Why Google Chrome browser slows down and what to do about it

Sometimes users encounter the problem of slow opening of files and loading sites. The reason for this browser behavior may be a lack of RAM, viruses, an outdated version of Chrome, the use of certain extensions, miners on one of the open tabs, or too many pages open at the same time. In this article we will figure out what exactly is slowing down the Google Chrome browser and how to speed up its operation.

Determining if the browser is slow

There are quite a lot of signs of the presence of brakes and glitches in Google Chrome.

Urgent action must be taken if:

• after turning on, you need to wait a long time until the application starts and displays the home page;

• in the process of work, all elements become faded and seem to “fade”;

• when scrolling down an Internet page, the slider “sticks”;

• It takes a very long time to start a video;

• the program does not respond to any user actions for a long time.

If the above signs are present, we can confidently say that the browser is starting to slow down. There can be quite a large number of reasons for this phenomenon. That is why, in order to eliminate them, it is necessary to consistently use various methods.

Reset settings and remove malware

Chrome has a built-in function, go to settings, write “reset” in the search bar and click on “Remove malware from computer -> Find”

Chrome will start looking for malware on the computer, if it finds it, delete it. If it doesn’t help, then click “Reset settings”. The home page, quick access page, and search engine settings will be reset, and all tabs will be unpinned. In addition, the system will disable all extensions and delete all temporary data such as cookies. Your bookmarks, browsing history and passwords will be saved. If after the reset everything works fine, then enable the extensions one by one and observe.

Clearing history and cache

Sometimes figuring out why the Google Chrome browser is slow is quite simple. The reason may lie precisely in the high speed of operation - this application performs caching to display the required content as quickly as possible.

But if there is not enough free space on your hard drive or simply because there is a very large amount of data, the application may begin to work very slowly.

In such a situation, you just need to clear the history and cache.

To delete all downloaded data present on the PC, you must:

• open the application settings - click on the icon with three stripes in the upper right corner of the screen;

• click on the inscription “show additional settings”;

• find “clear history”;

• select the period for which the cleaning is carried out - it is best to select “all time”;

• You should definitely check the box next to “images and other files saved in the cache”;

• This process is confirmed by clicking on the “clear history” button.

You can also delete various other files this way if necessary. It is enough to place checkmarks in front of the corresponding inscriptions using the mouse. In most cases, clearing the cache helps to significantly speed up GoogleChrome.

Extensions

If you don’t know why Google Chrome is slow and how to speed it up, we recommend paying attention to installed extensions - some add-ons can take up a large amount of space and slow down the system. Here's what you need to do:

• Open your browser;
• Click on the three vertical dots on the top panel;
• Go to the line “Additional tools”;
• In the drop-down menu, select “Extensions”;

• On the screen that opens, move the application toggle switches to the “Off” position.

We'll tell you what to do if Google Chrome is slow and manipulations with extensions didn't help.

Removing extensions

Google Chrome, like many other modern browsers, provides for the installation of a large number of different extensions. They can perform various functions and make using the application very convenient.

But it’s not uncommon for various kinds of plugins to cause bugs and slow down the functioning of the program. This becomes especially noticeable when playing videos online.

Disabling part or all extensions in many cases allows you to solve the type of problem in question.

You can do it like this:

• open the menu by clicking on the icon with three stripes in the upper right part of the screen;

• find the “additional tools” section;

• click on “extensions”;

• opposite all plugins there is “remove from Chrome” - click on this inscription;

• The corresponding window will open - click on “delete”.

Some extensions, for various reasons, can affect not only the speed of the browser, but also the entire computer. It is important to carefully monitor the list of installed plugins.

Disabling extensions

There is no need to blame the browser for everything; in many cases, extensions that you installed yourself are to blame, or they were installed “accidentally” automatically with your consent. Go to the “Settings -> Additional tools -> Extensions” tab and try to disable installed extensions one by one, unchecking the checkboxes, or look at the end of the article on how to disable everything in one fell swoop.

Each time we check to see if the problem is resolved. If you find the culprit extension, but as luck would have it, you really need it, try leaving it, but disabling other extensions. It's just that some extensions may conflict with each other.

Updating GoogleChrome

The browser in question has been around for quite some time and has been ported to many platforms. An impressive number of its versions have been created. It's important to remember that web pages have a lot of different elements. And to display them successfully, you need the appropriate software.

