Disable Automatic Tab Discarding Chrome

Jordan Emanuel

2 min read

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28-12-2024

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Chrome's automatic tab discarding feature, while designed to save memory and improve performance, can be frustrating if you frequently work with many tabs. This feature closes inactive tabs to free up system resources, potentially leading to lost work or interrupted workflows if you haven't saved your progress. Fortunately, disabling this feature is straightforward. Here's how you can prevent Chrome from automatically discarding your tabs:

Locating the Settings

First, you'll need to access Chrome's settings. This can be done in a few ways:

• Via the three vertical dots: Click the three vertical dots located in the upper right-hand corner of your Chrome window. This opens a menu.
• Type chrome://settings: A quicker method is to type chrome://settings directly into the Chrome address bar and press Enter.

Both methods will lead you to the same Chrome settings page.

Disabling Tab Discarding

Once in the settings, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to System: Scroll down the settings page until you find the "System" section. This section manages system-level Chrome features.

2. Locate "Discard tabs to save memory": Within the "System" section, you should see an option that reads something similar to "Discard tabs to save memory" or a similarly worded toggle. This setting controls the automatic tab discarding behavior.

3. Disable the toggle: Simply toggle this option off. The toggle should be blue when enabled and grey or white when disabled. Once disabled, Chrome will no longer automatically discard your tabs.

Important Considerations

While disabling tab discarding can enhance your workflow by preventing accidental data loss, keep in mind that it might impact your system's performance, especially if you tend to keep a very large number of tabs open concurrently. If you experience slowdowns or performance issues, you might want to reconsider enabling this feature or exploring other memory management techniques. You could also selectively close unused tabs to manage memory usage more efficiently.

Alternative Memory Management Techniques

If you're concerned about memory usage but don't want to disable tab discarding entirely, consider these alternatives:

• Regularly close unused tabs: A simple but effective method. Make a habit of closing tabs you no longer need.
• Use Chrome extensions for memory management: Several Chrome extensions are designed to help manage memory usage and improve performance. Research and select one that suits your needs.
• Upgrade your system's RAM: If your computer is consistently running low on memory, upgrading your RAM (Random Access Memory) may be a long-term solution.

By following these steps, you can effectively disable Chrome's automatic tab discarding feature and maintain better control over your open tabs. Remember to balance your need for uninterrupted workflow with the overall performance of your system.