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How To Fix Chrome Using Too Much Memory

Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers, used by millions of people worldwide. However, many users complain that Chrome tends to use up a lot of memory and slow down their computers. Here are some of the top ways to fix Chrome using too much memory.

Why Does Chrome Use So Much Memory?

Before we get into the solutions, let’s first understand why Chrome is a memory hog:

  • Multiple tabs and extensions – Having too many tabs and extensions running eats up memory. Each tab runs as a separate process and extensions also consume additional resources.
  • Caching and session restoring – Chrome caches visited sites and pages to speed up loading times and restore sessions in case of crashes. This cached data takes up memory.
  • Heavy web pages – Complex, media-heavy web pages with lots of images, videos, and animations drain memory.
  • Memory leaks – Extensions, web pages, and Chrome processes can have coding issues causing memory leaks.
  • Low system resources – Chrome requires abundant RAM and CPU power to run smoothly. Older systems often struggle.

Close Unused Tabs

Having too many inactive tabs open is one of the biggest reasons for high memory utilization in Chrome. Go through all your open tabs and close any that you aren’t actively using. This can help free up a lot of memory.

Use Task Manager to Identify Heavy Tabs

Chrome has a built-in task manager that allows you to view memory and CPU usage by each tab. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Click the 3-dot menu > More Tools > Task Manager
  2. Go to the “Memory” column to identify tabs using the most memory
  3. Close out the heavy tabs that you don’t need

Disable Unnecessary Extensions

Browser extensions, even if not in active use, can consume resources and contribute to high memory usage. Disable or remove extensions that you don’t really need:

  1. Click the 3-dot menu > More tools > Extensions
  2. Disable or remove extensions not critical for your usage

Enable Memory Saver Mode

Chrome recently introduced a new Memory Saver mode to reduce memory usage from inactive tabs. Enabling this can save up to 40% memory:

  1. Type chrome://settings/performance in the address bar
  2. Toggle on “Memory Saver” under the Performance section

Enable Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration uses your graphics card to render pages, reducing CPU load. This can improve performance and memory usage.

  1. Go to Settings > Advanced
  2. Toggle “Use hardware acceleration when available”

Clear Browsing Data

Clearing cookies and cached images/files can help free up memory occupied by unnecessary browsing data.

  1. Click the 3 dots > History > Clear browsing data
  2. Choose what data to delete and clear it

Use an Alternative Browser

If Chrome continues struggling even after trying the above fixes, consider switching to a lighter browser like Firefox or Edge. These use up lesser memory out of the box.

So those are some of the top ways to fix high memory usage issues with Google Chrome. Identify the tabs and extensions causing problems and clean up unnecessary browser data to free up RAM. Also try enabling hardware acceleration and memory saver mode. If Chrome still hogs resources, an alternate browser may be your best bet.

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