My browser eats all memory, everything slows down
Browser tabs are modern memory hogs. Ten tabs sounds light, but every video, GenAI, or dashboard tab runs its own mini-app.
Try this first
- 1Close tabs you are not actively using. Even paused YouTube tabs hold 200-400 MB.
- 2In Chrome/Edge: Shift+Esc for the built-in task manager. Which tab is big? Close it.
- 3Limit extensions. Every browser extension runs in every tab. Browse through, disable what you do not really use.
- 4Restart the browser daily. Sounds dated but hours-open memory leaks are real.
- 5Use bookmarks instead of keeping tabs open. Thirty "I will get back to it" tabs is not a workflow, it is a leak.
When to bring us in
If the laptop struggles with few tabs (<8GB RAM on a 2026 work laptop): upgrade time. We advise and procure, or you get it via your Managed IT contract.
See also
- My laptop is suddenly slowThree main suspects: a runaway background process, near-full disk, or a Windows update in progress.
- One specific application is slow for everyoneIf an app is slow for one person: local. For everyone at once: server side or vendor side.
- Opening files from the file server takes minutesOften the server itself is fine and the issue is network routing or stalling DNS resolution.
None of the above fits?
Describe your situation below. We pass your input plus the steps you already saw to our AI and return tailored next-step advice. If it's too risky to DIY, we'll say so.
Or skip the DIY entirely
Our Managed IT clients do not look these things up. One point of contact, a fixed monthly price, resolved within working hours.