Menu

How to Speed Up Google Chrome: 7 Simple Tips

By: RebootPoint_employee | Published: June 20, 2024

Photo by Nathana Reboucas

One of the most widely used web browsers, Google Chrome is renowned for its effectiveness and quickness. But over time, a number of things including accumulated browsing history, a lot of extensions, or out-of-date software might cause it to function worse. Your online experience and productivity might be negatively impacted by a slow browser. Thankfully, there are a number of easy yet efficient methods for optimizing Google Chrome’s speed and performance. This guide will provide you with seven practical tips to help you get the most out of your browsing experience, ensuring that Chrome runs smoothly and swiftly.


Clear browsing data

Google Chrome gathers a lot of browser information over time, such as cookies, browsing history, and cached pictures. Although this data speeds up the loading of frequently visited websites, if left unmanaged, it can also cause your browser to lag. One easy approach to improve your surfing experience and speed up Google Chrome is to clear your browser data.

  • Enhances performance: By removing outdated and superfluous information, Chrome can operate more smoothly by freeing up resources.
  • Resolves loading issues: Websites may occasionally load slowly or incorrectly due to damaged cookies or cache. 
  • Enhances privacy: By eliminating recorded information about your online activity, routinely cleaning your browser data helps safeguard your privacy.

How to:

In the Chrome browser, click the three vertical dots (menu icon) located in the upper-right corner. Pick “Settings” from the menu that drops down.

Scroll down the Settings menu and select “Privacy and security” from the left-hand menu. Alternatively, to locate the pertinent area quickly put “privacy” into the search box at the top of the Settings page.

After selecting “Privacy and security,” choose “Clear browsing data.” There will be two tabs in the dialog box that read “Basic” and “Advanced.”

  • Basic: You may delete cookies, cached files and pictures, browsing history, and other site data from this tab.
  • Advanced: This page offers more choices, including the ability to remove passwords, download history, autofill form data, site settings, and hosted app data. 


Disable unnecessary extensions

By including additional features, extensions can improve Google Chrome’s effectiveness. Still, an excessive number of installed extensions—especially ones you don’t use often—can cause your browser to lag a great deal. One good approach to make Google Chrome run faster is to disable any extensions that aren’t essential.

  • Memory and CPU are among the resources that extensions use up on the system. Chrome may seem slow when it has several active add-ons.
  • Browser performance: Certain extensions may cause crashes or sluggish performance when they clash with one another or with Chrome’s features.
  • Risks to security: Outdated or unutilized extensions may provide security issues. Your privacy can be better protected by disabling or eliminating them.

How to:

In the Chrome browser, click the three vertical dots (menu icon) located in the upper-right corner. Touch and hold the “More tools” dropdown menu item. Select “Extensions” from the drop-down menu. As an alternative, navigate straight to the extensions page by typing “chrome://extensions/” in the URL bar and hitting enter. 

A list of every extension that is installed on your browser can be seen on the Extensions page. Look over the list and cross off any extensions you don’t use or require. Give extra attention to any extensions that you are unaware of or that seem to be generating problems. Make sure you only maintain the extensions that are really necessary by reviewing them on a regular basis. This keeps browser security and speed high.


Enable hardware acceleration

An efficient way to get rid of moisture from an iPhone that has come into contact with water or other liquids is to use mild heat to expedite the drying process. To prevent harming the device’s internal components, it’s crucial to utilize low heat settings and proceed with caution.

Set up a low heat source: Make use of a low heat source, such as a fan with warm, indirect airflow or a hair drier on the lowest heat setting. Steer clear of the high heat settings on your iPhone since they have the potential to harm internal components.

The iPhone should be placed a few inches away from the heat source to prevent direct contact and reduce the chance of overheating. It is recommended that users keep a close eye on the device and check for any indications of overheating, such as extreme heat or discomfort when touched.

When using low heat to dry an iPhone, care and patience are necessary. The device could suffer permanent harm if the procedure is hurried or if too much heat is used. After drying, if the iPhone doesn’t seem to be getting better or starts acting strangely, you should get help from a qualified service provider.


Enable page preloading

By making regularly visited websites load faster, you can significantly enhance your surfing experience by turning on page preloading in Google Chrome. Chrome can now anticipate which pages you will likely visit next and preload those pages in the background, so when you click on a link, it loads very instantaneously.

  • Faster website Load Times: Chrome makes surfing faster and more seamless by preloading pages, which shortens the time you have to wait when you switch to a new website.
  • Enhanced Browsing Efficiency: You may surf more effectively and save time on websites you visit often when you have faster access to pages.
  • Smooth Navigation: Preloading pages improves the user experience by making website navigation fluid.

