How to speed up Chrome

Is Chrome getting slow for you? This could be due to hardware or software limitations. While we can’t give you better-performing specs, we can offer some tips and tricks to speed up Chrome for Android through software improvements.

More: Here are 20 Chrome for Android tips and tricks

Editor’s note: Steps in this guide were put together using a Pixel 7 Pro running Android 13, an iPhone 12 Mini running iOS 16.2, and a custom PC running Windows 11. Remember that some of these steps may differ depending on your hardware and software.

Why is Chrome slowing down?

Chrome may be one of the most important apps we hold on our smart devices and computers. It’s your window to the internet, so it can be frustrating when it starts slowing down. This is why we should identify a few reasons why Chrome may be slowing down, before we move on to possible solutions.

The Chrome browser was known as a clean, simple, and fast browser during its humble beginnings. It was as simple as you could get a browser to be, at least compared to competitors like Internet Explorer or Firefox. Over the years, Google has been adding features to Chrome left and right. Not only that, but you can also expand its functionality with the use of Chrome extensions or plug-ins. All of this functionality comes at a cost and affects performance. If you really can’t get Chrome to be faster, you might have to look at other alternatives.

Another factor that comes to mind is that your device may be getting older or needs a bit more power. Chrome is expanding its feature set, and websites are getting more resource-intensive as the internet evolves. This could be a reason Chrome has started to feel slower for you. We have a list of the best Android phones if you really need more power. You can also look into the best iPhones and computers.

Additionally, it could be a data issue. Have you moved to a place with slower data speeds? Maybe you’ve been using your phone in a concrete building lately? Or your Wi-Fi and internet provider may be having issues. Try a speed test or see if other apps are also slower. Furthermore, other apps using too much data can slow down Chrome, as they may be using up your bandwidth.

It’s also common to see Chrome slow down as it stores more cookies, expands its cache data, or gets overused. You may want to clear that data, and we’ll show you how it’s done. You may also be running an older version of Chrome.

The possibilities are endless. If you don’t think any of the possible causes listed above apply to you, though, one of the troubleshooting methods below might get your Chrome browser back up to speed. Let’s get started with possible solutions.

Preload pages for faster browsing

Google can sometimes be too good at predicting what you will do. All that algorithmic magic can help make Chrome faster too. The mobile browser can preload websites before you actually access them. This means a site will often be preloaded before you decide to go into it.

It makes the whole experience much faster, but there is one downside. The main issue here is that doing this may waste a lot of data. This is not cool if you are on a tight internet budget, or if your data speeds aren’t great and you’re just wasting resources preloading stuff. You will probably enjoy the added speed if you don’t mind wasting megabytes, though. The choice is yours. We’ll show you how to turn the feature on and off.

How to turn Preload Pages feature on or off on Android

1. Open Chrome.
2. Hit the three-dot menu button on the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Select Settings.
4. Tap Privacy and security.
5. Go into Preload pages.
6. Select between No preloading, Standard preloading, or Extended preloading. Picking the right option may speed up Chrome for Android!

How to activate preloading pages on iOS

1. Open Chrome.
2. Hit the three-dot menu button on the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. Select Settings.
4. Tap Bandwidth.
5. Select Preload Webpages.
6. Pick Always, Only on Wi-Fi, or Never.
7. Hit Done.

Activate preloading pages on Windows

1. Open Chrome.
2. Hit the three-dot menu button on the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Select Settings.
4. Tap Privacy and security.
5. Go into Cookies and other site data.
6. Turn on Preload pages for faster browsing and searching.

Also read: Everything you need to know about Incognito Mode

Clear the cache to speed up Chrome

The cache is actually a good feature. It loads browsing data and saves it in your local storage. When you load a page, it is much faster for the browser to pull stored data instead of downloading it again. Actually, that might be a way to speed up Android. If you clear the cache too much, it might be better to stop doing it so often.

The problem comes when you store too much cache data, as the files can get fragmented and corrupted, causing your browser to slow down. Clearing your browser cache from time to time keeps things fresh. It will create longer loading times right after the fact, but things should be looking better soon enough.

