TechTipADay

How to stop Chrome using so much memory

Turn on Memory Saver in Chrome Settings > Performance. Tabs you aren't using go to sleep and reload when you click them.

How to do it

  1. In Chrome, open Settings > Performance. The address chrome://settings/performance opens the same page.

  2. Turn Memory Saver on.

  3. If you see a level, leave it on Balanced unless the machine is genuinely short of memory.

  4. Add mail, music, or a chat site under Always keep these sites active if they get suspended while you still need them.

A sleeping tab is still open. It is not closed, and you do not lose the address. You do lose unsaved text in that tab if the site did not save it.

Other ways to do it

  • Close tabs you won't read By hand

    Pick it if you have forty tabs open 'for later'. A bookmark folder is honest about that.

    Stick with this tip if you really do come back to those tabs every day.

  • Chrome task manager Built in

    Pick it if one tab or extension is the problem and you want to end just that one.

    Stick with this tip if you want Chrome to manage memory without you.

Questions people ask

Do sleeping tabs lose my place?

No. The tab and its address stay. Unsaved text in a form can be lost if the site didn't save it.

How do I keep one site always awake?

Add it under Always keep these sites active on the same Performance page. Mail and music sites are the usual ones.

Find more by task

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