For most people, the web browser is the computer: email, banking, shopping, video and work all happen there. So when the browser slows down, everything feels slow. The good news is that browser problems are usually quick to fix.
First: is it the browser or the internet?
- Run a speed test. If your connection is slow, see our Wi-Fi guide instead.
- Try a different browser. If websites load fine in another browser, the problem is your usual one.
- Is it just one website? That site may be having problems of its own.
Fix 1: Close tabs you’re not using
Every open tab uses memory, and some keep working in the background. Dozens of tabs can slow down even a powerful computer.
- Close what you don’t need, and bookmark pages you want to come back to.
- Turn on your browser’s memory-saving feature, which puts unused tabs to sleep:
- Chrome: Settings → Performance → Memory Saver
- Edge: Settings → System and performance → Save resources with sleeping tabs
Fix 2: Find the greedy tab or extension
Browsers have their own task manager.
- Chrome and Edge: press Shift + Esc, or open the menu → More tools → Task manager. Sort by Memory or CPU to see which tab or extension is the problem, and end it.
- Mac (Safari): open Activity Monitor and look for Safari pages using a lot of memory or energy.
Fix 3: Remove extensions you don’t need
Extensions are one of the most common causes of a slow browser. Each one can run on every page you open.
- Chrome: Menu → Extensions → Manage Extensions
- Edge: Menu → Extensions
- Firefox: Menu → Add-ons and themes
- Safari: Safari → Settings → Extensions
Remove anything you don’t recognize or haven’t used recently. To test, turn them all off, then turn them back on one at a time.
Fix 4: Update your browser
Updates bring speed improvements and security fixes. Browsers usually update themselves, but only when you restart them. If you leave the browser open for weeks, close it completely and open it again.
Check in Settings → About (Chrome, Edge) or the App Store / Software Update (Safari).
Fix 5: Clear the cache
The cache stores parts of websites to load them faster, but it can become bloated or corrupted and cause slow or broken pages.
- Chrome and Edge: press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Cmd + Shift + Delete on Mac), choose Cached images and files, and clear.
- Safari: Safari → Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data.
Clearing the cache doesn’t sign you out. Clearing cookies does, so leave cookies unticked unless you want to sign in everywhere again.
Fix 6: Check for unwanted software
Pop-ups, a changed homepage, redirects or ads on every page point to a browser hijacker. See our browser hijacking guide.
Fix 7: Reset the browser
If nothing else works, reset the browser to its default settings. Your bookmarks and saved passwords are kept.
- Chrome: Settings → Reset settings
- Edge: Settings → Reset settings
- Firefox: Help → More troubleshooting information → Refresh Firefox
Fix 8: Check your computer’s memory
If your computer has 4 GB of RAM or less, modern browsers will struggle with more than a few tabs. Adding memory, where possible, makes a big difference. See our slow computer guide.
The bottom line
Close unused tabs, remove extensions you don’t need, restart the browser so it updates, and clear the cache. Those four steps fix most slow browsers in under ten minutes.
