Google Chrome’s high memory usage: See how to fix it

Chrome is undoubtedly the most popular browser available. However, if you have looked into various browsers, you might have noticed that Chrome tends to be heavy on system resources. Observing your Task Manager or Activity Monitor, you will often see Chrome as the highest consumer of resources. The question arises as to why Chrome utilizes so much RAM, particularly in comparison to other browsers. And how can you keep Chrome's resource usage under control? Here's a guide on how to reduce Chrome's RAM usage.

Why does Google Chrome need so much memory?

Google Chrome uses a significant amount of RAM due to its architecture and design. Chrome runs each tab, extension, and plugin as a separate process, which means that each one is treated as its own program. This allows for better stability and security, if one tab or extension crashes, it will not affect the rest of the browser. However, it also means that Chrome uses more RAM than other browsers that use a single process for all tabs and extensions. Additionally, Chrome uses preloading and prediction features, which use the resources for web pages you are likely to visit next, which also contributes to its high RAM usage.

How to reduce Google Chrome RAM usage?

There are ample of ways to reduce Google Chrome's RAM usage:

1. Close tabs and extensions that you are not using: Having multiple tabs and extensions open at the same time will increase Chrome's RAM usage. Closing tabs and extensions that you are not using can help to reduce the amount of RAM being used.

2. Disable unnecessary Chrome features: Features, such as preloading and prediction, can use a lot of RAM. To disable these features, go to chrome://flags and disable the "Preload resources for faster browsing and searching" and "Use a prediction service to load pages more quickly" options.


3. Use Chrome's Task Manager: Chrome has a built-in task manager that allows you to view and close tabs and extensions that are using a lot of RAM. To access it, click on the three dots in the top-right corner of the browser, then click on More tools and Task Manager.

By using these methods, you can help to reduce Chrome's RAM usage and improve the performance of your computer. However, it is worth noting that some of these methods may affect the functionality of Chrome, such as disabling the preloading and prediction feature may affect the browsing experience.

FAQs:

1. Who developed Google Chrome?
   The development team of Google’s browser was led by a team of engineers of designers at Google, including Sundar Pichai.
2. When was Google Chrome released?
   December 11, 2008