On Linux, Google Chrome now consumes less memory.

Google Chrome 110 is being rolled out to users across all devices this week, and it includes a noteworthy new feature.

The most common web browser in the world now contains a memory saver. On my systems, it was activated by default, but there is a toggle to switch it off if you prefer.

So what is it?

To cite the feature description on Chrome’s (also new) Performance tabs:

“When on, Chrome frees up memory from dormant windows. This provides enabled tabs and other applications more computer resources and makes Chrome fast. When you return to an inactive page, it immediately becomes active again.”

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If the function sounds familiar, that’s because Google revealed it last year. However, it has only recently started to be rolled out to users of Google Chrome’s stable channel (and if you don’t know what the stable channel is, I promise you’re using it).

It’s good that you don’t have to be a chronic tab hoarder to profit. I only have about 6 tabs active at any given moment, but some, like Gmail, can consume significant quantities of memory over time.

But there are moments when you’re fine with that.

Google has you covered there. In Chrome, you can easily add domains to an allow-list. This will prevent them from loading in the background.

Chrome users on Windows and macOS will also benefit from another performance-enhancing function, which lowers power usage on computers when the battery percentage falls below 20%. Unfortunately, that functionality is not yet activated in Linux builds.

Get Google Chrome 110

If you already use Google Chrome on Linux, you are most likely already up to current. If this is the case, you can enable Memory Saver by going to the Chrome Menu > More Tools > Performace.

If you don’t already have this version, perform a software update check. It’s probably accessible through your distro’s normal update channels.

If not, you can get Chrome for Linux from Google or privately from sites like Flathub, the AUR, and so on.

SOURCE:

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