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How to Reduce Browser Memory Usage from Too Many Tabs

Tap each step to follow along in order.

  1. Open Performance settings in Chrome

    Click the three-dot menu in the top right of Chrome, go to "Settings," then click "Performance" in the left-hand menu.

  2. Turn on Memory Saver

    Switching on the "Memory Saver" toggle automatically puts tabs you haven't used in a while to sleep, freeing up memory.

  3. Mark sites that should always stay active

    Adding a site under "Always keep these sites active" excludes tabs you want running continuously, like a music streaming tab, from being put to sleep.

  4. Turn on sleeping tabs in Edge

    In Edge settings under "System and performance," turn on "Save resources with sleeping tabs" and set how long an inactive tab waits before sleeping.

  5. Organize tabs into groups

    Right-click a tab and choose "Add tab to new group" to cluster related tabs together, making it much easier to see and manage how many you have open.

  6. Close tabs you no longer need

    Periodically review your open tabs, bookmark anything worth keeping, and close the rest to lighten the load on memory.

Why more open tabs means a slower computer

Each browser tab takes up memory almost like its own separate process, so leaving dozens of tabs open can make your whole computer feel sluggish even when you're just trying to use another program.

A tidy bookmark bar goes a long way too

Instead of keeping a page open indefinitely just so you don't lose it, bookmarking it into a well-organized folder structure lets you close the tab immediately while still finding the page again in seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning on Memory Saver make tab content disappear?

No -- when you click back on a tab that's been put to sleep, its previous state is almost always restored exactly as it was.

Do all tabs get put to sleep?

No -- the tab you're currently viewing, any tab playing audio, and any site you've added as an exception are all excluded from being put to sleep.