Published 2022-11-15 by TechNet New England
Chrome is the most popular browser but it has its share of issues. Here are fixes for the most common problems. ## Chrome Running Slow ### Too Many Tabs Each tab uses memory and CPU. Close tabs you are not using. Use a bookmark folder instead of keeping "save for later" tabs open. ### Clear Cache Press **Ctrl + Shift + Delete** (Windows) or **Command + Shift + Delete** (Mac). Clear "Cached images and files." This forces Chrome to re-download website assets. ### Disable Unused Extensions 1. Click the three dots > **Extensions > Manage Extensions**. 2. Toggle off or remove extensions you do not use. 3. Extensions run in the background and consume resources. ### Update Chrome 1. Click the three dots > **Help > About Google Chrome**. 2. Chrome will check for updates and install them. 3. Click **Relaunch** to apply. ## Chrome Crashing ### Disable Hardware Acceleration 1. Click the three dots > **Settings > System**. 2. Toggle off **Use hardware acceleration when available**. 3. Relaunch Chrome. Hardware acceleration uses your GPU for rendering. On some systems, this causes crashes instead of improving performance. ### Reset Chrome Settings 1. Click the three dots > **Settings > Reset settings**. 2. Click **Restore settings to their original defaults**. 3. Click **Reset settings**. This resets your homepage, search engine, pinned tabs, and extensions but keeps your bookmarks and passwords. ### Create a New Chrome Profile 1. Click your profile icon (top right). 2. Click **Add**. 3. Create a new profile. 4. Test Chrome with the new profile. If Chrome works fine with a new profile, the issue is something in your original profile (a corrupt extension, setting, or cache). ## "Aw, Snap!" Error This means Chrome's rendering process crashed for that specific tab. 1. Click **Reload** to try again. 2. If it keeps happening on the same page, clear your cache. 3. If it happens on every page, update Chrome, disable extensions, or reset settings. ## "Not Secure" Warning Chrome shows "Not Secure" in the address bar when a website uses HTTP instead of HTTPS. This is a website issue, not a Chrome issue. Avoid entering passwords or sensitive information on non-HTTPS websites. ## Chrome Using Too Much Memory Open Chrome's built-in Task Manager to see what is using memory: 1. Press **Shift + Escape** (Windows) or open the three dots menu > **More tools > Task Manager** (Mac). 2. Sort by **Memory footprint**. 3. End processes for tabs or extensions using excessive memory. ## When to Contact IT If Chrome is managed by your organization, some settings may be locked by policy. If you cannot install extensions, change the homepage, or access certain settings, contact your IT provider. If Chrome crashes consistently only on work-related websites, the issue may be a proxy, certificate, or network configuration problem that requires IT access.