Did you know that even Chrome has a Task Manager? Similar to the Task Manager on Windows, you also get a Task Manager on Chrome. These two features share the same functionality. Simply put, the Task Manager for Chrome does as its name suggests. It helps you manage the tabs you open on Chrome and monitor the system resources. This feature comes in handy as Chrome often runs into issues regarding its high CPU usage.
When Do You Need a Task Manager on Browser?
- Troubleshoot Crashes: Chrome is no stranger to many common errors, like frequent crashes or high CPU usage. Almost all errors stem from the many open tabs or background processes on your Chrome browser. An effective way to troubleshoot such issues is by checking how much system resource each tab is using and ending the tasks.
- Close Multiple Tabs: If you have multiple Chrome windows and tabs open and find it tedious to close them individually, simply open the Task Manager. Since you can view all the processes under one roof, it’s easier to close them directly.
- Analyze Browser Behavior: If you want to better utilize the resources on your browser, it’s a good idea to keep track of how much memory do certain websites consume. You can easily check the memory footprint of all the sites. If it’s possible, you can then choose to give more priority to selected websites.
- Identify Suspicious Extensions: Chrome has a large library of extensions. But, they also include some faulty ones that lead to glitches, high RAM usage, or bring viruses. When checking the memory footprint and CPU usage of the extensions, look for ones that are consuming resources at an alarming rate. Or, check for unusual patterns.
How to Open and Use Chrome Task Manager?
Chrome’s Task Manager not only gives you an overview of all the processes but also gives you a rundown of additional details, like the type of your task, services and subframes. At the top of the window, you can also view other tabs, like Memory Footprint, CPU, Network, and Process ID. You can view these tabs in either ascending or descending order by clicking on them once.
An easy way to open the Task Manager on Chrome is by following these quick steps whether you’re on Windows or Mac:
- While you have the Chrome browser open, click on the three dots in the top-right corner.
- Navigate to More Tools and then select Task Manager.
- A new Task Manager window will pop up.
Like Windows, you can also easily open the Task Manager on Chrome by using similar keyboard shortcuts. Open Chrome and then press Shift + Esc keys. Additionally, you can right-click on the bar above the address bar and then select Task Manager. If you’re on a Chromebook, press Search + Esc keys.
Now that you know how to access the Task Manager, it’s a straightforward process to use it. Google Chrome has a multiprocess architecture as it identifies every tab as an individual process. So, if a tab is frozen, you can end the process for that single task without having to shut down the browser entirely.
- Open the Task Manager by following the above steps.
- Next to a Chrome task, you can see detailed statistics on how much memory it is using. You can right-click on any area and select more features that you want to view.
- Click on any process to select it and then click on End Process. Sometimes when you end a process, you might get the Aw Snap error. But, you can dismiss it by refreshing the page.
- If you want to end multiple processes at once, keep pressing Ctrl and then click to select multiple processes. Then, click on End Process.
Essential Features of the Chrome Task Manager in Detail
There are many features in the Chrome Task Manager. Here is a detailed overview of all of them.
- Memory Footprint: It is the indication of the amount of memory (RAM) a task or a process is consuming.
- CPU Usage: It indicates how much of your computer’s processing power is being consumed by Chrome.
- Sort By Feature: It is the tiny arrow next to every feature. Click on it to sort the processes by either ascending or descending.
- CPU Time: It denotes the amount of time a task in Chrome takes to use the CPU.
- Process ID: A code or a number created by the operating system and given to every process to identify or differentiate it from others.
- GPU Memory: It signifies how much Graphics processing unit memory is being used by the processes.
- Script Cache: It indicates the amount of stored cache data for scripts.
- SQLite memory: It is the amount of memory that the SQLite database is using.
- JavaScript Memory: It is an indicator of how much memory JavaScript is using.
- Process Priority: It displays which processes is Chrome prioritizing.
To sum it up, Windows and Chrome share this common feature to monitor or control tasks. The only difference is that you get additional details in the Chrome Task Manager. You can also view Chrome’s overall CPU usage in the Windows Task Manager. But, if you only want to manage Chrome’s internal tasks, then Chrome’s Task Manager is the better option.
