Out of Memory

The fastest fix

Go down one model size.

That solves more Gemma 4 setup failures than changing runtimes, changing prompts, or re-downloading the same model again.

Typical signs

• load hangs forever
• app crashes on load
• model initializes but never becomes usable
• the machine starts swapping heavily and everything becomes unusable

In order

1. Try a smaller model.
2. Try a lighter quantized variant if your runtime supports it.
3. Close other memory-heavy apps.
4. Use a runtime that makes hardware usage more obvious.

What not to do

Do not assume a runtime bug first. Most of the time the model simply does not fit cleanly on the chosen hardware.