Need Advice About Microsoft Edge High Memory Usage on Windows 11

Question

Hello Microsoft Community,

My name is ธนมน โสภณธนวัฒน์ and I am currently using Windows 11 on my personal laptop for both study and daily work. Recently, I have been experiencing several performance issues related to Microsoft Edge and overall system memory usage, so I would like to ask for advice from experienced users here.

The main issue is that Microsoft Edge sometimes consumes a very large amount of RAM even when I only open a few tabs such as YouTube, Microsoft Learn, and normal browsing pages. After using the computer for several hours, the system becomes noticeably slower, especially when multitasking between Edge, File Explorer, and Office applications.

I already tried several solutions including:

Clearing browser cache and cookies

Disabling unnecessary browser extensions

Turning off startup applications

Updating Windows 11 to the latest version

Running Windows Security scans

Restarting the device regularly

However, the issue still happens from time to time. I also noticed that some background processes related to Edge continue running even after closing the browser completely.

Another thing I would like to ask is whether there are recommended Windows settings to improve overall performance and reduce memory usage. For example:

Is it safe to disable certain Windows background services?

Are there any recommended performance settings for laptops with 8GB RAM?

Does Microsoft Edge have specific optimization settings that most users should enable?

Is Windows Defender capable enough by itself, or should I consider additional optimization tools?

I personally prefer using Microsoft products because they integrate well with Windows, and I want to continue using Edge as my main browser if possible. I am simply looking for the best way to improve stability and performance for long-term usage.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my question. I truly appreciate any suggestions, recommendations, or troubleshooting steps from the community.

Best regards,

ธนมน โสภณธนวัฒน์

Answer 1

For Microsoft Edge high memory usage and general Windows 11 performance on an 8 GB RAM laptop, several built-in features and settings can help.

1. Use Edge performance features

Edge includes performance tools that reduce resource usage:

• Performance detector
  • In Edge, select Settings and more (⋯) > More tools > Performance.
  • At the bottom, check the Tabs performance status.
  • If an issue is detected, use the list of tabs shown and:
    1. Select the three dots (…) next to a tab.
    2. Choose Sleep tab or Close tab.
  • Sleeping or closing tabs will reduce memory and CPU usage; the gauge will move back to green and show Low usage when the issue is resolved.
• Background tabs and memory pressure
  • Edge can automatically put tabs to sleep when memory pressure is detected. Keeping this behavior enabled helps on 8 GB systems, especially when many tabs are left open for hours.
• Performance detector control
  • If needed, the feature can be turned off, but for high memory usage scenarios it is better left On:
    1. In Edge, go to Settings and more > Settings > System and performance.
    2. Select Performance.
    3. Ensure Enable performance detector is set to On so Edge can proactively detect and help fix high resource usage.

2. Monitor and control heavy processes in Windows

Windows 11 provides tools to see which apps and processes are consuming memory and CPU:

• Task Manager
  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. On the Processes tab, check which apps and background processes use the most Memory and CPU.
  3. Right-click apps that are not needed and select End task.
  4. Review the Startup apps tab to disable apps that start automatically and consume memory.

This helps confirm whether Edge or another process is responsible for slowdowns after several hours of use.

3. Recommended Windows performance settings for 8 GB RAM

On an 8 GB laptop, reducing visual effects and prioritizing performance can improve responsiveness:

• Visual effects
  1. Select Start, type Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows, and open it.
  2. On the Visual Effects tab, select Adjust for best performance.
• Power mode
  1. Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery.
  2. In Power mode, select Best performance if power usage and battery life are not a concern.
     • This allows the CPU to run at higher performance when needed but increases power consumption and heat.
• Drive optimization
  1. Select Start, type Defragment and Optimize Drives, and open it.
  2. Select the system drive and choose Optimize.
• General resource management
  • Close unused apps and browser tabs, especially memory-heavy sites like streaming or complex web apps.
  • If performance still degrades over time, restart the PC:
    1. Select Start > Power > Restart.
    2. After restart, open only the apps needed and close them when finished.

4. Windows Defender and additional tools

• Windows Security (Windows Defender) is capable of detecting and removing malware that can consume CPU and disk resources.
  1. Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
  2. Select Quick scan.
• For general performance maintenance (storage cleanup, startup app management, optimization), the Microsoft PC Manager app is recommended in Windows documentation as a centralized tool to:
  • Clean up storage.
  • Manage startup apps.
  • Optimize system performance.

5. About disabling background services

The provided guidance focuses on:

• Using Task Manager to identify and close heavy processes.
• Adjusting visual effects and power mode.
• Using Edge’s performance detector and sleeping/closing tabs.

These are safer and supported approaches compared to manually disabling Windows services. The documentation does not recommend turning off core Windows services; instead, it emphasizes using built-in performance tools and configuration options.

Applying the steps above should help reduce Edge’s memory impact, keep background tabs under control, and improve overall responsiveness on an 8 GB Windows 11 laptop.

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References:

• Learn about performance features in Microsoft Edge
• Tips to improve PC performance in Windows