As a trustworthy browser, Microsoft Edge is now the standard choice for the majority of Windows users. It isn’t ideal, though. Before choosing another browser, there are a few remedies you may attempt if Microsoft Edge is making your computer sluggish. Here are five ways that can assist you to speed up your browser and reduce its resource use on your PC.
1. Switch on Efficiency Mode
Efficiency Mode, created exclusively for laptop users of Edge, lowers the browser’s resource use and aids in extending battery life. Therefore, inactive tabs will now be put into sleep mode, which will lessen Edge’s overall resource usage.
To enable this feature, open Microsoft Edge and select the three dots in the top-right corner. From the pop-up menu, select Performance, then select Efficiency Mode.
2. Turn off Startup Boost
Startup Boost enables Microsoft Edge to run a background helper service, which speeds up browser startup. However, when Edge is open, Startup Boost has little to no effect on its resource utilization. Hence, Edge may still continue to use system resources in the background even when it is not active.
If this resource use annoys you, select Settings by clicking the three dots in the top-right corner of the browser window. Then, disable Startup Boost by clicking System and performance in the left pane.
3. Disable Edge applications and background browser extensions
Edge allows extensions and Edge programs to operate in the background when it is closed. So, if you installed Edge applications like Microsoft Teams, this feature is helpful because it allows them to continue operating without the need for the browser.
However, if this background activity is having a negative influence on your system performance try turning off the functionality. The System and performance section of Edge settings contains this option. After that, disable Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed.
4. Fix the New Tab page
By default, Edge’s New Tab page resembles the old MSN quite a bit, featuring a tonne of news, advertisements, and promoted links. As a result of this congestion, Microsoft Edge may experience slower performance.
So, open a new tab in Microsoft Edge and click the gear icon in the top-right corner of this page. Then, use these settings going forward –
- Layout: Focused
- Quick links: Off
- Background: Off
- Show greeting: Off
- Office sidebar: Off
- New tab tips: Off
- Content: Content off
These modifications should declutter the new tab page. Finally, the last step is to select Hide recent Bing searches by clicking the three dots symbol located beneath the search field.
Also, Read- Microsoft Edge one-ups Google Chrome, See what’s Happening
5. Update Microsoft Edge and Windows
If none of these solutions resolves your performance difficulties, it’s time to upgrade both your computer and Microsoft Edge. Microsoft includes bug fixes and stability updates with each new version. Additionally, after updating, make sure to restart your computer for these changes to take effect.
Moreover, malware is the last port of call. Get a reliable anti-malware program, like Malwarebytes, to scan your computer for viruses. Nowadays, crypto-mining malware is crafty enough to bog down your computer and disable itself the instant you open Windows task manager. Fortunately, these programs can be identified and eliminated with a fast scan and malware cleanup.
