Chrome Slow After Update? 8 Fixes, From 10 Seconds to 10 Minutes

Chrome slow after update is a familiar story. Chrome updated overnight, and now pages hesitate, typing lags and the fan runs more than it used to. Before you blame the new version, know that most slowdowns after an update have a mundane cause, and the first fix takes ten seconds.

Work down this list in order. Each step is quicker than the next, and most people are done by step three.

The short answer#

• Fully relaunch Chrome. A half-applied update is the number one cause.
• Check extensions that may have broken with the new version.
• Check graphics acceleration in Settings, then System.
• Reset settings as a last step. Bookmarks and passwords are kept.

What we measured on a Mac#

Tested on a MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) with 16 GB of RAM, macOS 26.3, Chrome 155, October 21, 2026. We timed Chrome from launch to a fully loaded Wikipedia page, three starts in a row with the same fresh profile.

The first start was about 70% slower, because Chrome builds caches and files it reuses later. The first launch after an update does some of the same work. So one slow start after an update is normal. Slowness that is still there a day and several restarts later is not, and that is what the fixes below are for.

1. Fully relaunch Chrome#

Chrome downloads updates in the background and applies them when it restarts. Until then, parts of the old and new version can run side by side, and an update waiting to apply shows a colored Update button or a Relaunch prompt at the top right.

• Click it, or go to the three-dot menu, then Help, then About Google Chrome, and choose Relaunch.
• On a Mac, quit fully with Command+Q or Quit Google Chrome from the Chrome menu. Closing the window is not enough.
• On Windows, close every Chrome window, and check the system tray for a Chrome icon if background apps are allowed.

Your tabs come back if On startup is set to Continue where you left off.

2. Give it ten minutes#

Right after an update, Chrome may rebuild caches, finish sync and update extensions. That can make the first few minutes feel sluggish. If it is fine after ten minutes, you are done.

3. Find the extension that broke#

A new Chrome version can break an extension that has not been updated, and a broken extension can run in a loop on every page. Chrome also stopped supporting older Manifest V2 extensions in 2025, so some old extensions may have been replaced by new versions that behave differently.

1. Open the site that feels slow in an Incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N, or Command+Shift+N on a Mac). Most extensions do not run there.
2. If it is fast in Incognito, go to chrome://extensions and turn off half of your extensions.
3. Test again. Keep halving until you find the one.
4. Update, replace or remove it.

Chrome's task manager also helps: each extension has its own row, and one using lots of CPU stands out. See our guide on Chrome extensions slowing down your computer.

4. Check graphics acceleration#

Updates sometimes change how Chrome talks to your graphics driver. If acceleration got switched off or stopped working, drawing and video fall back to the processor.

1. Go to Settings, then System.
2. Make sure Use graphics acceleration when available is on, and relaunch.
3. Type chrome://gpu. If many lines in Graphics Feature Status say Software only, update your graphics driver on Windows, or macOS on a Mac.

If Chrome crashes or flickers with acceleration on after the update, turn it off for now. If it keeps freezing either way, follow Chrome freezing.

5. Reset experimental flags#

If you ever changed settings in chrome://flags, an update can turn a harmless experiment into a slow one, because flags change meaning between versions.

1. Type chrome://flags.
2. Click Reset all at the top.
3. Relaunch.

6. Check the basics Google recommends#

Google's own speed-up guide boils down to a few habits: stay on the latest version, close tabs you are not using, turn off extensions you do not need, and end heavy tasks in Chrome's task manager. After an update, also:

• turn on Memory Saver under Settings, then Performance, if it is off
• check that Preload pages is on there; it helps pages open faster
• free disk space if your drive is nearly full, since Chrome's caches and the update itself need room

7. Reset Chrome settings#

If none of the above helps, reset settings. Google's help page says your saved bookmarks and passwords are not deleted.

1. Go to Settings, then Reset settings.
2. Choose Restore settings to their original defaults, then Reset settings.

What changes: default search engine, homepage and startup tabs, the new tab page, pinned tabs, site permissions, cookies and site data (you will be signed out of sites), and extensions are turned off. Turn back on only the extensions you need.

8. Test a new profile#

If Chrome is still slow, test a clean profile. Click your profile picture at the top right, then Add, and use Chrome for a while in the new profile without signing in to sync.

• Fast in the new profile? Something in your main profile is the cause: an extension, a setting, or damaged data. Moving to the new profile and signing in to sync brings bookmarks and passwords across.
• Slow in the new profile too? The problem is outside Chrome: the computer, the network, security software or the operating system.

What not to do#

• Do not roll back to an old version. Each release carries security fixes.
• Do not reach for "clear browsing data" as a first move. Clearing the cache rarely makes Chrome faster and clearing cookies signs you out of everything. If one site misbehaves after the update, clear just that site's data instead, as shown in clear cache for one site.
• Do not install a "speed booster" extension. Most add load instead of removing it.

Keep Chrome light between updates#

A slowdown after an update often reveals a browser that was already near its limit. Fewer live tabs and fewer extensions leave room for the next change. Memory Saver sleeps idle tabs on its own. If you want a fixed rule, Cleaner Pro sleeps tabs after 30 minutes without use and closes duplicate tabs in one click, for a one-time $19.99. Its free Tab Manager side panel shows which tabs are heaviest.

The bottom line#

When Chrome is slow after an update, relaunch fully, wait a few minutes, then check extensions and graphics acceleration. Reset flags and settings only if you need to. If a clean profile is slow too, look beyond Chrome. For slowness that is not tied to an update, see why Chrome is so slow.