Google Chrome may be the most popular web browser in the world, but it’s far from perfect, especially when it comes to gobbling up system memory. However, with Chrome 110, now rolling out to desktop users, all that is expected to change.
If you use Chrome to browse the web – and you probably do, given its enormous popularity – then you’ve probably noticed that after a while it starts eating up a lot of your PC’s memory – especially if you have Open many tabs at once.
This could affect how well your device performs, and if you’re using a laptop, it could also mean your battery drains faster.
as Android Police Report (opens in a new tab), the Memory Saver feature debuts in December 2022, included in the latest Chrome update. It works by identifying unused tabs and removing them from memory – effectively “suspending” tabs until you click on an inactive tab, which then wakes it up and reloads.
If you never want to classify certain sites as inactive, you can add them to a list that will always keep them active even if you’re not currently on that tab. This is handy if you pause a video on YouTube, go to another tab, and then come back to the YouTube tab. You won’t lose your spot by preventing it from being suspended and then reloaded.
Also includes another feature called Economizer. This limits background activity and reduces visual effects, such as smooth scrolling or website animations, and also reduces video frame rates. Doing so can help extend the battery life of your Chrome-using laptop or Chromebook.
Since this feature can have a major impact on the overall quality of your web browsing experience, you don’t want it to be on all the time (or at all, if you’re using a desktop PC). The good news is that you can choose to turn Energy Saver on only when the battery is below 20% or when the laptop is unplugged.
Don’t be complacent, Google
These tweaks are very welcome. After updating to Chrome 110, you should be able to see them in the Performance tab of Chrome settings. If you are using a desktop computer, the energy saver function will be hidden.
If you can’t find the new features, enter the following into Chrome’s address bar and make sure they are set to “Enabled”:
chrome://flags/#high-efficiency-mode-availableWe’re always happy to see Google improve Chrome. With its dominance of the web browser market, there’s always the fear that Google will get complacent and not care about addressing people’s complaints about Chrome.
However, even though Chrome is still the most used browser, Google still needs to be careful. Microsoft’s Edge browser is slowly but surely gaining market share, thanks to its switch to the same Chromium engine that Chrome uses, which makes switching to the browser much easier, and the popular inclusion of ChatGPT AI chat robot.
Chrome’s tendency to hog RAM is also starting to affect its reputation, so Google is right to address this issue. Time will tell if these new features help.
Chrome users on Windows PCs, Chromebooks, Macs, and MacBooks will be able to use these features, but there’s no word on when or if they’ll come to Android and iOS.
