The quickest way to make Chrome use less RAM is to let it unload tabs you aren’t using. Select the three-dot More menu > Settings > Performance and turn on Memory Saver. Inactive tabs stay in your tab strip and reload when you click them. These steps come from Google’s performance settings guide.
Then work down this checklist. Each step is based on Google’s own advice for speeding up Chrome.
1. Turn on Memory Saver and pick a level
- Select More > Settings > Performance.
- Turn on Memory Saver.
- Choose Moderate, Balanced (recommended by Google) or Maximum. Maximum makes tabs inactive soonest and saves the most memory.
If a site must keep running, such as a chat app, add it under Always keep these sites active on the same page. Our guide to tab freezing and discarding explains what happens to an inactive tab.
2. Close the tabs you aren’t using
Google’s speed guide puts it simply: the more tabs you have open, the harder Chrome has to work. Ways to close tabs without losing them:
- Bookmark them all first. Ctrl + Shift + D on Windows and Linux, or ⌘ + Shift + D on a Mac, saves every open tab as bookmarks in a new folder (from Chrome’s keyboard shortcuts).
- Close a tab group. Right-click a tab group and select Close group. Google’s tab help says a closed group isn’t deleted. It is saved in the bookmarks bar or in the menu, and you can open it again.
- Get back a tab you closed by mistake. Ctrl + Shift + T, or ⌘ + Shift + T on a Mac, reopens closed tabs in the order they were closed.
3. Find and end the heaviest tasks
- Select More > More tools > Task Manager (Shift + Esc on Windows and Linux).
- Select Memory to sort by memory use.
- Select a task you don’t need and select End process. Unsaved work in that tab is lost.
4. Turn off extensions you don’t need
- Select More > Extensions > Manage Extensions.
- Turn off, or remove, any extension you don’t use.
5. Keep Chrome updated and quit other apps
Google lists updating Chrome as the first step to a faster browser. Select More > Help > About Google Chrome and select Relaunch if it appears. Chrome also shares memory with every other program, so Google recommends not running many apps at the same time.
Extensions that close or save tabs for you
Memory Saver may be all you need. If you want more control, these extensions were live in the Chrome Web Store when we checked. Each description is based on the extension’s own store listing.
- Auto Tab Discard: “Increase browser speed and reduce memory load when you have numerous open tabs.”
- OneTab: converts all of your tabs into a list, which you can restore one at a time or all at once.
- Tab Wrangler: “Automatically closes tabs you haven’t used in a while and makes it easy to get them back.”
Before you add any extension, check the permissions it asks for. Google’s extension help says to approve only extensions you trust. For more choices, see the best tab management extensions.
On Android, iPhone and iPad
Memory Saver isn’t available on phones and tablets. Google’s help says you can’t personalize Chrome’s performance on Android or iOS. Close tabs you have finished with.
For a step-by-step diagnosis of a Chrome that is already using too much memory, see how to fix Chrome high memory usage.