RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
March 11, 2025 – 6 minutes read time
Overview
In many ways, your web browser is as important as, if not more so than, your computer’s operating system. Think about it: Nearly everything you do, from writing emails and posting on social media to editing documents and streaming videos, can happen inside a browser. So when Chrome starts feeling sluggish, it can affect your whole online experience, professionally and personally. Do not get bogged down by your browser. Here are four ways to speed it up.
System Requirements
This tip works on devices running Google Chrome. Screenshots are from Windows 11 Pro running Chrome Version 134.0.6998.36 (Official Build) (64-bit).
1) Update Google Chrome
Each new version of Chrome contains fresh features, security fixes, and performance improvements. So, it’s possible that updating to the latest version may help your speed woes. Even if it does not, it will keep you safer from online threats. When a new version is available, Chrome automatically updates in the background, when you close and re-open the browser.
First, open Chrome and click the Menu icon (the 3 dots) in the upper right. From the Menu, click the Settings option. Next, on the left side, scroll down to the bottom and click on the About Chrome option.
If Chrome is not up-to-date, Chrome will automatically download. Now, click the Relaunch button to update Chrome and reopen the browser. Your Chrome browser is now up-to-date. Refer to the below image:
To check which version of Chrome you are running, repeat the above. Chrome will show the version and indicate it is up-to-date. See the below image:
2) Clear Google Cache
To clear your cache in Google Chrome, you clear your browsing data. This will clear your cache, cookies, and other browsing history.
Clearing your cache can fix problems with loading or formatting on websites.
In the Chrome browser:
- Open Chrome and click the Menu icon (the 3 dots) in the upper right.
- From the Menu, click the Settings option.
- On the left side, click Privacy and security option.
- Under the Privacy and security section click the Delete browsing data button. See the following image:
- A new dialogue box will open.
- Click the Basic menu option.
- Select the period to delete from in the Time range drop down menu
(To clear all cached data and cookies, select All time, this is recommended). - Ensure check boxes for Browsing history. Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are ticked.
- Click on Delete data and wait for that dialogue box to exit.
- Close all open Chrome tabs.
- Restart Chrome.
Refer to the below image:
3) Upgrade Chrome Security
Once upon a time, Google developed the Chrome Cleanup Tool, an application that helps find and remove unwanted software (UwS), toolbars, and other automatically installed extensions that antivirus probes may miss from Windows devices. These types of programs can slow down your browser, so checking it for unwanted add-ons every so often is a must.
Unfortunately, the program was shut down in 2023. However, Google says users will remain “automatically protected” by its Safe Browsing features in Chrome. For extra protection, navigate to:
Settings >Privacy and security > Security, > Enhanced Protection
And enable which offers “real-time, AI-powered protection against dangerous sites, downloads, and extensions that’s based on your browsing data getting sent to Google.” See the below image:
4) Manage Performance Settings
There are two types of people in the world: Those who open just a few tabs at a time, then close them, and those who hoard tabs like they have never heard of bookmarking. If you are the latter, it’s a safe bet what’s causing your slowdown, and you should take action. Not sure which tabs to close? Hover over a tab, and the pop-up preview shows how much memory it’s taking up.
For something more automatic, Google introduced Memory Saver mode in 2022. This feature frees up resources from unused tabs in order to improve performance on tabs that are in use. While this feature should be enabled by default, you can open:
Settings > Performance > Memory Saver
and set to Maximum so tabs become inactive sooner. See the following image:
While you are here, go one further and scroll down to the Speed section. Make sure Preload pagesis enabled so websites and search results load faster. For an extra boost, enable Extended preloading for an even faster experience, though Google will be able to see what sites are being preloaded for you. Refer to the below image:
Disclaimer
Technology is constantly evolving, and smartphone and desktop tech rarely remains static. Therefore, the information in this post is only accurate as of the date it was written. Blog posts that are older than six months may contain instructions that are no longer compatible with your device or operating system. We hope that the content from previous posts continues to function as intended. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life, where technology works for you.
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