When compared to older operating systems like Windows 10 and macOS, Chrome OS has several advantages. The most popular Chromebooks of 2021 are wildly popular, in large part because they are frequently available at low prices. However, with lower pricing come technical compromises, and the majority of low-cost computers today use 4GB of RAM.
That was once OK, but as Chrome OS has developed, it has grown a little and now uses more resources than before. After all, it is widely known how the Chrome browser eats up system resources on both Windows and Mac.
Since 4GB of RAM is no longer sufficient, Chromebook manufacturers should switch to 8GB of RAM until Google fixes the issue.
How to make your Chromebook use less RAM
You may improve your overall Chromebook experience by doing two things that only take a short amount of time to complete. These entail lessening your reliance on Chrome extensions and completely turning off Android.
The ‘Cog’ Chrome app is available for download from the Chrome Web Store if you’re keen to learn more about what is exactly happening with your Chromebook and its RAM usage. It’s a cool little utility that displays system information along with current CPU and RAM usage.
By simultaneously clicking the ‘Search + Esc’ buttons, you can also access the Chrome OS task management. Similar to the Windows 10 task manager, this will display the active processes and how much of your resources it’s using.
Take off any extra Chromebook extensions that are not necessary
It’s simple to install Chrome extensions and then completely ignore them, but if you aren’t utilizing them, they all harm your system. If you aren’t actively utilizing any of them on a daily basis, get rid of them because they are all taking a small amount of RAM merely by being present on your Chromebook.
Launch the browser, select “Settings,” and then click “Extensions.” Then browse through the list one item at a time, consider if you truly require it, and click “Remove from Chrome” if you don’t need it.
Although the majority of ad-blockers will use about 150MB of RAM on their own, no single extension will make a significant difference. If you are an extension hoarder, getting rid of things you actually don’t need will allow you to save money on something you do.
Additionally, pay attention to how many tabs you have open at any given time. If you don’t require 64 open tabs at once, close them down because they all consume some RAM.
Turn off Google Play Store and Android
Here is the actual Chromebook RAM killer. Google Play Store and Android are already built into Chrome OS, making it easy to install your preferred Android apps. However, it also makes the most use of your RAM. Therefore, consider whether you actually, genuinely need it. If not, your life will be better without it.
Open the “Settings” app first if you want to disable Android in general and the Google Play Store on your Chromebook. Simply entering “Google Play Store” in the search field will get you where you need to go in the shortest amount of time.
Click ‘Remove’ while you are in the Google Play Store settings. After being prompted to agree, select ‘Remove Android apps’ to finish. All there is to it is that. You will see a significant decrease in RAM usage if you launch “Cog” or the Task Manager as shown above.
With the quality of today’s web apps and the ability to run Linux software on a Chromebook, you may well be better off using Chrome OS, which was available for many years without Android compatibility.
