FatalCommands & Packages
TeX Capacity Exceeded
! TeX capacity exceeded, sorry [main memory size=N].
What this error means
LaTeX ran out of internal memory while processing your document. This can happen with very large documents, deeply nested structures, or infinite loops caused by recursive macro definitions.
Common causes
- Recursive \newcommand definition that calls itself
- Extremely large document with many TikZ diagrams or complex tables
- A package bug causing infinite expansion
- Too many nested environments or groups
How to fix it
If you have a recursive macro, fix the definition to terminate properly. For large documents, split them using \include{} and compile chapters separately. If caused by a package, try updating it or filing a bug report.
Code examples
Causes the error
\documentclass{article}
\newcommand{\myloop}{\myloop} % Infinite recursion!
\begin{document}
\myloop
\end{document}Fixed
\documentclass{article}
% Define commands that terminate
\newcommand{\mytext}{This is finite text.}
\begin{document}
\mytext
\end{document}Related errors
Test the fix live
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