How to Stop Microsoft Edge From Slowing Down Your Computer

Microsoft Edge has earned its place as a reputable browser, making it a good default option for most Windows users. However, it’s not perfect. If Microsoft Edge is slowing down your computer, you are in trouble a few fixes you can try before switching to another browser. We’ve combed through the app’s performance settings to help you speed up your browser and minimize resource consumption on your PC.

Activate efficiency mode

Designed specifically for those using Edge on a laptop, Efficiency Mode reduces the browser’s resource usage and helps you slightly extend your computer’s battery life. This change puts inactive tabs to sleep and reduces Edge’s overall resource consumption.

To enable this feature, open Microsoft Edge and click the three dots in the top right corner. Choose perfomancethen activate efficiency mode from the popup.

Disable Startup Boost

Startup Boost allows Microsoft Edge to run a helper service in the background, which allows the browser to start faster. When you have Edge open, Startup Boost has little to no impact on resource usage. However, when Edge isn’t running, it can still poll system resources in the background.

If this use of resources bothers you, cClick on the three dots in the upper right corner of the browser window and then select settings. In the left pane, click system and performancethen disable Startup Boost.

Disable background extensions and edge apps

When you close Edge, the browser allows extensions and Edge apps to run in the background. This feature is useful if you have Edge apps like Microsoft Teams installedas they can continue to function regardless of the browser.

However, if this background activity is affecting system performance, try disabling the feature. This option is in the system and performance Edge settings section. Deactivate Keep extensions and apps running in the background when Microsoft Edge is closed.

Fix the New Tab page.

By default, Edge’s New Tab page looks a lot like MSN from the old days, with a bunch of messages, ads, and promoted links. This mess can potentially be a cause of slower performance in Microsoft Edge.

Open a new tab in Microsoft Edge and click the gear icon in the top right corner of this page. Now use the following settings:

• Layout: focused
• Quick links: Out of
• Background: Out of
• Show greeting: Out of
• Office sidebar: Out of
• New Tab Tips: Out of
• Contents: content off

These changes should get rid of the clutter on the New Tab page. As a final step, you can click on the three dots icon below the search form and select Hide recent Bing searches.

Update Windows and Microsoft Edge

If none of these options solve your performance issues, it’s time to update both of them Your computer and Microsoft Edge, as Microsoft includes bug fixes and stability patches with each new update. Be sure to restart your computer after updating for these changes to take effect.

The last port of call is malware. You should get a good anti-malware app, such as MalwareBytes, to scan your computer for viruses. Today, crypto-mining malware is clever enough to slow your computer down to a crawl while disabling itself as soon as you open Windows Task Manager. A quick scan and malware cleanup can highlight and remove these processes.