Google Chrome has been around for over a decade (14 years, to be precise). The software has been a “resource beast” that has been using more and more of a computer’s memory and battery life without seeming to care.
Google has finally taken steps to reduce the browser’s impact on a user’s computer performance. The company has released optimisation features aimed at enhancing a computer’s battery life and memory usage that is running the most recent version of its Chrome desktop web browser.
Following their announcement in December 2022 alongside Chrome 108’s release, Chrome’s new Energy Saver and Memory Saver modes are now making their way onto Chrome 110 desktops for Mac, Windows, and Chromebooks around the world.
Chrome’s Memory Saver mode essentially puts to sleep any inactive tabs, freeing up RAM for more demanding tasks and resulting in a more fluid browsing experience. You need not worry if you have a habit of hoarding tabs, as these inactive tabs will remain open and can be loaded again at any time to resume where you left off. As an added convenience, you can exclude your most frequently visited sites from Memory Saver to guarantee they always run at top speed.
Similarly, switching to Energy Saver mode will reduce the loading time of pages and disable unnecessary website features like smooth video or animation scrolling. For Chrome-powered devices, you can set it to activate at 20 percent battery life or immediately after disconnecting from a power source. Google hasn’t said how much energy this feature could potentially save.
Devices running Chrome 110 have Memory Saver and Energy Saver enabled by default; users may turn off either feature at any time by accessing the Performance settings page.
