On Google Chrome (version 108 and higher releases), “memory saver” is a feature designed to improve performance by deactivating inactive tabs to free up memory and system resources for other tabs and applications on Windows 11 and macOS.
In the past, you had to rely on extensions, such as the “Tab Suspender,” but that’s no longer necessary since Google has finally added a feature to free up memory similar to the one available on Microsoft Edge.
Starting with Chrome version 108, the feature should come enabled by default, but you can always enable it manually. Also, if you prefer to keep using an extension or are not interested in this feature, it’s possible to disable it.
This guide will teach you the steps to allow Google Chrome to deactivate inactive tabs to save memory and system resources on Windows 11.
- Enable memory saver tabs on Chrome
- Prevent Chrome from deactivating tabs
- Disable memory saver tabs on Chrome
Enable memory saver tabs on Chrome
To enable memory saver mode for tabs on Google Chrome, use these steps:
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Open Chrome.
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Click the horizontal ellipsis menu button in the top-right corner and click on Settings.
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Click on Performance.
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Turn on the Memory Saver toggle switch.
Once you complete the steps, the web browser will deactivate inactive tabs after some time of inactivity to free up memory and resources for other tabs. As you return to the tabs, they will become active again.
Prevent Chrome from deactivating tabs
To keep Chrome from deactivating tabs for specific websites, use these steps:
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Open Chrome.
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Click the horizontal ellipsis menu button in the top-right corner and click on Settings.
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Click on Performance.
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Click the Add button.
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Confirm the site to keep active.
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Click the Add button.
After completing the steps, Chrome will continue deactivating tabs to save memory and system resources, but it will keep your specified sites active.
Disable memory saver tabs on Chrome
To disable the memory saver feature for tabs on Chrome, use these steps:
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Open Chrome.
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Click the horizontal ellipsis menu button in the top-right corner and click on Settings.
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Click on Performance.
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Turn off the Memory Saver toggle switch.
Once you complete the steps, Chrome’s memory saver feature will be disabled and inactive tabs will no longer deactivate.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].