While Google Chrome is generally a lightweight browser, it can be pretty heavy on system resources, especially depending on the extensions you have installed.
if it seems like Chrome is causing performance issues on your laptop or desktop computer, even when it’s not running, then you might want to try preventing it from running apps in the background.
How to Disable Chrome from Running in the Background
- Open Chrome.
- Click the three dots at the top-right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Choose the System tab.
- Uncheck Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed.
Our guide continues below with additional information on how to stop Chrome from running background apps when it’s closed, including pictures of these steps.
When we close an app on our computer or smartphone, it’s often because the device is running slowly.
It’s long been understood that closing apps can help to free up resources and make the open apps run better, so it might be confusing if things don’t improve.
One reason this may happen with Google Chrome is that there is a setting in the browser that causes it to run background apps, even if you have closed Chrome.
Our tutorial below will show you how to change this setting so that Chrome stops using system resources after you close it.
Check out this article on disabling Flash in Chrome if you don’t want to let sites use that resource.
How to Change the Google Chrome Background App Setting (Guide with Pictures)
The steps in this article were performed in the desktop version of the Google Chrome Web browser.
Step 1: Open the Google Chrome Web browser.
Step 2: Click the three dots at the top-right corner of the window.
It says Customize and control Google Chrome when you hover over it.
Step 3: Choose the Settings option near the bottom of the drop down menu.
Step 4: Select the System tab at the bottom of the column on the left side of the window.
Step 5: Click the button to the right of Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed to turn it off.
Now that you know how to stop Chrome from running apps in the background even when Chrome is closed, you can toggle this setting on or off when you are troubleshooting performance issues on your computer.
More Information About Google Chrome Background Usage
one of the other options that you will see on this menu involves hardware acceleration.
This can be a useful way to make Google Chrome perform better when it’s working properly, but it can cause lagging and poor performance if something is wrong.
If you would like ot disable hardware acceleration in Google Chrome to see if that resolves the issues that you are experiencing, simply return to the Settings menu, choose the System tab, then uncheck the Use hardware acceleration when available option.
Tim Williams has been a freelance writer for years, and now also writes for everythingtech.tv. He likes to write about topics such as Web browsers for computers and mobile devices.
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