Jira is Unable to Start due to the error "Could not reserve enough space for object heap"

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Platform Notice: Data Center - This article applies to Atlassian products on the Data Center platform.

Note that this knowledge base article was created for the Data Center version of the product. Data Center knowledge base articles for non-Data Center-specific features may also work for Server versions of the product, however they have not been tested. Support for Server* products ended on February 15th 2024. If you are running a Server product, you can visit the Atlassian Server end of support announcement to review your migration options.

*Except Fisheye and Crucible

Problem

Jira is unable to startup on a Windows machine.

Environment

Jira Data Center running on a Windows 32-bit operating system.

Diagnosis

Cause

The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is not able to obtain the amount of memory that is required from the operating system, and will fail with the above error. This is because of the operating system limitations on 32-bit architecture and the way JVM needs contiguous memory blocks to run. Windows DLLs fragment the address space, so the limitation of memory is around 1400mb for a single Java process. This is explained in further detail in Java maximum memory on Windows XP.

Workaround

Reduce the amount of maximum memory (Xms) that is provided to JIRA until the JVM can start.

Resolution

Migrate onto a 64-bit operating system and use the 64-bit standalone of JIRA from our JIRA downloads section.


Last modified on Feb 17, 2025

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