4 Best Chrome Extensions and Other Tips to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage

Google Chrome is undoubtedly the best web browser for PCs — but, with one problem. It consumes RAM like hell — up to a level that your entire system may start slowing down. The more tabs you have open; the more RAM it consumes. And, to be frank, Memory usage of Google Chrome is potentially higher than other browsers like Mozilla or Edge. So, it’s usual that most Chrome lovers have a tough time in deciding what’s for them. Thanks to Chrome extensions that reduce Chrome memory usage, you have a way to get rid of this issue.

There are some Chrome extensions that help you reduce Chrome memory usage. That is, with some minor tweaks, you’ll be able to get the best performance for your Google Chrome browser. All you have to do is, pick some of the best Chrome Extensions for Memory management and install them. Next time you have ten or twenty tabs open, you’ll know the difference. Shall we move on to our well-curated Chrome extensions for a better, crash-free and smooth Chrome experience?

Also Read: Top 7 Best Safari Extensions – Best Safari Addons for Everyone

What do we mean by Reducing Chrome Memory Usage?

There is something to be talked about your computer specifications. If you just open Facebook and a few tabs once, there won’t be any problems. You can move on with 2GB or even 1GB of RAM. But, you can’t do the same when you have 10s or 20s of tabs opened at a time. So, before blaming Chrome for the slowdown, confirm that you have standard RAM inside. If you have around 4GB RAM and still Chrome gets you slowdowns, these extensions will help.

Also Read: 100+ Best Chrome Extensions – Ultimate List of Best Extensions for Chrome Users

How to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage?

Despite the fact that Google Chrome is a resource hungry web browser and uses lots of memory, it is a very user friendly web browser as well. If you think the Chrome browser on your device is slow and not able to provie the user experience it should be providing, you may tweak certain things to make it work excellent. The idea is to optimize Google Chrome to reduce Chrome memory usage for better experience.

So how will you optimize Chrome for less memory usage? Simply open Google Chrome web browser and click on three dots in the top righ-hand corner. Go to More Tools>>Task Manager. In the task manager, you’ll see a list of tabs and extensions consuming your Chrome browser memory resources. Find the inactive tabs or processes that are no longer important for you, and click End Process to kill them.

Warning: Make sure you save any unsaved work to avoid any potential loss.

Free Up Space in Chrome from Task Manager to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage Similarly, you may also find resource hungry plugins or extensions and remove them to free up space in Google Chrome and reduce Chrome memory usage.

4 Best Chrome Extensions to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage

Also, there are people who think that there is no way to reduce Chrome memory usage, by turning off a feature or anything. That is why we have found useful Chrome extension for them. So if you don’t want to kill resource-hungry processes or plugins from your browsers, check out the below mentioned Chrome extensions to reduce Chrome memory usage.

Most of the extensions we’ll mention are based on suspending Chrome tabs or closing them. Instead of letting idle tabs consume system resources, it is possible to instantly close them, or put them in an inactive state. Still, you can select the best extension, depending on the features. And, here come your choices.

#1. The Great Suspender

The Great Suspender is perhaps the most used and best Chrome extension for reducing memory usage. It will help you to free up system resources by suspending unused tabs in Chrome. The working process is simple. You can set a time limit to the suspending action — say, 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 Hour. If you have not used a Chrome tab for this particular time period, it will be suspended. So, when you open the tab, you get a ‘Suspended’ message. But, you can simply reload that page to access the webpage again.

the-great-suspender - How to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage? -Top 4 Best Chrome Extensions to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage

The extension is useful when you have to open Chrome and other application at once. Instead of auto-suspension, you can manually suspend each tab. Suppose you want to open Photoshop, but need the Chrome tabs for later use. Just suspend those tabs and access them after using Photoshop. Trust us when we say, The Great Suspender can dramatically reduce the RAM consumption of Chrome browser. You can customize the suspension actions, though. For instance, you’d be able to whitelist particular URLs from being suspended.

Personally speaking, The Great Suspender is our favourite and we will recommend it for everyone who is looking for a Chrome extension to reduce Chrome memory usage.

