Member Avatar for Jen Larosa

Using edge browser lately and I noticed it doesn't take up that much of memory when running it than google chrome. How about you guys? what are your thoughts about the edge update?

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As noted, the rebuilt Microsoft Edge often shows lower RAM use than a stock Chrome profile. That observation is real for many workflows, but it is not a single, universal truth — browser memory depends heavily on tab count, site behavior, and extensions. The Chromium engine underpins both Edge and Chrome, while Microsoft has added features (sleeping tabs, efficiency mode, and some Windows-specific memory optimizations) that change how background tabs and processes are handled.

Quick, repeatable test to compare memory between browsers:

  1. Start with a clean profile or an InPrivate/Incognito window to rule out extensions and cached state.
  2. Open the same set of tabs in each browser and wait 30-60 seconds for background activity to stabilize.
  3. Check Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for aggregate app memory, and use the browser task manager (Shift+Esc in Edge/Chrome) to see per-tab/process usage.
  4. Repeat with extensions enabled to measure their impact.

If pages fail on Edge (as mentioned), try these diagnostic steps: open the site in InPrivate to rule out extensions; clear the browser cache; disable suspect extensions; or use Edge’s Internet Explorer mode for legacy enterprise sites (Settings > Default browser > Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode). To restore missing add-ons, Edge can install Chrome extensions by enabling “Allow extensions from other stores” in the Extensions menu.

Practical tips: keep browsers updated; remove or replace heavy extensions; enable Sleeping Tabs and Efficiency Mode in Edge (Settings > System and performance) for large tab workloads; and balance memory savings against page reload frequency — aggressive tab-sleeping reduces RAM but may cause reloads. Official Edge downloads and docs are at Microsoft Edge.

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Member Avatar for rproffitt

At office, shop and home the amount of memory used by a browser never seems to matter. As such I have to shrug here. ?‍♂️

For me Edge failed on a few too many sites back along with no addins at first so I never went back.

Finally, the browser wars ended long ago. Use what you want.

Member Avatar for Dani

Years ago, Firefox was sooo much faster and more powerful than Internet Explorer. Then somewhere down the line Chrome was released and much more lightweight than Firefox.

Nowadays I’m still a Chrome user, just because I’m all about all things Google. But it’s definitely slower than Firefox. As a Mac user nowadays, I’ll even say that it’s slower than Safari.

I use it because I’m comfortable with it and I don’t have a strong motivation to switch.

commented: I have friends that work on web sites. They always test with Safari among the other browsers. +0
Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

I've been using Brave rather than Chrome although I still keep Chrome (and Firefox) around. I don't even care to try Edge.

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