How to Speed Up Your Web Browser

If you are worried about your Web browser's performance been worse than you remember it, then you should know that this is something perfectly normal. The performance of Web browsers may often deteriorate over time since they get bloated with cached files, cookies, all sorts of extensions, and plenty of other information that may not be important. This is why doing some casual 'maintenance' on your Web browsers is strongly recommended to keep their performance as good as possible. Here are some tips on how to speed up your Web browser:

Google Chrome

Google Chrome is the most popular Web browser for the last couple of years, undisputedly, and its user base continues to grow rapidly. If your Google Chrome browser is not performing like it used to, then here's what you can try to do:

• Check for heavy browser add-ons. Go to the Chrome Menu -> More Tools -> Task Manager. This shows you a list of browser components and how much memory they use. IF there is an unknown extension using too much memory, you may try disabling it temporarily to see if the issue gets resolved.
• Use an ad-blocker extension, which will limit the number of ads and pop-ups you see while online. This reduces the size of your cache and improves page loading times.
• Clear the browser data by going to the Chrome Menu -> More Tools -> Clear Browsing Data. Select the period you wish to purge, as well as the types of information you wish to remove. Generally, it is recommended to remove cookies, cached images, and site data.
• Apply any pending updates to Google Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox users can try out the following speed-enhancing tips:

• See if the issue persists in Safe Mode. Safe Mode commands Firefox to turn at factory settings without being bloated by 3rd-party extensions and settings. To do it, open the browser and go to Menu -> Help -> Restart without add-ons -> Start in Safe Mode. If the problem is fixed, then it is likely that one of the add-ons is causing the problem.
• Identifying troublemaking add-ons is a bit more troublesome than Google Chrome. You will need to go to the Menu -> Add-ons and start turning them off one by one since it is impossible to see the memory usage for each specific add-on.
• Clear Firefox data by going to Menu -> Options -> Privacy & Security -> Cookies and Site Data. PressClear Data and select the period and types of information you wish to remove.

Safari

Safari users on both Windows and macOS can try the following fixes:

• Apply pending software updates.
• Clear the Safari history and cache by going to Safari -> Preferences -> Advanced, and then enabling 'Show Develop menu in the menu bar.' After this, go to Develop -> Empty Cache.
• Disable Adobe Flash Player and JAVA through the Safari -> Preferences -> Safari Extensions section. Check the same section for other unnecessary extensions, which may be consuming hardware resources without being needed at all.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge users should:

• Open the Edge browser, and go to the menu (resembled by an icon with three dots) -> Settings -> Choose what to clear. SelectBrowsing history, cookies and saved website data, Cached data and files, and download history before pressing 'Clear'.
• Disable or uninstall unnecessary extensions by opening Microsoft Edge and going to Menu -> Extensions.
• Repair Microsoft Edge by going to Start Menu -> Apps -> Apps & Features. Find Microsoft Edge, select it, and click 'Repair.'