Microsoft Edge has become a top choice for many Windows users, but—let’s be honest—it’s not immune to the bane of modern browsers: hogging RAM. Especially if you’ve got a ton of tabs open, some heavy extensions, or just a mid-range PC, you might notice the system slowing down or Edge turning into a memory monster. Luckily, Edge added some handy built-in tools in recent versions (like 125 and above) that help tame its RAM appetite. These features, like resource controls and sleeping tabs, are a bit hidden but actually pretty effective once you get the hang of them. This guide will walk through how to tweak those settings, plus some extra tricks, so Edge doesn’t turn your machine into a lag-fest.
How to Reduce Edge’s Memory Usage in 2025
Set a RAM Limit in Edge Using Resource Controls
This is kind of new territory, but in Edge version 125+, you can actually limit how much memory the browser can use. It’s a neat way to keep things from spiraling out of control, especially on machines with limited RAM. The catch? You need to enable a flag and set the limits manually. Once it’s active, Edge should stick within your bounds most of the time, which helps prevent system slowdowns.
On some setups, you might need to disable Startup Boost (edge://settings/system) if the resource controls don’t stick initially. Not sure why, but it sometimes conflicts.
Steps to Enable Resource Controls in Microsoft Edge:
- Open Edge and click the three-dot menu (⋯) in the top-right. Head to Settings.
- Go to System and performance from that sidebar.
- Scroll down to Manage your performance. If you see Resource controls, toggle it on.
- Pick if it applies Always or just When gaming. Yep, gaming mode helps too.
- Use the slider to set a sensible RAM cap—say, if you’ve only got 8GB, maybe set it to 4GB. Don’t go too low or you’ll get random reloading or sleeping tabs that’s kinda annoying. This seems to help keep Edge from grabbing everything at once.
Once turned on, Edge tries to stick to your limit. You can check actual usage in the Browser Essentials sidebar—sometimes you have to enable it through the menu or flags.
--enable-features=msEdgeResourceControlsRamLimiter
After fiddling with the flag, restart Edge. If it’s still being stubborn, disable Startup Boost at edge://settings/system. Works on some machines, not on others—Windows has to make things complicated, of course.
Use Sleeping Tabs to Automatically Save RAM
If you don’t want to manually cap RAM, then sleeping tabs are the way to go. They suspend tabs you haven’t used in a while, freeing up resources without losing the page entirely. Useful if you’re a serial tab hoarder or just want fewer crashes.
Head into Settings > System and performance, turn on Save resources with sleeping tabs, and maybe toggle Fade sleeping tabs so you see what’s sleeping. You can set how long before inactive tabs go to sleep—5 or 15 minutes, whatever suits your workflow.
Pro tip: Press Shift + Esc to open Edge’s built-in Task Manager. It shows which tabs are munching the most RAM. Always a good fallback to see what’s going on behind the scenes.
Close Tabs and Manage Your Sessions Better
This one’s old-school but still effective. Every open tab eats some RAM, even if it’s just sitting idle. If you notice performance dips, quick fix—close some tabs. Bookmark important pages first, or use extensions like OneTab to save lots of sessions for later.
Disable or Remove Heavy Extensions
A lot of extensions, especially the resource-hungry ones, run in the background constantly. That’s why turning off the ones you don’t need can do wonders. Head to edge://extensions, toggle off the ones haunting your memory, or remove them entirely. Sometimes, just disabling 2-3 heavy add-ons drops Edge’s RAM footprint noticeably. Worth testing different setups, because some extensions just don’t play nice.
Turn on Efficiency Mode
Edge’s Efficiency Mode is basically a throttle for background processes and sleeping tabs. It’s perfect for laptops or lower-powered machines. Enable it in Settings > System and performance, then toggle Efficiency mode. You can choose to always activate it or only when on battery or plugged in. This can cut down RAM use pretty significantly, although sometimes it messes with background page updates if you’re relying on real-time info.
Disable Hardware Acceleration and Startup Boost
Some goodies in Edge are actually making your RAM problem worse. Hardware acceleration kicks in to speed things up but can eat a lot of memory, especially with GPU drivers acting weird. Same with Startup Boost, which runs on launch and can load a bunch of processes you don’t need immediately. Turn these off in edge://settings/system, then restart Edge. Usually a noticeable decrease in RAM munching.
Clear Cache and Browsing History
Over time, cached data gets bloated and raises Edge’s memory needs. Clearing it out can give things a fresh start. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete, choose All time, check both Cookies and site data and Cached images and files. Hit Clear now. Warning: this logs you out of most sites, but hey, better than a sluggish browser.
Monitor and Keep an Eye on RAM Usage
If all these tweaks still don’t cut it, keep tabs on how much RAM Edge uses at any point. Use Edge’s Browser Essentials panel (via the main menu) or look into Windows Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) under Processes. That way, you know if your efforts paid off or if something else is wrong—like malware or a rogue extension.
Wrap-up: Managing Edge’s RAM is All About Balance
Truth be told, the newer Edge features make it easier than ever to keep RAM usage in check. Resource controls, sleeping tabs, efficiency mode—they’re all useful tools, but sometimes a bit of manual cleanup like closing unused tabs and disabling heavy extensions makes the biggest difference. On low-memory systems, a little maintenance can turn sluggishness into smooth sailing.
Fingers crossed this helps someone avoid the dreaded system slowdown or browser crashes. After all, keeping Edge lean isn’t rocket science, just a matter of knowing where to look and what to disable.
Summary
- Enable resource controls and set sensible RAM limits.
- Turn on sleeping tabs to automatically suspend unused ones.
- Close unneeded tabs regularly or manage sessions with extensions.
- Disable or remove resource-heavy extensions.
- Activate efficiency mode for minimal background activity.
- Turn off hardware acceleration and Startup Boost if needed.
- Clear cache periodically to keep things smooth.
- Monitor real-time RAM usage to keep track.
Final Wrap-up
Managing Edge’s RAM isn’t about squeezing every last byte, but more about giving it clear boundaries and keeping unnecessary stuff at bay. The combination of built-in settings and some good habits can keep your browsing pretty snappy—especially on those older or limited rigs. Just remember to periodically check in on resource use, and don’t be afraid to turn things off if things get flaky. Hope this gets one update moving—fingers crossed it helps!