How To Speed Up Chrome - Best Fixes!

When your browser feels like it's dragging through mud, it usually isn't your internet connection; it's a buildup of background processes or cached data slowing down Chrome. You probably have a few rogue extensions or old files taking up resources that your computer doesn't need to be holding onto. Let's get your browser back to the speed it had when you first installed it.

Why this happens

Chrome performance degrades over time as extensions consume background resources and outdated cache files bloat your temporary storage. Enabling built-in efficiency settings is the fastest way to reclaim that lost speed.

Steps

1. 01
   Open the Chrome menu by clicking the three dots in the top right, go to Extensions, then Manage Extensions. Toggle off any extensions you do not actively use or do not recognize to stop them from running background scripts.
2. 02
   Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete on your keyboard to open the Clear Browsing Data menu. Set the time range to 'All time', check 'Cached images and files' along with 'Cookies and other site data', and click 'Delete data' to clear out the bloat.
3. 03
   Navigate to Chrome Settings via the three dots menu, select 'Performance' from the sidebar, and toggle on 'Memory Saver'. This forces Chrome to suspend idle tabs, significantly reducing RAM usage.
4. 04
   In the same Performance menu, toggle on 'Energy Saver' to further limit background activity. This ensures Chrome isn't doing heavy lifting on websites you aren't currently viewing.
5. 05
   Go to Settings, select 'System', and toggle 'Use graphics acceleration when available' to off if you are on a device without a dedicated GPU, then relaunch Chrome to apply the changes.

Still not working?

If Chrome is still sluggish, check your Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc to see if other background apps are hogging your CPU or RAM. If the issue persists, your user profile might be corrupted; try creating a new Chrome profile to see if the speed returns to normal.

Frequently asked questions

Will clearing my cache and cookies log me out of websites?

Yes, clearing cookies will log you out of most websites because it removes the local session data that keeps you signed in.

Is it safe to turn off hardware acceleration?

Yes, it is perfectly safe. If your computer does not have a powerful graphics card, Chrome may run more reliably by using the CPU instead of attempting to use hardware acceleration.

Why do my tabs reload when I go back to them?

This is likely the 'Memory Saver' feature working as intended. It puts tabs to sleep to save your computer's memory, so the page must briefly reload when you click back onto it.