How to Optimize Chrome on Windows 11

To make Chrome run better on Windows 11, keep it updated, turn on Memory Saver, turn off extensions you don’t use and close tabs you no longer need. These are the steps Google gives in its Speed up Google Chrome help page, and each one is below.

Update Chrome

Google says Chrome works best on the latest version. Select More (the three dots at the top right) > Help > About Google Chrome, then select Relaunch if an update is waiting. The full steps are on our update Chrome page.

Turn on Memory Saver

Memory Saver frees memory by deactivating tabs you aren’t using. A deactivated tab reloads when you go back to it. It is a normal setting, not an experimental flag.

1. Open Chrome and select More > Settings.
2. On the left, select Performance.
3. Turn on Memory Saver, then pick Moderate, Balanced (recommended) or Maximum.

On the same page you can add sites to Always keep these sites active, and on a laptop you can turn on Energy Saver to save battery. Google explains every option in Personalize Chrome performance.

Turn off extensions you don’t use

1. Select More > Extensions > Manage Extensions, or type chrome://extensions in the address bar.
2. Turn off, or remove, any extension you don’t need.

Find what is using memory

Chrome has its own Task Manager. Press Shift + Esc, or select More > More tools > Task Manager. Sort by Memory, select a task you don’t need and choose End task (End process in older versions). Any unsaved work in that tab is lost.

Check graphics acceleration

Chrome uses your graphics card when it can. Google suggests turning it off if Chrome keeps crashing, because there could be a problem with how your computer’s hardware works with Chrome. To change it:

1. Select More > Settings > System.
2. Turn Use graphics acceleration when available on or off. Older versions of Chrome call it hardware acceleration.
3. Relaunch Chrome.

More detail is in our hardware acceleration guide.

Clear cached files if pages misbehave

Clearing the cache does not make Chrome faster by itself, but it can fix pages that load wrongly. It can also free disk space.

1. Select More > Delete browsing data.
2. Choose a time range, such as All time.
3. Check Cached images and files and uncheck anything you want to keep.
4. Select Delete data.

Our clear browsing data guide explains what each box removes.