Although Microsoft Edge is the default browser on Windows 11, Google Chrome is a popular alternative for several users. The browsers share the Chromium engine, but Chrome delivers a smoother and more cohesive experience with Google services. Fresh installations of Chrome are usually fast and responsive. However, as time passes by, the browser could feel slow and laggy. Here are the best remedies to make Chrome on Windows 11 faster.
1. Check Internet Connection
A slow internet connection is the first suspect if web pages are loading slowly and you’re having trouble navigating between pages. To check your connection speed on Chrome, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Open a new Chrome tab.
Step 2: In the address bar, type “speed test” and hit Enter.
Step 3: Google’s search results have a built-in speed test. Click the Run Speed Test button.
If the search results show your connection is slow, but you’re using wired internet on Windows 11, you should contact your internet service provider (ISP). If you’re using Wi-Fi, you may be connected to the 2.4GHz band and not 5GHz. The former is known for offering connectivity across larger areas but the latter offers faster connection speed. To check the Wi-Fi band you’re using, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Press Win + I on your keyboard to open the Settings menu.
Step 2: Select Network & internet from the sidebar on the left.
Step 3: Click on Wi-Fi.
Step 4: Click on <network name> Properties.
Step 5: At the bottom of the page, ensure the Network Band is 5GHz.
2. Close Irrelevant Tabs
Chrome is a well-documented RAM-hogging program. The more tabs you leave open, the more RAM Chrome consumes. If you don’t have adequate RAM, the browser and your computer could feel slow and sluggish. The surefire way to fix this issue is closing background applications and unused or irrelevant Chrome tabs. To close background applications, follow these steps:
Step 1: Right-click on the Start button in the taskbar.
Step 2: Select Task Manager.
Step 3: Click on the app or background process you want to close. Then click End Task in the toolbar on the top.
Step 4: If you plan to continue using the program, you could also click on Efficiency mode in the toolbar. This ensures the selected application uses fewer resources.
Interestingly, Chrome also packs a task manager of its own. It shows you per-tab RAM utilization, so you can close the ones consuming the most resources.
Step 1: In Chrome, press Shift + Esc to open the Chrome task manager.
Step 2: Check the Memory Utilization column to find the processes and tabs hogging the most RAM.
Step 3: Click a process you want to stop.
Step 4: Click the End Process button in the bottom right corner.
3. Disable Backgrounds and Third-Party Themes
If your internet connection is fast and RAM utilization is normal, but Chrome is slow to start up or load new tabs, heavy third-party themes and backgrounds could be to blame. Get rid of them to enjoy snappy browsing.
Step 1: Open a new Chrome tab.
Step 2: In the address bar, type chrome://settings/appearance and hit Enter.
Step 3: From the menu, click the Reset to Default button.
Your theme and personalization choices will be reset but other Chrome data such as passwords and preferences will remain unchanged. You should immediately notice the color of the Chrome title bar change after the reset.
4. Don’t Clear Browser Cache
Most guides suggest you clear Chrome’s browser cache to enjoy a faster browsing experience. However, it is not advisable to clear the cache frequently. The cache stores frequently loaded data and actually helps web pages load faster. However, depending on your usage, you might want to clear the cache occasionally to free up some disk space on your computer.
Step 1: Open a new Chrome tab.
Step 2: in the address bar, type chrome://settings/privacy and hit Enter.
Step 3: In the Settings page, select Clear browsing data.
Step 4: In the pop-up menu, check the box beside Cached images and files.
Step 5: Click the Clear data button.
5. Remove Unwanted Chrome Extensions
Chrome Extensions are browser add-ons that give you quick access to various tools from third parties. Having too many extensions can make Chrome slow to start up. So, remove the ones you don’t need by following the steps below:
Step 1: Click on the extensions button beside the address bar in Chrome.
Step 2: From the drop-down list, identify the unwanted extensions and click on the three dots icon beside it.
Step 3: Click Remove from Chrome to get rid of it.
You can also disable unwanted extensions in Chrome.
Step 1: Open a new Chrome tab.
Step 2: Type chrome://extensions/ in the address bar and hit Enter.
Step 3: Turn off the toggle for all the extensions you don’t require.
Step 4: If you feel you won’t require the extension again, click the Remove button under it.
6. Disable Web Page Preloading
Chrome is a smart browser. It uses information from your browsing activity to predict the web pages you could visit next. To help these pages load faster, Chrome preloads them. The feature is designed to make browsing faster, but pre-loading too many pages can take a toll on the user experience, making Chrome slow to respond. Turn off preload pages as follows:
Step 1: Open a new Chrome tab.
Step 2: Type chrome://settings/cookies in the address bar and hit Enter.
Step 3: In the Settings menu, turn off the toggle for Preload pages.
7. Reset Chrome
If none of the above methods works, you could try and reset Chrome to its defaults. This should eliminate resource-hungry extensions, settings, and themes that are weighing down your browser.
Step 1: In Chrome, click the More button (three dots icon) in the top right corner.
Step 2: Select Settings.
Step 3: In the sidebar on the left, click Advanced.
Step 4: Under Advanced, click Reset and clean up.
Step 5: Click Restore settings to their original defaults.
Step 6: In the floating menu, click the Reset settings button when prompted.
8. Update Chrome
Running the latest version of Chrome keeps you safe and protected from potential loopholes and vulnerabilities. It also ensures you’re using the fastest and most optimized version of the browser.
Step 1: Open Chrome Settings (refer to the steps above).
Step 2: In the sidebar on the left, click About Chrome.
Step 3: Google Chrome should automatically start updating to the latest version. You may have to relaunch the browser for the update to take effect.
Speed Up Your Chrome Experience
Various factors, ranging from additional extensions, slow internet, heavy themes, resource-hungry tabs, etc., could hamstring Chrome. Bookmark this guide and refer to it whenever you face performance issues in Chrome.
