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# How to raise the memory limit

DocFetcher has a default memory limit of 256 MB, which is set on startup. The limit can be raised by fiddling with the platform-specific launchers:

## Windows

The Windows version of DocFetcher ships with ready-made alternative launchers that set different heap sizes. Follow these steps to use them:

- Open the DocFetcher folder. If you're using the portable version of DocFetcher, this is just the folder you downloaded and unpacked. If you're using the non-portable version, the DocFetcher folder will be in `C:\Program Files`, or `C:\Program Files (x86)`, or a similar location.
- The alternative launchers are inside the `DocFetcher\misc` folder. They are named `DocFetcher-XXX.exe`, where `XXX` is the heap size set by the respective launcher. For example, the launcher `DocFetcher-512.exe` will set a heap size of 512 MB.
- Before you can use any of these launchers, you must first move or copy it into the DocFetcher folder. It's not necessary to delete the default launcher or to rename the alternative launcher.

Another way of changing the memory limit is to copy the file `misc\DocFetcher.bat` into the DocFetcher folder and alter the expression `-Xmx256m` in the last line of the file, for example to `-Xmx512m`.

## Linux

Open the launcher script `DocFetcher/DocFetcher.sh` with a text editor, and in the last line, alter the expression `-Xmx256m` as needed, for example to `-Xmx512m`.

## Mac OS X

On Mac OS X, the memory limit is configured via a file named `memory-limit.txt`. The location of this file depends on which version you're using:

- Portable version: In the DocFetcher folder, open the file `conf/memory-limit.txt` with a text editor.
- Non-portable version: In your home directory, open the file `.docfetcher/conf/memory-limit.txt` with a text editor. Note that folders starting with a dot are hidden by default in Finder. To show hidden files, press `Cmd+Shift+.` (Command+Shift+period) in Finder, or use Terminal to navigate to the file.

If the file doesn't exist yet, launch DocFetcher once to have it created automatically. After opening the file:

- You'll see a value like `4g` below some comment lines. Change this to the desired memory limit, for example to `8g` for 8 GB of RAM.
- Save and close the file, then close the program if it's still open, then restart the program.