Embedded Systems Error Code
Systems & Devices
Embedded Systems
MEMMANAGE | Memory management fault
Industry
Systems & Devices
Canonical
/systems/embedded-systems/error-codes/memmanage-fault/
Last Updated
Feb 27, 2026
Summary
A Cortex-M memory protection fault occurred due to an invalid memory access or region violation.
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What This Code Means
MemManage faults are raised on many Cortex‑M systems when the CPU detects an illegal memory access, such as executing from a forbidden region or violating memory protection settings (MPU). It is more specific than a generic HardFault when enabled.
Where Users Usually See This Code
- Firmware logs or debug consoles
- Crash dumps with fault handler output
- During startup or peripheral initialization
Why This Code Appears
- Null/invalid pointer dereference
- Stack corruption leading to invalid return address
- MPU region misconfiguration
What Typically Happens Next
- The device may reset or enter a fault handler loop
What This Code Is Not
- It is not a network connectivity issue
- It is not safe to perform hardware repair guesses based on fault names
Troubleshooting Checklist
- □ Capture the fault status registers and stack trace if available
- □ Review recent firmware changes around memory access and MPU configuration
- □ Isolate suspect peripherals if the crash correlates with I/O
Notes And Edge Cases
Some devices mask MemManage faults into HardFault if the MPU or fault handlers are not enabled.
Related Codes
8 links
- BUSFAULT CodeBus fault exception
- HARDFAULT CodeCPU fault exception
- USAGEFAULT CodeUsage fault exception
- ILLEGAL INSTRUCTION CodeInvalid CPU instruction
- DOUBLE FREE CodeMemory freed twice
- HEAP CORRUPTION CodeAllocator state corrupted
- DEBUGMON CodeDebug monitor exception
- MALLOC FAILED CodeHeap allocation failed
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