How to:

In the Chrome browser, click the three vertical dots (menu icon) located in the upper-right corner. Choose “Settings” from the menu that drops down. Scroll down the Settings menu and select “Privacy and security” from the left-hand menu.

Locate “Cookies and other site data” under “Privacy and security” and click on it.

Look for the “Preload pages for faster browsing and searching” option. To make this functionality available, flip the switch. Chrome will prefetch and preload pages it anticipates you may visit in the future when enabled.

After enabling page preloading, it’s a good practice to restart your Chrome browser to ensure the changes take effect properly.


Manage Chrome’s task manager

The Task Manager in Chrome is an effective tool that shows you how the browser’s resources are being used. Individual tabs, extensions, and background activities may all be observed and controlled by the user.

Real-Time monitoring: You can view the tabs, extensions, and processes that are using up the most CPU, memory, and network resources in real-time using the Task Manager. This facilitates the detection and removal of performance bottlenecks.

Track the performance of extensions: You may monitor the resources used by extensions by using the Task Manager. To enhance performance, you can disable or uninstall any extensions that are using up too many resources.

Avoid crashes: Controlling resource use helps shield your system against crashes brought on by excessive CPU or memory usage. By controlling resource use, you may preserve a steady browsing environment.

To access Chrome’s Task Manager:

Use the keyboard shortcut: Shift + Esc.

To go through the menu, click the three vertical dots (menu) located in the upper-right corner.

Navigate to “More tools.” Click on “Task Manager.”

The Task Manager shows a number of columns, each of which offers detailed information on a particular Chrome process:

  • Task: Displays a list of all open tabs, background processes, and extensions.
  • Memory Footprint: Displays the RAM that is being used by each task.
  • CPU Usage: This shows the portion of the CPU resources that each process is using.
  • Network Usage: This shows the amount of bandwidth each job is using on the network.
  • Process ID (PID): A special number assigned to every process.

End process: In the Task Manager window, click the “End process” button located in the bottom right. The chosen task will be instantly closed as a result.

Background tasks: Search for programs marked “Background page” or a comparable designation.

Stop needless procedures: Choose the processes that are not necessary for your current surfing session and terminate them.


Check for malware and adware

Adware and malware can drastically reduce the speed of your browser and your computer as a whole. Because these malicious apps track your activity or show you intrusive advertisements, they can potentially jeopardize your security and privacy. To keep Google Chrome operating quickly and securely, you must regularly scan for and eliminate adware and spyware.

  • Enhances performance: System resources can be used by malware and adware, which can impede the speed of your browser and your computer as a whole.
  • Boosts security: Eliminating harmful software lowers the chance of data breaches and helps safeguard your personal information.
  • Minimizes unwanted ads: Adware frequently shows obtrusive advertisements, which can be bothersome and divert your attention from your work.
  • Prevents browser hijacking: Malware has the ability to modify browser settings, reroute you to undesirable websites, or change the search engine you use.

It’s useful to identify the telltale symptoms of malware and adware before undertaking scans. Typical signs and symptoms include:

  • Slow computer performance
  • Recurring freezes or crashes
  • Strange pop-ups or advertisements, even while not online Redirected searches on the internet

How to check for malware:

  • Your browser’s new toolbars or add-ons. Applications that you did not install are showing up on your PC
  • Start your computer’s Google Chrome program. In the upper-right corner of the browser window, click the three vertical dots, which represent the menu.
  • Choose “Settings” via the menu that drops down. Click “Advanced” at the bottom of the Settings page to get further customization choices.  Go to the “Reset and clean up” section by scrolling down. Then select “Clean up computer.”
  • Select the “Find” option that appears next to “Find harmful software.”Chrome will begin checking your machine for undesirable programs and viruses. This process might take a few minutes. If Chrome finds any harmful software, it will prompt you to remove it. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the removal process.


Close unused tabs

Keeping several tabs open in Google Chrome can use up a lot of memory and processing power on your computer, which might cause your browser and system performance to lag.

Determine inactive tabs: Sort through the tabs you have open and close those that you don’t require. These might be tabs with information you no longer require or tabs you haven’t used in a long time.

Tab freezing: When system memory is limited, Chrome may automatically freeze tabs, which enhances speed. In the address bar, type chrome://flags to find “Tab Freeze,” activate it, and then restart Chrome to enable tab freezing.

The Great Suspender

When a tab is not used for a long, it will automatically suspend it. To keep crucial tabs from being suspended, you can customize the suspension interval and add them to a whitelist.

Discover more from RebootPoint

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading