Google Chrome is arguably the fastest performing browser available today, but that speed comes at a cost. To be that fast, it has to use more CPU than other browsers are willing to use, and more CPU usage means more battery drainage.

That's just one of the many reasons not to use Chrome on a laptop. Its heavy dependence on CPU means that it can impact the performance of other applications and cause your fans to be louder as they try to expel the extra heat. But what can you do?

Don't worry, as we've covered all the top tips to reduce Chrome's CPU & battery consumption.

1. Remove Unnecessary Extensions

If Chrome is experiencing unusually high CPU usage, the usual culprit is an extension gone amok. One of your extensions might be poorly coded, or it might just have a bug, but in either case, you should remove them one by one to see if it helps.

chrome extension menu.

Note: an extension can use CPU even when disabled, so we recommend actually removing them to make sure.

2. Disable Hardware Acceleration

The Hardware Acceleration setting allows Chrome to share heavy processing loads between your CPU and your GPU, but it doesn't always work well. In fact, sometimes it causes Chrome to use more CPU. Try disabling it and seeing if that helps.

Follow the steps below to disable Hardware Acceleration:

  1. Click on the three dots in the top-right corner of your browser and click on Settings.
  2. On the next window, scroll down and click on Advanced.
  3. Scroll down to the Use hardware acceleration when available option.
    chrome advanced settings menu
  4. Finally, toggle the button to the off position and click on Relaunch.

This will disable Hardware Acceleration. If it's not just Chrome that's a drain on your CPU, check out how to fix high CPU usage in Windows.

Related: What Is Hardware Acceleration?

3. Update Your Chrome Browser Regularly

The value of updates can never be overstated; especially at a time when our world is becoming so entwined with technology.

Unfortunately, hackers are always tinkering with new technologies to find loopholes, and will then exploit them to our detriment. This is where updates come in—an attempt by tech companies to keep the hackers at bay. Developers push updates to fix any new loopholes and bugs before hackers can exploit them.

Thanks to constant updates, software can become strikingly different from its original version—at least in terms of its design, speed, and usability. In Google Chrome, the updates are downloaded automatically. To make sure that your browser is up-to-date, you can also check for the updates manually.

To get started, click on the three dots at the top-right menu on Chrome, and select Help. From there, click on About Google Chrome.

chrome help menu

A new window will pop up where you can see if your Chrome browser is updated or not.

about chrome menu

4. Get Rid of Additional Tabs

This one's a no-brainer. Each tab on your Chrome browser occupies some amount of CPU memory; the more tabs you have open, the more of your CPU memory will be expended. And this will result in a rapid battery drain.

Related: Intuitive Chrome Extensions to Manage and Sort Too Many Open Tabs

To make sure that that's not the case, it's best to close any extra tabs that are not in use. To do that, click on go the tab that you want to close, and click on the Close option (X). Alternatively, you can also use the Ctrl + W keyboard shortcut on Windows or Cmd + W on Mac to close tabs. Doing this will result in a steep reduction in Chrome's memory and battery consumption.

Don't take our word for it, as you can easily verify if this is working for you or not. On Windows, use the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut to open the Task Manager. Look at the Memory column to compare Chrome's memory usage before and after closing the extra tabs.

Task Manager Google Chrome

To check this on your Mac, click on Finder, and select Applications. From there, double-click on the Utilities app. Switch to the Memory tab to check the memory consumption.

5. Use the Chrome Cleanup Tool

Another cause of excessive memory consumption, battery consumption, and poor performance could be sneaky malware and adware programs. Due to careless browsing habits, many computers can get infected with malicious programs. Users often realize it too late—usually when they face difficulties in doing everyday tasks on their computers.

And if you are a Windows user, you're in luck. Chrome has a free tool, called Chrome Cleanup tool, only for Windows computers. This clears away any malicious programs or extensions that might be responsible for excessive memory drain. Here's how to access this tool:

  1. Open Google Chrome, and select the three dots in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. From there, select Settings > Advanced.
  3. Choose Reset and clean up, and then select Clean up computer.
    Reset and cleanup tool Chrome
  4. Click Find to start the cleanup process.
    Chrome tool to clean up computer

While Chrome doesn't offer a Chrome Cleanup tool for Mac, you can still remove unwanted programs manually. Go to Finder > Applications and move all the unwanted apps to the Trash.

To do this, right-click the specific app and select Move to Bin to delete it. Make sure to empty the Trash to permanently delete these items.

6. Close Additional Background Apps

The more apps you are running on your computer, the more battery and CPU will be used by them. And although all apps consume your computer's memory and battery, they are not using the same amount of resources. A game, for instance, will eat up far more battery and CPU memory, then say, a PDF document open in the background.

So if you are looking to free up CPU space, getting rid of non-essential apps will work in your favor. If you are on Mac, press the Cmd + Opt + Esc to open the Force Quit Applications window. Select the background apps that you want to close, and click on Force Quit.

force quit apps window

You can do the same in Windows by opening the Task Manager using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut. From here, select the app that you want to close, and hit End Task in the bottom right corner of the window.

Windows End Task

Reducing Chrome's CPU & Battery Usage

Despite its poor privacy practices, Google Chrome is still one of the best free browsers on the internet. The only other drawback is its high CPU and battery consumption. Hopefully, our short guide helped you learn all the tips and tricks to reduce this consumption.

Image Credit: tanuha2001/Shutterstock