Managing Chrome Memory

The "RAM Hog" Reputation

Google Chrome's multi-process architecture is brilliant for stability—if one tab crashes, the others stay open. But this stability comes at a cost: Memory. Each tab you open is essentially its own mini-application with its own rendering engine and script instances.

For developers and power users who keep dozens (or hundreds) of tabs open, this can quickly consume 8GB, 16GB, or even 32GB of RAM, slowing down your entire system.

Tab Suspension: The Magic Bullet

The most effective way to reclaim memory without closing tabs is "tab suspension" (or discarding). This process unloads the tab's DOM and scripts from memory while keeping the tab itself visible in your tab strip.

How it works

• The browser detects tabs you haven't interacted with for a set period.
• It saves the state (URL, scroll position).
• It "kills" the process, freeing up hundreds of megabytes per tab.
• When you click the tab again, it instantly reloads.

Automating the Process

You shouldn't have to manually manage this. That's why we built TabTidy. It runs quietly in the background, automatically suspending tabs you aren't using, and organizing them into groups so your workspace stays clean physically and digitally.