Why Is Google Chrome Slow and How to Fix It? (Fast & Easy)

Google Chrome has been around long enough to continuously be improved, providing a great user experience. That’s why as of December 2020, Google Chrome was used on nearly two-thirds of all internet-enabled devices. It is truly in a league of its own when it comes to its popularity, seeing as the second most-used, Safari is just under one-fifth. 

However, it is hard to find absolutely perfect software. As good as Google Chrome is, many users will run into problems when using it. Apart from all the infamous jokes about how much RAM it uses, many users may notice that Google Chrome slows down during use. This can be utterly frustrating, especially if your internet is fast and your computer runs smooth as well.

There are several reasons why this might be happening and quite a few questions that you might have related to the problem. And, of course, there are ways to fix it too. 

Do you want to learn more about the reasons why is Google Chrome slow? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the black arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page. 

Is Google Chrome slow?

At its very best, Google Chrome is far from slow. It’s no Internet Explorer, after all. If you use Chrome and realize that it seems to be operating very slowly, it is likely an issue with your computer. Perhaps you are running the application on outdated hardware, which is one reason for Chrome loading slow. It may also be a bug in a new version, or it can be other programs competing for software or a very demanding web page that is slowing things.

Is Google Chrome slower than Firefox?

To best answer this question, you can look at objective results such as those obtained by running benchmarks between the two browsers. By putting Firefox and Google Chrome against one another with the same test, it can easily be seen which is the faster of the two browsers. The winner? It’s Chrome.

By running the Speedometer benchmark on the most popular browsers, Chrome beats out Firefox with an average score of 105.17 vs. 92.1, which is a difference of more than 10 points! However, Chrome is still far from the fastest, with Safari taking the top spot with an average score of 133 and Edge just below that with nearly 126.

Why does Google Chrome make my computer slow?

Chrome is notorious for how it uses resources like RAM. So using it on a system that does not have sufficient RAM may easily cause stutters and poor responsiveness on your device. For the average user, 4GB of RAM should not run into any issues, and 8GB should be good for pretty much anyone. Sites with lots of multimedia like videos and animations can contribute to heavy RAM usage, so avoid these pages if the slowdowns are becoming a problem.

Why does it take so long for Chrome to open?

Some users complain that Google Chrome takes minutes to open even on a very powerful computer, sometimes as much as 10 minutes! The browser is not meant to behave like this. And there are a few reasons why this could be happening. 

1. This could be due to having too many browser extensions that need to open along with Chrome. These can significantly slow down the process. Disabling these should speed up loading times.
2. Hardware acceleration is known to cause some issues with Chrome, including the cursor disappearing on touchscreen laptops. By turning this off, the time it takes for Chrome to open will likely be much less.
3. There is too much browser data to handle. This can occur if cookies, cache, and the like are beginning to pile up. By clearing these intermittently, you should be able to keep Chrome running smoothly.
4. Malware or corrupted files. Suppose you have any malicious software on your PC or any integral Chrome files which have become corrupted. In that case, you may run into this problem. Luckily, Chrome has a clean-up tool. By accessing the Advanced Setting, you should see an option to Reset and Clean Up. Choose the option to “Clean Up Computer,” which will help look for any malware that could be causing problems.
5. If none of these works, you can completely reset or reinstall Chrome, which is very likely to solve the problem if Chrome worked fine beforehand.

Why does Chrome download slow?

Many people use Chrome for browsing. So it is very common to notice that downloads seem to be moving slower than what your internet speed should actually allow. It is unlikely that any other browser would download significantly faster from the same site. When you have downloads that go slower than you think they should, it is likely due to the server you are downloading from. However, there is one fix you can attempt if slow download speeds are eternally frustrating you despite this. It is important to note, however, that this is an experimental feature and may be buggy.

1. In the Chrome search bar, type “chrome://flags”
2. Press Enter.
3. The page that shows up should have a search bar. Type “parallel downloading” into it.
4. An option should appear in the list below. Select the drop-down menu on the right side and enable the feature.
5. This will likely result in faster download speeds on any download that was the previous dragging along.

What causes Google Chrome to run slow?

Many things can cause Chrome to run slow, but there are three a few main culprits that you can look at as perpetrators.

Do Google extensions slow down Chrome? 

The answer to this is: “Absolutely!” Each extension you add will take more of the available memory and processing power afforded to Chrome. When you begin to have too many of them installed, it causes critical bloat, slowing down the browser.

Does Norton slow down Google Chrome?

 In some cases, yes, it does. A lot of antiviruses have extended their reach beyond keeping your local files clean. They watch your internet activity and block malicious pages and sometimes ads to keep you safe when you’re online. Norton will continuously check the sites you visit, which can cause some slowdowns.

Other reasons why Chrome might get slow

Your computer hardware may not meet the optimal requirements for Chrome. 

You may have demanding webpages open, with many animations, videos, and other elements draining resources.

Easy fix when Google Chrome slow and unresponsive

If you’re getting tired of Chrome running slow, there are a few fixes that you can try out to remedy the situation. At least one of these should solve your problem!

1. Clean out your cache. If you’ve never done this before, then it is likely that it has grown rather large. These files are stored on your computer to make certain sites and images load faster. So, while they are intended to make browsing better, they sometimes achieve the opposite. 
   1. Open the menu, select “More Tools,” and click “Clear browsing data.”
   2. Tick “Cached images and files.”
   3. Click on “Clear data.” It’s that easy!
2. Remove any extensions that you don’t need. As earlier mentioned, having too many of these can cause bloat on your system—type “chrome://extensions” as a shortcut to manage them.
3. Update the application. Sometimes, the slowness can be a result of a bug. Simply installing a new version can fix this and make your browser move faster.

How to make the Chrome browser faster?

Whether you are on Macintosh or Windows, how to speed Google Chrome is likely something you want. Fortunately, it is possible to achieve this regardless of platform.

How to speed up Chrome on Mac

On Mac systems, besides general-purpose fixes like clearing the cache and updating the browser, there are some more specific fixes. These include:

Disable Adobe Flash. Flash elements can be demanding. If you don’t want these activating at will, then you can make them ask for permission before they do so. Open the Chrome menu and select “Settings.” Go to “Advanced” settings and click on “Privacy.” Once you get here, there should be a “Content Settings” menu. In this, you should see “Flash” and be able to make it “Ask first” before it activates.

Disable hardware acceleration. Despite the name, many users on Mac have found that turning it off seems to improve the app’s responsiveness. Type “chrome://settings” and go to “Advanced” settings. You should find the hardware acceleration option at the bottom, which you can now easily switch off. Restart the app, and it should perform better. 

Tips for making Chrome faster on Windows

 The best way to speed up Chrome on PC is to use Chrome’s built-in clean-up tool to give your computer a lather and rinse. Type “chrome://settings”, go to “Advanced”, and select “Clean up computer”. Press “Find,” and Chrome will look for any malware that may be slowing down the browser. If this doesn’t help, then updating, clearing cache, or reinstalling may be the solution to speed up web page loading Chrome.

Credits: Thanks for the photo to Canva.

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