How to clear the cache on Chrome for Android

1. Open Chrome.
2. Hit the three-dot menu button on the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Select Settings.
4. Go into Privacy and security.
5. Tap Clear browsing data.
6. Check the data you want to delete.
7. Hit Clear data.
8. Confirm by tapping Clear.

How to clear the cache on Chrome for iOS

1. Open Chrome.
2. Hit the three-dot menu button on the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. Select Settings.
4. Go into Privacy and Security.
5. Tap Clear browsing data.
6. Select the data you want to delete.
7. Hit Clear Browsing Data.
8. Confirm by tapping Clear Browsing Data.

Clear the cache on Chrome for Windows

1. Open Chrome.
2. Hit the three-dot menu button on the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Select Settings.
4. Go into Privacy and security.
5. Tap Clear browsing data.
6. Check the data you want to delete.
7. Hit Clear data.

Use Chrome shortcuts on your home screen

Maybe your browser is as fast as possible, so the most sensible solution is to adapt to it and find your own ways to get where you want to be faster. One way to do this is by using home screen shortcuts for your most visited websites.

Maybe you are constantly checking Android Authority; why not put it right on your home screen? This will save you from going into the browser and finding the site manually. You can’t do this on Chrome for iOS.

How to make a website shortcut on Chrome for Android

1. Open Chrome.
2. Go to the site you want to create a shortcut for.
3. Hit the button on the top-right corner of the screen.
4. Select Add to Home screen.
5. Edit the title as you wish.
6. Select Add.

Make a website shortcut on Chrome for Windows

1. Open Chrome.
2. Go to the site you want to create a shortcut for.
3. Hit the three-dot menu button on the top-right corner of the screen.
4. Click on More tools.
5. Select Create shortcut.
6. Edit the title as you wish.
7. Select Create.

Related: Here’s how to block ads in Chrome for Android

Keep Chrome up to date

Remember, Chrome gets constant updates, and the team is always trying to keep things efficient, add features, and kill bugs. They also try to speed up Chrome for Android and other platforms! Always make sure your Chrome browser is upgraded to the latest version. This will improve the chances of it running smoothly.

How to update the Chrome Android app

1. Open the Google Play Store.
2. Search for Chrome.
3. Tap the Google Chrome option.
4. If there are available updates, an option will read Update. Tap it.
5. If no available updates are ready, this button will say Open. This means Chrome is up-to-date.

How to update the Chrome iOS app

1. Open the Apple App Store.
2. Search for Chrome.
3. Tap the Google Chrome option.
4. If there are available updates, there will be an option that reads Update. Tap it.
5. If no available updates are ready, this button will say Open. This means Chrome is up-to-date.

Update the Chrome Windows app

1. Open the Chrome browser.
2. Click the three-dot menu button.
3. Open Settings.
4. Select About Chrome.
5. Chrome will automatically look for updates and give you instructions if needed. It might also simply apply the update automatically.

Use Chrome’s experimental features

If you want to go deep into Chrome to see if you can speed it up, check out the browser’s flags. Just type chrome://flags in the URL box, and you will be taken to the browser’s hidden experiments. We have a dedicated post where we show you how to do this, as well as our favorite Chrome flags. Some of these improve performance, so check them out.

Speed up Chrome for Android by closing unused tabs

It’s easy to get a little tab happy with Chrome, but this could be slowing down your experience. Make sure to close all the tabs you don’t need and clean things up so the browser can operate lightly.

How to close tabs on Chrome for Android

1. Tap the square icon in the top-right corner of the screen (next to the three-dot menu button).
2. Press the X button on the corner of each tab you want to close.
3. Alternatively, you can tap on the three-dot menu button and select Close all tabs.

How to close tabs on Chrome for iOS

1. Tap the square icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen (next to the three-dot menu button).
2. Press the X button on the corner of each tab you want to close.
3. Alternatively, you can tap on the Edit button and select Close All Tabs.

Close tabs on Chrome for Android

• Click on the X next to each tab.
• Done!

FAQs

Are you still not happy with Chrome? Maybe it’s time to start looking at some of the best browsers out there to see if any of them can make a good alternative?