Issue 'Slow Google Chrome' Issue

'Slow Google Chrome' Issue

A 'Slow Google Chrome' issue may occur due to settings mismanagement or neglecting essential browser maintenance, such as updates. Most users can solve their issue by changing easily-available settings and implementing standard cleanup techniques that increase Chrome's efficiency. Unless it's unusually persistent, users usually shouldn't treat a 'Slow Google Chrome' issue as a significant security problem and should feel comfortable resolving it without third-party help.

When Chrome Browsing Becomes Chrome Turtling

As one of the most widely in-use Web browsers worldwide, Google's Chrome is a high watermark achievement for both software marketing and programming. However, Chrome users can experience problems, such as the almost equally-prolific 'Slow Google Chrome' issue. This performance issue, like many, has various causes, although nearly all require no more than quick fixes.

Initial troubleshooting always should check for out-of-date software and apply patches as appropriate. For Chrome, which boasts of the notable advantage of multi-process tabs, tab management also is a concern. Too many of them usually will slow the browser since it creates a new process for each one, rather than bundling all tabs into a single process (that could crash).

The experts also recommend that users curate their extensions and add-ons with care. Inefficient browser toolbars and other add-ons can cause performance problems, as can having too many. Users may disable extensions (from the 'chrome://extensions/' page) temporarily with the bottom-right slide bars while testing them for performance impact, instead of uninstalling them. Many add-ons also include optional features like error collection that may be worth disabling.

Other Settings Worth Looking at in a Chrome Morass

Users who exhaust all more straightforward solutions can check more complex settings that might be of use. Under 'Advanced Settings,' Chrome's Hardware Acceleration feature optimizes browser process management – in theory. If experiencing slowdowns with it on or off, check for performance with a setting change.

Another advanced option in the same section is Page Predictions – a Web page loader optimizer. Like with the Hardware Acceleration feature, test it with the setting toggled to the opposite value and leave it or restore it as necessary.

Like emptying the Recycle Bin, cleaning up browsers' caches also is a regular 'tidying up' chore for PC users. The shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Del will open Chrome's browsing data-clearing window. Options include deleting data by type (such as cookies, cached images, or browser history) and by date. Users may want to select the Advanced tab and deselect saved passwords and other login credentials for convenience.

A 'Slow Google Chrome' issue that persists despite all of the above solutions can be a symptom of a browser hijacker, adware, or other unwanted software. Typically, users should resolve these problems by confirming that the browser isn't open (including in-memory) before scanning their PCs with dedicated security services.

Inefficient website load times can be part of a slow internet package, but users should pay attention when the issue confines itself to one browser. A 'Slow Google Chrome' issue shouldn't be an environmental factor to live with, especially when dealing with it rarely takes more than a minute or two.

Determine the Source of the Problem

The first thing to do is narrow down the source of the problem. Your internet connection could cause your slow Chrome speeds. Check to see how other browsers on your computers behave. If they are also slow, then update your network card drivers and DNS settings to improve your connection speed.

The truth is there are many potential causes for slow internet connections, including antivirus programs and hard drive space. See how well the default browser on your computers – such as Edge or Safari – works. If these browsers are just as slow as Chrome, then it’s likely not Chrome that’s the issue.

It could be that you have a slow internet connection in general, or your computer is outdated and not suited to fast connection speeds. If your entire internet experience has slowed down, double-check the network connection drivers and update them if needed.

If you update everything and Chrome is still running slowly, then here are some solutions for when Chrome is definitely the problem.

Close Unneeded Tabs

Are you someone that likes to keep several tabs open at once, just in case? Google Chrome was one of the first web browsers to run multiprocess tabs. This means that the whole browser won’t crash if one of the tabs does. It also means that your unopened tabs could cause performance problems in the background.

One way to improve Chrome performance is by closing tabs you don’t need. Load up your Task Manager and watch the RAM usage on your computer drop as you close tabs to see the difference for yourself.

Try only to have tabs you need open on your browser. You can always bookmark a tab and open it again later if needed.

Update Chrome

You want to be sure you have the latest version of Google Chrome on your computer. There have been several bugs slowing down Chrome performance over the years. Updating Google Chrome also closes security vulnerabilities.

Don’t forget to update your computer while you’re at it. Upgrading and updating your computer can fix performance issues.

Clear the Cache and Remove Old Files

Chrome keeps hold of temporary files in the cache for a long time. All these old files mean the browser takes up more space than needed on the hard drive. A full cache also slows down the browser.

Clear the cache of your browser by opening the top-right menu, choosing More Tools, and then Clear Browsing Data.

Chrome gives you a time-frame to delete files from in the browser history options. The further back the time, the more stuff gets cleared. Keep in mind clearing the cache could log you out of websites.

Check Add-Ons

Add-ons give your browser more functionality, but they also slow it down. Each addon adds to the workload. Having ten addons is the same as having ten tabs open all the time. People have been using these browser extensions and toolbars since the dawn of the internet. These addons are a notorious source of malware, viruses, and performance issues.

While most Chrome extensions won’t give your computer a virus (provided you download directly through the Web Store), they can still eat up computer performance and slow down Chrome. Do you have any extensions you don’t need and aren’t using? You can always disable them if you don’t want to remove them permanently. This disables the extension without removing it, so you can enable it again later when needed.

Page Predictions

If you check the advanced settings on your browser, you’ll see a Page Predictions option. This option draws a part of a webpage before getting information from the server.

Page Predictions are great for those using modern computers but relatively slow internet connections. Turning Page Predictions on can speed up slow Chrome performance.

Upgrade Your Computer

Upgrading your computer isn’t cheap, but it might be the best solution if your computer as a whole is running slowly. Modern web browsers tend to eat up a lot of RAM, so it might be difficult to use them without at least 8 GBs of RAM.

Check to see if you can upgrade the RAM on your computer, which is cheaper than upgrading the whole thing.

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