There are many different internet browsers out there for us to choose from. Although Safari often comes pre-installed on Macbooks and Microsoft Edge comes preinstalled on some Windows laptops, they’re nowhere near the most popular browser out there.
Even Mozilla Firefox, which is pretty well known, isn’t anywhere as near as used as the most popular browser. I’m talking, of course, about Google Chrome. But is Google Chrome as good as people say it is, and does it warrant being the most popular browser by some distance?
And, could it possibly be the reason why your computer is running slower than before? We’re going to look at whether Chrome could be the reason your computer or laptop is running slowly.
Is Google Chrome slowing down your computer?
The truth is that although for many people Google Chrome is still their primary browser, it could be the reason why your computer is running slowly. This is especially true if you use a lot of different tabs, which is one of the main reasons that Chrome starts to slow down your computer.
The problem that some people have with Google Chrome on their laptop is that it starts to use more and more RAM. You can determine whether Chrome is causing the problem by initially looking in your Chrome Task Manager (Windows>Task Manager).
This will give you an idea of what’s running in your Chrome Browser. You should be able to spot any web pages that may be slowing down your computer.
After this, you’ll want to check the Task Manager of your whole device, or Activity Monitor on a Macbook. This can let you know how much of your over CPU is being used by Chrome and the rest of the programs installed on your device.
Here, you can decipher whether Chrome is causing the issue or not. Task manager shows us very simply the processing power each app is using, and you can sort it by percentage too. If Chrome isn’t near the top, then it’s unlikely to be causing an issue.
The good news is that you can identify quite easily whether Chrome is the reason your computer is running slowly. Simply checking Windows Task Manager will give you an idea of what is causing your slow computer, as you can see what has the highest CPU usage easily.
And if it is causing a problem, fortunately, there are things that you can do to resolve it.
How to fix
In many cases, simply moving to using a different browser like Firefox is going to be the easiest and quickest solution. The web browser that you use will likely have an effect on the speed of your computer. However, if you’ve become attached to using Google Chrome, then there are a few things you can do to try and fix the problem.
The first thing you can try is to use less tabs that you have been using previously. This can definitely make a difference to your overall experience, and if you’re used to having 10 different tabs open, then this might be causing the issue. So, the first thing to do is to minimize the amount of tabs you’re using regularly.
As well as this, if this problem has just occurred, then you can go ahead and downgrade your Chrome edition to the previous version. There could be a problem with the most recent Chrome update that’s causing this issue on your computer. Typically, this won’t be the cause of the problem, but it is still worth checking out,
It doesn’t matter whether you’re using a desktop or a laptop, this can cause a problem on both devices (as someone who made the switch to a laptop from a desktop, I’ve had problems with both). And, it can occur on different operating systems too, whether you’re a Windows user or you use a Macbook.
Chrome Extensions – A common culprit
One of the main reasons why Chrome might be slowing down your computer is the extensions that you’re using within the browser itself. You don’t necessarily have to have a ton of extensions installed for this to become a problem either. Just one extension could be the root cause of your slowing computer.
So, one thing that you can do is uninstall all of the extensions that you’re not using and see if this helps to resolve the problem. If not, then you might want to try uninstalling all of the remaining plugins one by one to try and see if any of them are causing the issue.
Although this can take a while, it will help to isolate the root cause of the problem, as a full Chrome cleanup could be in order.
Common Causes of a Slow Computer
It’s not only Chrome which could be causing your computer to run slowly. There are other reasons why your computer might be slow. Here’s a few other things which might have an effect on your computers speed.
As well as above, it’s only natural that your computer will begin to slow down after you’ve owned it for a while. As it fills up with more and more files and programs, it becomes more and more sluggish.
If you’ve tried all of the above with no results, then you could consider a full factory reset of your device. This can help make your computer faster, and in turn, improve your browser experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it could be that Chrome is causing your computer to run slower than it has previously. However, this might not actually be the root cause of the problem, so it’s important to check other sources to see if Chrome isn’t actually the culprit.
If you follow all of the advice above, then you should be able to find the problem, and find a resolution too. It could be something as simple as a web page, or something as complex as a problem with your computer.
