of Windows Memory Diagnostic Windows Memory Diagnostic is a free memory tester provided by Microsoft. Very similar to other RAM test programs, WMD performs a series of extensive tests to determine what, if anything, is wrong with your computer memory. Just download the installer program and then follow the instructions to create a bootable floppy disk or ISO image for burning to a disc or flash drive. After booting from whatever it is you made, Windows Memory Diagnostic will automatically begin testing the memory and will repeat the tests until you stop them. I like that it's a bit hands-off like this because it's easier to use. If the first set of tests finds no errors, chances are your RAM is good. Download Windows Memory Diagnostic You don't need to have Windows (or any operating system) installed to use Windows Memory Diagnostic. You do, however, need access to one for burning the ISO image to the disc or USB device. 2 Ways to Create a Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive 03 of 04 Memtest86+ What We Like A free memory test program. Provides a confirmation to the original Memtest86 software. What We Don't Like It's entirely text-based. Memtest86+ is a modified and presumably more up-to-date version of the original Memtest86 memory test program, which I profiled in the #1 position above. This one is also completely free. I'd recommend performing a memory test with this software if you have any problems running the Memtest86 RAM test or if Memtest86 reports errors with your memory and you'd like an excellent second opinion. It might seem a bit strange that I rank this as the #3 pick, but since it's so incredibly similar to Memtest86, your best bet is to try Memtest86, followed by WMD, which operates differently, providing you with a more well-rounded set of memory tests. Something I don't like about this tool, but that I can't really hold against it considering the other options in this list, is that it's text-based. Therefore, it might be hard to get used to for some people. Memtest86+ is available in ISO format for burning to disc or USB. Just like with Memtest86, you'll need a working operating system like Windows, Mac, or Linux to create the bootable disc or flash drive, which can be done on a different computer than the one that needs testing. Download Memtest86+ How to Make a Bootable Flash Installer of OS X or macOS 04 of 04 DocMemory Diagnostic What We Like No strings attached, free memory test program. Perfect if your computer won't boot to a disc or flash drive. What We Don't Like Requires a floppy disk. Hasn't been updated in many years. SimmTester.com's DocMemory Diagnostic is yet another computer memory test program and works very similarly to the other programs I've listed above. One major disadvantage is that it requires that you create a bootable floppy disk. Most computers today don't even have floppy drives. The better memory test programs (above) use bootable discs like CDs and DVDs or bootable USB drives instead. I'd recommend using DocMemory Diagnostic only if the memory testers listed above don't work for you or if you'd like one more confirmation that your memory has failed. On the other hand, if your computer can't boot from a disc or USB drive, which is what the above programs require, DocMemory Diagnostic may be precisely what you've been looking for. Download DocMemory Diagnostic When You Should Consider Running Memory Tests Here are some situations where you might decide to run a memory test: Your computer doesn't boot at all, or it randomly reboots. Programs are crashing. You hear beep codes during a reboot. You're seeing error messages like "illegal operation." Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors like "fatal exception" or "memory_management" are happening. It's easier to check your RAM and replace it rather than rebuilding your computer only to find out the RAM is bad. Learn how to install RAM on a computer if you need to replace it. 13 Best Free Hard Drive Testing Tools (March 2024) Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit