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Google Chrome - Reduce Chrome memory
You can see how much memory Chrome is using overall, and which tasks within Chrome are using the most. If certain ones are hogging a lot of memory, you may want to remove them.
Free up memory
To free up memory, close out tasks (processes) in Chrome's built-in Task Manager. Look for tasks you no longer need that are using a lot of resources, such as a video or an app.
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More
.
- Select More tools > Task Manager.
- Click "Memory" to sort Chrome processes in order of memory usage.
- Select the task you want to close.
- Click End Process
- Note: Any unsaved work in your task will be lost.
If an extension consistently uses a lot of memory, consider turning it off entirely. Here's how:
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More
.
- Select More tools > Extensions.
- Find the extension you want to turn off.
- Next to "Enabled," uncheck the box.
Tips for saving memory
As apps and sites get more powerful, may Chrome require more computer resources to run them. Here are some ways to lower Chrome memory usage on an ongoing basis:
- Try keeping open tabs to a minimum. Close the ones you're not using.
- Avoid running multiple apps at once.
- If needed, try resetting Chrome's browser settings so that it runs like it did when it was first installed.
- Keep an eye out for unfamiliar or unwanted tasks and extensions. Sometimes a task will look like it's eating up a lot of memory, but it's actually due to an extension or other tasks interfering. consider deleting any extension you know you didn't install yourself.