Why Google Chrome Is So Slow (And How To Make It Faster)

Another reason Chrome may be slow is that it is out of date, stuck on an older version. The latest version of Chrome often brings performance fixes, apart from security fixes and other bug fixes. So, a slowdown issue present on older versions could be solved easily with a Chrome update. While Chrome normally updates itself, it may not do so for a few reasons, including if you haven’t shut the browser down in a while because Chrome requires a restart to update.

Check the top-right corner of Chrome. If you see an Update button, this shows the browser does need an update. Click on the button, and you will see a pop-up menu that asks if you want to Relaunch the browser to apply the update. It also gives you a Not now option, in case you aren’t ready to restart just yet. The update will then apply when you next start Chrome.

Even if the Update button isn’t visible, you can check if Chrome is up to date by going to the three-dot icon, clicking on Help, then clicking on About Google Chrome. It’s on this page you will see Chrome’s version number, and if you’re connected to the internet, Chrome will automatically check to see if it is up to date. It’ll start downloading the update in case it hasn’t already, and once done, it will ask you to Relaunch. If you click this, the browser will attempt to reload your session, but you may lose some data from open tabs.