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Google Chrome Freezing: Troubleshoot and Fixes

By Vernon Roderick, Last updated: October 10, 2020

It’s very annoying when you encounter frequent Chrome freezing or crashing. This is especially true when you’re in the middle of doing something important, but you can’t anymore due to Chrome freezing.

In cases such as this, you’ll wonder if it would actually be better if you can switch to a different browser such as Firefox, Safari, or anything else besides Chrome. However, we suggest that you don’t do that just yet, considering the perks of using Chrome. Instead, you should just look for ways on how to deal with the problem at hand.

Lucky for you, this article will talk about how you can troubleshoot and hopefully fix problems involving Chrome freezing.

Part 1: How to Fix When Chrome Keeps FreezingPart 2: Conclusion

Part 1: How to Fix When Chrome Keeps Freezing

Way 1: Chrome Freezing: Troubleshooting

There are many ways to fix Chrome freezing. But to save some time, it’s always a great option to try out simple solutions first, which doesn’t require knowledge of the software or the problem at hand.

With that said, here are some quick fixes for the issue of Chrome freezing:

  • Close Tabs. RAM is an important part of the software and hardware. Overloading the RAM can cause issues including Chrome freezing. One way to reduce your RAM is to decrease the workload of your browser by closing tabs.
  • Pause Downloads. This follows the same concept with decreasing the workload of your RAM, only this time it’s done by pausing your downloads since downloading can also use up RAM.
  • Quit Other Programs. Lastly, to reduce the workload put on the RAM, make sure you close programs that aren’t necessary for running Google Chrome.
  • Restart Chrome. Try closing the Google Chrome browser by clicking on the X sign at the top-right corner of the window. This should restart your RAM and hopefully fix the Chrome freezing
  • Reboot Your Computer. As always, it’s harmless to assume that rebooting your computer can fix minor issues. Considering that it doesn’t take too much time, you should try it at least once.

Now if none of these quick fixes work, then you’ve probably encountered a more severe case of Chrome freezing, in which case you’d want to look for more advanced solutions. With that said, continue trying out the options that we’ll discuss in this article.

Way 2: Use the Malware Scanner

How do I stop Chrome from freezing? Although Chrome freezing is a common issue with the browser, fortunately, they’ve managed to create a method for solving the problem. This was done when they added the built-in malware software of Google Chrome. The malware scanner is a built-in feature in Chrome that allows for the scanning of viruses, malware, and malicious programs.

This will allow you to pinpoint the cause of the problem and hopefully fix it. Here’s how you can use the malware scanner:

  1. Launch the Google Chrome
  2. Click on the Menu icon of Chrome represented by three vertical dots found at the top-right corner of the window.
  3. On the left side of the page, click on Advanced.
  4. Select Reset and clean up.
  5. Click on Clean up computer.
  6. Click the Find

This should start the malware scanning process. Once it is done, you’ll be provided with the reports and recommendations on how to fix issues.

Way 3: Disable Extensions

Another feature for Chrome users is extensions, but this time it won’t be the solution, but the culprit instead. Extensions are, as the name suggests, tools that allow you to do tasks that are outside Chrome. That’s why installing extensions can be very beneficial, but sometimes it can lead to some downsides, such as causing various issues including the Chrome freezing problem.

Thus, you should know how to remove, or at least disable these extensions:

  1. Open your Chrome
  2. Go to the menu following the same instructions we’ve discussed earlier.
  3. Select More tools followed by Extensions.
  4. On the Extensions page, you’ll see a selection of extensions. Click on the Remove button to uninstall the selection, or turn off the extension by clicking on the trigger.
  5. Restart the Chrome

Once you’re done with this, you should be able to fix any extension-related problems such as the Chrome freezing issue.

Way 4: Disable Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration is also another feature of Google Chrome that allows the CPU to reduce its workload and hands it to the GPU. With this enabled, Chrome can run easier and more smoothly, but it can cause issues as well.

So if the Chrome freezing issue still persists after doing the previous methods, then you might want to try this solution:

  1. Go to your Chrome
  2. Head to the Settings through the Menu icon just like before.
  3. Scroll down and click on Advanced to show all settings.
  4. Scroll down again until you see the Use hardware acceleration where available option, then turn it off.

With that, hardware acceleration should be enabled, and issues that are related to it can be avoided, including Chrome freezing or crashing.

Way 5: Find App Complications

Just like extensions, apps can also lead to several issues if they aren’t compatible. Due to this, it’s important to keep only a minimal number of apps on your computer. The least you can do is update the app to make it compatible or uninstall the app altogether. So here are the steps you need to follow to update or remove your applications.

  1. Launch the Chrome
  2. Go to the menu, followed by Settings, then Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and click on Update or remove incompatible applications as soon as you see the option pop up.

You will be given a list of problematic apps.

