Random-access memory, or RAM, is the part of a computer where information is temporarily stored while you're actively using it. Think of it like your desk while you're doing homework: the papers, books, and pencils you're working with right now are spread out where you can quickly grab them. That's what RAM does for your computer.

When you open a video game, web browser, or document, your computer loads that program into RAM because RAM is incredibly fast. The computer can instantly read from or write to any location in RAM, which is what random-access means: it can jump to any piece of information without having to search through everything else first.

But here's the catch: RAM only works while the computer is powered on. Turn off your computer, and everything in RAM disappears, just like clearing your desk at the end of the day. That's why you save your work to the hard drive or solid-state drive, which keeps information even when the power is off.

More RAM means your computer can work on more things at once without slowing down. A computer with 4 gigabytes of RAM might struggle running many programs simultaneously, while one with 16 gigabytes can handle much more. When a computer “runs out of memory,” it means the RAM is full and the computer has to start using the much slower hard drive instead, which makes everything feel sluggish.