The browser is slow or keeps crashing
Chrome keeps crashing and pages take forever to load. How do I fix it?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
Extensions, a bloated cache, or an outdated browser version cause almost every browser problem. The quickest thing to try first: update the browser — Open the menu, choose Help, then About. The browser checks and updates itself. Restart it afterwards. Most people are done in about 10 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 5 steps for Windows and Mac, rated easy.
Sounds like this
- •Tabs reload themselves
- •Aw snap messages
- •Pages stall on loading
Why it happens
Extensions, a bloated cache, or an outdated browser version cause almost every browser problem.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Update the browser
Open the menu, choose Help, then About. The browser checks and updates itself. Restart it afterwards.
- 2
Test in a private window
Press Control, Shift and N. Private windows run without extensions. If everything works there, an extension is your problem.
- 3
Remove extensions you did not install on purpose
Open the extensions page and delete anything unfamiliar, especially search helpers, coupon finders and download managers.
- 4
Clear cached files
Press Control, Shift and Delete, choose All time, and tick cached images and files. Leave passwords unticked so you do not lose them.
- 5
Turn off hardware acceleration
In Settings, System, switch off hardware acceleration. This solves crashes on computers with older graphics drivers.
If none of that worked
Reset the browser to defaults from its Settings page. Your bookmarks and saved passwords stay in place.
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Who wrote this and how we checked it
The CommonFixes team
Writer and researcher
We are a small group of people who spend our days repairing laptops and desktops for family, friends and small offices. Every guide here starts with a problem someone actually brought to us, and we only write down the steps that put the machine right.
- Everyday repairs
- Windows and Mac
- Plain language
CommonFixes review desk
Technical editor
Before a guide goes live, a second person walks through it on a real machine and checks each instruction against the maker's own support pages. Anything we cannot confirm is removed rather than guessed at.
- Fact checking
- Safety warnings
- Source links
This guide was last updated on 10 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
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