Data Doctors: Tips to Clean (Speed ​​Up) Chrome | OMCP Messages

Q: I love Google Chrome but it seems to get stuck a lot lately. No suggestions?

A: Whatever browser you use, things can get stuck over time, especially if you like to have many websites open at the same time.

Tabbed browsing

There was a time when you could only have an active session in a browser and using the back button was like jumping to something you had previously open.

That all changed with the introduction of tabbed browsing in the early 2000s, which allowed you to add web pages without closing the current page.

This incredibly useful feature has led to what many refer to as the "tab hogging problem" which can lead to a range of problems including slow browser performance.

Each browser session that you open via a new tab requires additional memory (RAM), which in extreme cases can exhaust this valuable resource for everything on your computer.

Many websites have active video sections as content or as advertisements, which can result in even more memory usage for something you're not watching. If you see a lot of open tabs when things slow down, try closing as many as you can to see if that helps the slowdown.

Check memory requirements

Chrome has a "Task Manager" tool that lets you see how much memory each open tab is using and close it when it's full of memory.

You can open the Task Manager by using the "Shift + Esc" keyboard shortcut or by clicking the three dots in the top right corner of Chrome, then "More Tools" and then Task Manager.

To see which tabs are using the most memory, click the Memory Usage heading until you see a black down arrow showing memory usage in descending order.

Look for anything that starts with "Tab:" to start evaluating memory hogs so you know which ones to avoid keeping open in the background.

chrome cleaning tool

Google includes a basic tool for removing any harmful or malicious software that may have gotten onto your browser.

To open the tool, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of your browser window, then on "Settings" and then on the "Advanced" tab.

Locate the Reset and Cleanup option to access the Cleanup Computer feature.

Get rid of extensions

A major reason to choose Chrome as your browser is the plethora of add-on tools, better known as "extensions," that can dramatically improve functionality.

But just like with tabs, too many tabs can add unnecessary overhead to Chrome, which can contribute to slow performance issues.

Extensions often look like smartphone apps that look like something you use frequently but only use when you first install them.

Look for an icon that looks like a puzzle piece in the top-right corner of Chrome to access the "Manage Extensions" option, which allows you to disable or remove extensions that you don't use regularly.

alternative browsers

If these tips didn't help, try alternative browsers like Firefox, Opera, Brave, Safari (macOS), or Edge (Windows).

Ken Colburn is the founder and CEO of Data Doctors Computer Services . Ask technical questions on Facebook or Twitter .

Like WTOP on Facebook and follow WTOP on Twitter and Instagram to start a conversation about this and other articles.

Get the latest news and daily headlines straight to your inbox by subscribing here .

© 2022 OMCP. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users in the European Economic Area.

Try Adblock (Why?)