Google Chrome’s Memory Saver mode can improve browser performance by discarding idle tabs. Users can now set a discard time ranging from 1 minute to 12 hours and easily identify discarded tabs, thanks to new features being tested by Google.
Google introduced Memory Saver Mode in Chrome to optimize the memory usage of the browser. The feature when enabled, discards inactive tabs, this frees up memory and is used by other tabs and apps. This makes Chrome run faster.
Google is now making improvements to Memory saver mode.
Enable Discard time for Memory Saver in Chrome
Chrome soon lets you control the time before the memory saver discards a tab. It allows setting discard time for Memory Saver for 1 minute, 5 minutes,15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 1 hour followed by four, six, and 12 hours.
As of now, the feature with options is available behind a flag.
To control discard time for Memory Saver in Chrome
- Load chrome://flags in the address bar
- Find “Configure discard time for Memory Saver”
- Select discard time and restart Chrome.
Another feature for Memory Saver being worked on by Google is to let users clearly distinguish between regular tabs and discarded tabs.
With memory Saver mode enabled, to indicate discarded tabs, Chrome fades out tab favicons. You can compare the experience to Micorsoft Edge greying tabs when tabs are sleeping.
Here is what discarded tabs look like with Memory Saver in Chrome:
To enable the feature,
Enable Discarded Tab treatment for Memory Saver in Chrome
- visit chrome://flags
- Find “Enable discarded tab treatment for Memory Saver Mode“, and choose an option other than Default
- Restart Chrome.
Depending upon the time you configured Memory Saver to kick in the flag mentioned above, tabs get discarded and their favicon changes to indicate. Of course, these tabs will be reloaded when you interact with them.
The two features for Memory Saver mode are being experimented with by Google in Chrome 115 Canary. They may make their way into stable release when testing is one.
If you find that Memory Save Mode, which discards idle tabs to optimize memory usage, is not to your liking because it may result in data loss or require you to rework a tab that was lost due to discard and reload, you can easily disable it.
What’s your take on Chrome Memory Saver’s new features? Let us know in the comments below.