Often the cause of slow performance is an old version of the program in question. And you can deal with this kind of problem with a simple update.

This operation is carried out as follows:

• open the browser tools menu - an icon with three bars in the upper right corner of the screen;

• select the item called “Update Google Chrome”;

• After completing the update, you must click on “Restart”.

A program of the type in question can itself signal the presence of updates.

The icon in the upper right corner should change its light:

• green – the update has been available for two days;

• orange – the updated version can be downloaded for four days;

• red – the update has not been performed for more than a week.

Ad blocking

The greater the Internet channel bandwidth becomes, the more advertising is present on the users’ screen. This could be the factor that prevents the application in question from functioning stably. Such problems can be resolved by simply blocking ads.

You can perform this action this way:

• go to the official website of Google;

• we find a section where you can download various types of extensions;

• We are looking for a plugin called Adblock Plus;

• click on “install”.

After installation is complete, a configuration window for this plugin will appear on the PC screen.

It is worth checking all three boxes:

• blocking malware;

• removing social media buttons;

• disable tracking.

In most cases, the extension discussed above will help you deal with problems associated with very slow operation. There is also a built-in blocking feature in the browser. For instructions on setting it up and information about other extensions for blocking pop-up windows in Chrome, see a separate detailed article https://g-chrome.info/nastrojka/ubrat-vsplyvayushhii-okna (tested, I can recommend this site).

If the video on Youtube slows down, change the flash player

Adobe has put a lot of effort into developing a product for watching videos on the Internet. Unfortunately, the flash player from this manufacturer has many shortcomings and causes problems with the Google Chrome browser.

That is why, if possible, it should be disconnected and replaced. There are quite a large number of alternatives.

First of all, you just need to turn off the flash player.

This is done as follows:

• in the address bar you must enter about:plugins;

• click on Enter;

• a window will open where you need to click on the “plus” sign - on the right side of the screen, where there is the inscription “More details”;

• Click on the “disable” sign.

After this, it’s worth checking whether the speed of Google Chrome has changed. If so, then the problems were related to the Adobe product. You should delete it in the same section, then select the alternative you like on the official Google website and install it. The new flash player will be a similar extension.

Pages load slowly in all web browsers

If you are experiencing similar page loading issues in other web browsers on your computer, try the tips below:

• Try visiting another site. The site you are trying to open may be temporarily unavailable.
• Problems with loading pages only occur in Internet Explorer and Google Chrome, but not in Firefox? If so, this may indicate that there is a problem with your proxy settings. If you are using a proxy server, try disabling it in the Windows network settings.
• Close other programs open on your computer. They may be using a significant amount of your computer's memory, which is why your browser is running slowly.
• Restart your computer.
• Contact the site owner and report the problem.

Reinstalling the browser

Sometimes it happens that all the methods discussed above do not bring any desired effect. In such a situation, you just need to reinstall Google Chrome. This operation is quite simple and usually takes a minimum amount of time.

It is performed as follows:

• open the “start” button;

• find “control panel”;

• click on “add and remove programs”;

• select Google Chrome;

• Click on “delete” and follow the instructions displayed on the screen.

After successful uninstallation, you should restart the computer and download the new distribution from the manufacturer’s official website. It is necessary to use only the official resource, since otherwise there is a high probability of installing an application with a built-in virus or other malicious software.

Installation is carried out as follows:

• the distribution is downloaded from the Internet;

• the user clicks on it twice;

• The terms of the agreement will open - click on “accept the terms and install”.

After the installation is complete, it is advisable to restart the operating system again. Then check the functionality of the newly installed software. Such drastic troubleshooting measures usually help to cope with problems of this nature.

If web graphics are slow

For some, graphics on web pages may slow down, but as a rule this affects not only the browser, but the entire system. Go to the BIOS when the system boots, find the “Power Management -> APM Configuration” section there and set the “HPET Support” parameter to the “Disabled” position. If it doesn’t help, then install it as it was or set the recommended value to “Enabled” for Windows 7/10 or “Disabled” for Windows XP.

Don't forget that speed depends not only on the browser. If you have slow Internet, problems with your computer or operating system, then these methods will not help you much. Therefore, do not forget to at least sometimes optimize the system.