Google is testing memory reducing Tab Freeze functionality in Chrome

[harlan4096]

Google is testing a new memory reducing feature in the company's Chrome web browser currently that freezes background tabs to reduce memory consumption of the web browser.

Chrome is the most popular desktop browser currently; while it is doing really well in many fields, e.g. performance or web compatibility, it lacks when it comes to resource usage. Mileage may vary depending on use but generally speaking, it is not the lightest of browsers out there.

Google introduced numerous features and changes in Chrome designed to reduce the browser's memory usage. The company introduced a tab discarding option in 2015 that acts automatically when system memory runs low. Chrome users may run extensions like Tabs Limiter to reduce memory use, or enable the process-per-site feature which does so as well.

Mozilla wanted to implement a tab discarding feature on low memory in Firefox as well but postponed the launch of the feature because of implementation flaws.

Chrome's new Tab Freeze option sounds very similar to the tab discarding option that Google introduced in 2015.

Enables freezing eligible tabs when they have been backgrounded for 5 minutes.
In fact, Tab Freeze sounds like an improved version of Tab Discard, the feature that is built-into Chrome already. The core difference between both memory reducing methods is the trigger. Tab Discard is used when system memory runs low whereas Tab Freeze is used if a tab has been in the background for at least 5 minutes.

In other words: Tab Freeze will be run regardless of how many system memory is available and used.
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