Many users, however, report that they have been spotting Google Chrome using high memory. It eventually makes the browser as well as the computer slower and affects the overall experience of the users. Certain plugins and extensions can also contribute to higher memory usage, and some behind the scenes enhancements, like Chrome's pre-rendering feature can make loading up a webpage faster by predicting where you'll go to next, but it will use up some RAM as well.
Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers in the world. While it is known for its speed and user-friendliness, it can also be a resource hog, especially when it comes to RAM usage. This can slow down your computer and cause Chrome to run slower than it should. Fortunately, there are several ways to make Chrome run faster and keep RAM usage under control. In this article, we'll explore some of these methods.
- Close unused tabs and extensions
One of the main reasons Chrome can slow down is due to the number of tabs and extensions you have open. Each open tab and extension use up RAM and having too many can cause your computer to slow down. To prevent this, make sure to close any unused tabs and disable any extensions you are not using.
- Use the Chrome Task Manager
Chrome has its own built-in task manager that can help you identify which tabs and extensions are using the most RAM. To access the task manager, click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the browser window and select "More tools" -> "Task manager". From there, you can see which tabs and extensions are using the most memory and close them if necessary.
- Enable hardware acceleration
Enabling hardware acceleration can help improve the performance of Chrome by offloading some of the work to your computer's GPU. To enable hardware acceleration, click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the browser window and select "Settings" -> "Advanced" -> "System". From there, toggle the switch for "Use hardware acceleration when available" to the on position.
- Clear cache and browsing history
Over time, Chrome can accumulate a large amount of cache and browsing history, which can slow down the browser. To clear this data, click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the browser window and select "Settings" -> "Privacy and security" -> "Clear browsing data". From there, you can choose which types of data to clear and for how long.
- Use an ad blocker
Ads and trackers can also slow down Chrome and use up valuable system resources. Using an ad blocker can help reduce the number of ads and trackers on websites, which can in turn improve the performance of Chrome. There are many ad blocker extensions available for Chrome, such as uBlock Origin and AdBlock Plus.
- Create a new User Profile for Google Chrome
Kill every single process for Google Chrome from the Task Manager.
Next, navigate to the following location in Explorer-
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
Press CTRL + A on your keyboard to select all the files inside of the location mentioned above.
Then press Shift + Delete to delete all these selected files permanently.
Now, open Google Chrome and create a new User Profile and then finally check if your issue is fixed.
- Update Chrome regularly
Keeping Chrome up to date can also help improve its performance and reduce RAM usage. Chrome updates often include bug fixes and performance improvements that can help speed up the browser. To check for updates, click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the browser window and select "Settings" -> "About Chrome". From there, Chrome will check for and install any available updates.
So, Chrome can be a resource-intensive browser, but there are several ways to make it run faster and keep RAM usage under control. By following these tips, you can improve the performance of Chrome and ensure that it runs smoothly on your computer.