Google Chrome is one of the most popular internet browsers on the planet. It’s everywhere, from your Android phones to desktop PCs. One of the main reasons for its popularity is the way it seamlessly syncs all your bookmarks and browsing history across devices. If there’s one major issue with Chrome, it’s that it can be a major resource hog. Every tab you open eats up a big chunk of system memory. The slick interface and speedy operation does come at a cost. The easiest fix is to switch to another browser, but then you lose the cross-device syncing which is what makes Chrome great in the first place.
If you have to use Chrome for work or just prefer it over any other browser, here are a few things you can do to make sure it keeps running smoothly like the day you first began using it.
• Test your internet connection speed
Before you go ahead and uninstall Chrome out of frustration, it’ll be wise to run a quick check on your internet speed. If web pages are suddenly loading slowly, it’s possible that there might be some DNS issues with your ISP or network issues which might have contributed to lower bandwidth. Use sites like Speedtest.net to run a quick check and make sure you’re getting the speed you’re paying for. If the speed is low, try running the same test from another browser too just to rule out a browser issue.
• Check for active VPN connections
Another reason for slow browsing speeds is a VPN. If you have a desktop application running in the background, check to see if it’s disabled. It’s not uncommon to leave a VPN running after we’re done with work, and forget about it. If you have a paid subscription, then the speeds shouldn’t be throttled too much, but some free services tend to limit the browsing bandwidth which can lead to sluggish behaviour in Chrome.
• Make sure Chrome is up to date
Google is constantly pushing updates for Chrome, which is usually automatically installed, but it doesn’t hurt to do a manual check too. Click the three vertical dots next to your profile picture in the upper right corner of the browser, and click Settings all the way at the bottom. Now head to the About Chrome option from the left hand menu and wait for the browser to run an update check. New updates will automatically be downloaded within minutes and you should see a Relaunch option for installing the updates. Do this once every few months or if you feel any sluggishness in Chrome.
• Limit the number of open tabs
Because Chrome tends to keep all your open tabs refreshed with the latest content from the site you’re on, it does eat up a lot of memory. You can simply hover your mouse pointed over a tab and you’ll see how much RAM is being used. Heavier web pages with lots of media and ads can eat up much more RAM. Not only does this make Chrome sluggish but your PC as well, as you’ll notice doing anything else like even opening a new Windows Explorer window gets jittery. Keep only the tabs that you need open. One quick way to close unwanted tabs is to move all the ones you want to one side, and then right-click on the last one that you need and select Close tabs to the right.
• Toggle Maximum memory saver
If none of these tricks are working, you can dive into the Performance settings of Chrome and tweak the idling time of opened tabs. Go to Settings > Performance > Memory. From here, change the default Balanced setting to Maximum. This will put unvisited tabs to sleep in a much shorter span of time.
• Force enable Energy Saver
This setting usually kicks in when your device’s battery is less than 20 percent, but you can enable this manually too. Located just below the Memory option under the Performance menu, enabled Energy Saver will force Chrome to use less background resources and tone down the visual effects and scrolling smoothness.
• Extend page preloading
Page preloading is a method where Chrome anticipates the next link you’ll be clicking, either because you’ve hovered over it or from your past patterns, and it will begin loading all assets from that page. When you actually click the link, the page should load almost instantaneously giving the illusion of faster speed. The default setting is conservative, but you can force it to the Extended preloading option to preload even more links on your current web page.
• Remove unwanted browser extensions
Extensions are might useful as it gives you a one-click access to an app or service without needing to load the actual desktop app. Think of extensions as widgets for your browser. If you have many running in the background or had installed a bunch in the past and forgot about them, it’s time to clean up any unwanted ones. Head to the three dots next to your profile image, hover over Extensions, and click Manage extensions. If you think you’ll need an extension later but don’t need it right away, you can disable it instead of removing it altogether.
Authored by: Roydon Cerejo
