Over the next few weeks, Google will make available two new features for its popular Chrome browser — one that reduces memory use when multiple tabs are open and another uses an energy-saving mode when a laptop battery is low. Google’s Chrome browser has long been plagued by memory system-sucking issues — especially when multiple tabs are open — but the world’s most popular browser today got an upgrade to optimize both device battery power and memory use. With the latest release of Chrome on desktop, Google will be introducing two new performance settings: Memory Saver and Energy Saver. When they’re used, Google said Chrome will consume up to 30% less memory and extend a device’s battery when it’s running low. “We’ll be rolling out both Memory Saver and Energy Saver modes over the next several weeks globally for Windows, macOS and ChromeOS,” Mark Chang, group product manager for Chrome, wrote in a company blog. When the new features arrive, they will run natively until users choose to turn them off manually or mark “important websites” to make them exempt from Memory Saver. Google Chrome’s Memory Saver mode can be manually turned off by accessing the three-dot menu at the top-right corner of the browser page. Users can find the Memory Savor control tucked away under the three-dot menu in the upper right corner of a Chrome browser windows. Chrome’s overuse of system memory has in the past limited the amount available for other programs running on a computer or other device. The problems even led to Chrome struggling to cache information for quick access, which negates the use of the RAM in the first place. “From the beginning, we designed Chrome for speed. But performance is more than just delivering a fast browsing experience,” Chang wrote. Becuase Google Chrome sandboxes browser processes, a user who opens Chrome with the Google search box there ends up with two Chrome processes running — each needing its own memory. “Add another tab and you get three,” Jerry Hildenbrand, a senior editor at AndroidCentral wrote in a post last year. “Add the 50 or so tabs you end up opening by the end of the night and you have 51, each running semi-independently from the other and each taking up system resources. That’s only the beginning. Each extension starts another process. Chrome does some aggressive preloading of web pages so your internet browsing feels nice and snappy.” The problem results in Chrome eating megabytes of memory. Google claims the new Memory Saver mode provides a smoother-running browser experience, even if you have “a bunch of tabs open….” Memory Saver works by freeing up memory from tabs not currently being used by a system, so active websites get the memory resources first. “This is especially useful if you’re running other intensive applications, like editing family videos or playing games. Any inactive tabs will be reloaded when you need them,” Chang said. Google Chrome’s Energy Saver mode can be manually turned off. Additionally, Chrome’s new Energy Saver mode is designed to save battery power by limiting background activity and visual effects for websites with animations and videos. The Energy Saver mode activates when a device’s battery level reaches 20% capacity, Google said. Related content feature Office 365: A guide to the updates Get the latest info on new features, bug fixes, and security updates for Office 365/Microsoft 365 for Windows as they roll out from Microsoft. Now updated for Version 2404 (Build 17531.20152), released on May 14, 2024. By Preston Gralla May 14, 2024 110 mins Microsoft 365 Microsoft Office Office Suites feature Windows 11: A guide to the updates Here’s what you need to know about the latest updates to Windows 11 as they’re released from Microsoft. Now updated for KB5037771, released on May 14, 2024. By Preston Gralla May 14, 2024 60 mins Small and Medium Business Microsoft Windows 11 feature Windows 10: A guide to the updates Here's what you need to know about each update to the current version of Windows 10 as it's released from Microsoft. Now updated for KB5037768, released on May 14, 2024. By Preston Gralla May 14, 2024 172 mins Small and Medium Business Windows 10 Microsoft news analysis Apple reports on its forever war against App Store fraud Apple prevented over $1.8 billion worth of potential fraud in 2023 alone — that’s up 20% in four years. By Jonny Evans May 14, 2024 6 mins Apple Mobile Apps Application Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe