You can make the browser even faster by enabling this little hidden setting

In this article, we will explore a hidden feature of Google Chrome that can significantly improve the performance of your web browser. This is hardware acceleration, an often overlooked or overlooked option in your browser settings, but which can provide a smoother and more responsive browsing experience, especially on graphics-rich websites and heavy applications. So, find out how to enable this feature and use your Google Chrome.

What is hardware acceleration and why use it?

Hardware acceleration is a feature that uses the potential of your graphics processing unit (GPU) to help improve your browser’s performance and responsiveness. In other words, it allows your browser to share certain functions with certain hardware components, such as GPUs, ASICs or audio processing units, to free up CPU storage space. So, you can enjoy smooth high-definition videos and the ability to multitask easily.

Enable hardware acceleration in Google Chrome

• Open your Google Chrome browser.
• Click the three dots at the top right to access the drop-down menu.
• Select “Settings” from this menu.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “Advanced Settings”.
• Find the “Use hardware acceleration if available” option and check the box.

Note that you can also check how your graphics system uses hardware acceleration by typing chrome://gpu in the address bar. This will give you an overview of how this option works with your GPU.

When to enable or disable hardware acceleration?

It is important to clarify that hardware acceleration does not always solve speed problems for your browser. In fact, in some circumstances, users may even experience worse performance after enabling hardware acceleration. So it is recommended to use this feature for some specific tasks that require fast processing like video/audio editing or encoding.

However, you should also be aware that sometimes when hardware acceleration is enabled, some features or applications may work less stably. Acceleration techniques attempt to remove the workload from the processor and as a result may sacrifice some of the functions performed on the devices. So, enable or disable hardware acceleration according to actual conditions.

An example of a hardware acceleration problem

It has been reported that for some users, hardware acceleration can cause slowdowns, annoying graphics bugs and browser crashes. On the Google Chrome support forum, a user reported seeing a white square after enabling this feature. If you are also experiencing this issue, disabling hardware acceleration should resolve the issue. For this, follow the steps mentioned above and uncheck the box.

Other tips to improve your browser performance

Now that you know the basics about hardware acceleration, keep in mind that there are other hidden techniques to make your browser more efficient. Here are some examples:

• Use browser extensions to block unnecessary ads and scripts.
• Clear your cache and cookies regularly to prevent your browser from loading with old data.
• Limit the number of windows and tabs open simultaneously to reduce the load on your processor and RAM.
• Update your browser regularly to benefit from the latest updates and improvements.

In summary, hardware acceleration is an interesting option to optimize the performance of your Google Chrome browser. However, it should only be activated in certain situations and can sometimes cause more problems than it solves. So, consider the advantages and disadvantages of this hidden functionality to adapt your usage according to your needs and preferences.