  1. Click on the Remove… button to uninstall them, or you can update them manually by clicking on Learn how to update applications.

It’s also worth noting that by using the malware scanner, there are times when the scanner will automatically provide you with a list of problematic apps, another reason why you needed to use the scanner before anything else.

Way 6: Close Chrome Properly

Up until this point, we’ve only talked about how to fix Chrome freezing assuming that the problem lies in the components of Chrome, including extensions, viruses, apps, and features.

However, what if the problem isn’t caused by the components, but by the browser itself? In that case, you’ll have to use solutions that tackle the problem to its roots, and one of the most effective ways to do this is by closing Chrome properly.

You might think that you’ve already closed the app, but it still runs on the background. So here are the steps to really close the app for good:

  1. On your computer, right-click on the taskbar which should be located at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
  2. Select Task Manager.
  3. On the Processes tab, find the Chrome process.
  4. Right-click on Chrome then select End Task.

After this, all processes related to Chrome should shut down and stop running.

Way 7: Reset Chrome

Now if the Chrome freezing issue still persists after closing Chrome through the Task Manager, then it calls for more drastic issues, that is, resetting Chrome. But before that, remember that when you reset Chrome to its default settings, some files may be lost so be cautious when doing this.

Either way, here’s how you can reset Chrome and hopefully fix the Chrome freezing problem:

  1. Open the Chrome
  2. Click on the Menu icon then select Settings, as usual.
  3. Go to the bottom of the page and click on Advanced.
  4. Scroll down again and under the Reset and clean up section, click on Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. On the confirmation window, click on Reset settings.

Keep in mind that once you do this, it will clear your bookmarks, settings extensions, and all the files within the browser. However, as an assurance, there’s a high chance that this will fix Chrome freezing.

Way 8: Reinstall Google Chrome

Now if the Chrome freezing is more severe than we thought, and resetting Chrome to its original defaults didn’t work, then it’s time to use our last resort, reinstalling the browser. To reinstall the Chrome app, you should first uninstall it, and here’s how you can do it:

  1. On your computer, go to the Start menu by clicking on the Start icon at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
  2. On the left side of the Startmenu, select Default Programs.

You may also type in “Default Programs” on the search bar then click on the first option in case there is no Default Programs option on the Start menu.

  1. Now head to the Programs and Features found at the bottom-left corner of the window.
  2. Look for Google Chrome in the list, click on it, then choose Uninstall on the bar at the top of the list.
  3. Wait for the uninstallation process to complete.

With the app uninstalled, all you have to is to proceed with the reinstallation. You can easily install Google Chrome by going to the official website of Chrome on another browser, such as Firefox, downloading the setup file, then installing it.

With that, you’ve successfully reinstalled Google Chrome. This should fix most problems, be it severe or not. But what if it doesn’t fix Chrome freezing. In that case, the problem might not be due to your computer or your browser, but the internet.

Way 9: Check for Internet Issues

In the case when the issue isn’t fixed after doing all the solutions we’ve discussed, your best bet is to check your network status, since it might be the culprit after all. To do this, you will have to follow these steps carefully:

  1. Go to the Start
  2. On the search bar, type in “Network and Sharing Center” then select the option that says this exact text.

You should be taken to the Network and Sharing Center window.

  1. Click on the Troubleshoot problems
  2. Wait for the troubleshooting to complete.

You will be given a list of different network troubleshoot options.

  1. Choose the type of troubleshooting that you want to perform.
  2. Wait for the process to complete.

At this point, all you have to do is check if the problem is fixed. Now if this still doesn’t fix the problem, then you’ll have no choice but to head to the really last resort.

Way 10: Use Another Browser

As previously said, if you still haven’t tried fixing the problem, then there’s still hope. However, once you’ve done all the options we’ve discussed up until now, but none of it works to fix Chrome freezing, then it might be time to use another browser.

Of course, it might not be great for you since you probably have lots of data on Google Chrome that you want to leave. But don’t worry because there might still be a chance of solving the issue.

For one, if you’ve used another browser but the website still keeps freezing, then the problem lies on that specific website, and not on the browser. In that case, you should avoid going to that website anymore even when you’re using Chrome.

Part 2: Conclusion

There are many things that can occur when using your browser. Some can be good, but most of them are bad. And one such case is the Chrome freezing issue. Although it’s very common, it’s not always easy to fix.

Fortunately for you, we’ve discussed several ways to fix the issue. Despite that, you should remember that errors will often occur and you can’t always know how they work. With that said, make sure to be wary of what you do with Chrome, as it may lead to unexpected circumstances such as the Chrome freezing problem.

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Vernon Roderick

Technical Expertise for PC/Website Optimization

One of my passion is to develop software of my own

I write articles to share knowledge about IT technology and some experience in developing my own software, and developing my own software is one of my passions for work.

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