Also Read: 13 Best Firefox Addons for Better Browsing Experience on Firefox

#2. Tab Hibernation

Tab Hibernation is ye another useful Chrome extension that reduces Chrome memory usage. It is a simple Chrome extension for putting Chrome tabs into hibernation. It’s a form of suspension and can reduce Chrome memory usage in the long run. When compared to the aforementioned extension, Tab Hibernation is simple and has fewer features to offer. Of course, once you have put a tab on Hibernation, it won’t consume system resources/RAM. And that’s the way to stay quick and smooth in Google Chrome, you know.

tab-hibernation - How to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage? -Top 4 Best Chrome Extensions to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage

One issue with Tab Hibernation extension is that it does not has automation. You have to click on the button to put all other tabs into Hibernation mode. Once you press the button, that’s all about it. To reactive the tabs, you can click somewhere on the suspended page.

If you don’t need the extra perks of customization and automation, Tab Hibernation is a good option to reduce Chrome memory usage. It’s not our personal choice, though.

#3. OneTab

OneTab uses another method for controlling and reducing Chrome memory usage, other than suspension or hibernation. Due to that exclusive method, you can find OneTab to be productivity-friendly extension as well. In a single click, you can reduce Chrome RAM usage by 95% and also reduce tab clutter you are facing. It works based on a simple principle. When you click on OneTab button, all your tabs will be minimized and shown in the OneTab page. And, you can click on each tab to open them. When you have 10s or 20s of tabs opened on the screen, OneTab will be a life-saver for sure.

onetab - How to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage? -Top 4 Best Chrome Extensions to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage

Once again, you are missing the perks of automation and customization. There is another problem too. If you have a huge number of tabs brought into the single page, navigation would be a big problem. Just think about choosing the tabs from a list. At least some of you would hate that. Nevertheless, OneTab gets the job done if you are looking forward to reduce tab clutter.

Well, yes, OneTab does not offer automation or customization. But, the job is done smooth and clean.

Also Read: 5 Best Browser Cleaner Tools to Clean Your Web Browser for Speed

#4. TooManyTabs for Chrome

We already discussed OneTab, which helps you reduce tab clutter. One problem with that is you miss the visual element of tabs. That is, you cannot distinguish between tabs by looking at the favicon or anything. TooManyTabs for Chrome is a good alternative for that need. Instead of forming a list, TooManyTabs will create a thumbnail-based collection of tabs. The collection can be seen on the extension menu. Also, you can drag and drop some tabs to the ‘Suspended Tabs’ area to reduce Chrome memory usage.

toomanytabs-for-chrome - How to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage? -Top 4 Best Chrome Extensions to Reduce Chrome Memory Usage

TooManyTabs for Chrome is the best choice when you have a lot of tabs to manage. As we said, you can look at each tab thumbnail and know what it is. If you need the visual support for tab management, TooManyTabs for Chrome is the best option for sure. We don’t use this much, but at times when we lose our sanity due to a lot of tabs, this extension seemed helpful.

Go for TooManyTabs for Chrome if you need a visual way of tab suspension and tab-clutter management.

Also Read: 9 Best Chrome Addons to Create Animated Gifs Easily

The Pro Review from TechReviewPro

Well, these are the four different Chrome extensions to reduce Chrome memory usage. As you can see, each extension is using a unique method for memory usage reduction in Chrome. If you need an automated solution for RAM management, you should go for The Great Suspender, which is our personal choice too. On the other hand, if you have enough time to suspend tabs manually, you can go with TooManyTabs for Chrome or OneTab. Use any of these extensions in your browser and you will see results soon.

Do you use any other method to reduce Chrome memory usage? Let us know your preference for reduction in Chrome memory usage.

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Meet Author

Rahul Dubey

Rahul is a tech geek, author, blogger, podcaster, YouTuber and a keen learner. Rahul enjoys learning, testing, and messing up with new tips and tricks, apps, and gadgets. He has been writing for several years and has even contributed to popular Magazines like Huffington Post. When he is not making this site better or shooting videos for TechReviewPro YouTube channel, you can find him helping people in groups, forums, and private communities. He is very down to earth person and believes in Karma, hence he never misses an opportunity to help others. Got a query? Ask him via Email: [email protected]

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  • Rakesh Kumar

    Thanks, For sharing awesome chrome extensions related to Reduce chrome memory Uses.

    I’m feeling happy after read your article ☺

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