If you use a Windows PC, you have likely noticed that Microsoft Edge launches incredibly fast, often opening almost instantly when you click the icon. This speed is entirely intentional and is powered by a feature Microsoft calls “Startup Boost.” When enabled, Startup Boost forces several core Edge processes to launch silently in the background the moment you turn on your computer, keeping the browser constantly primed in your computer’s memory.
While this makes the browser feel snappy, it comes at a significant cost: system RAM. If your computer only has 8GB of memory, or if you primarily use a different browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, having Edge secretly consuming resources in the background can significantly slow down your PC and drain your laptop battery faster. If you want to reclaim that memory, you must actively disable the Startup Boost feature.
Disabling Startup Boost in Microsoft Edge
Because Startup Boost is a core browser feature, it must be turned off from within the Edge application’s settings menu.
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser on your computer.
- Look for the Settings and more icon (three horizontal dots) in the top-right corner of the window, just below the “X” button, and click it.
- From the dropdown menu, scroll down and select Settings (it is usually near the bottom, represented by a gear icon).
- On the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on System and performance.
- At the very top of the main panel, under the “System” heading, look for the toggle switch labelled Startup boost.
- Click the switch to turn it off. It will change from blue to grey.
Preventing Edge from Running Background Extensions
Even with Startup Boost disabled, Edge has another setting that allows certain installed extensions or background apps (like chat clients or notification services) to continue running even after you explicitly close the browser window. To ensure Edge is completely shut down and using zero RAM when you close it, you must disable this secondary setting as well.
- While you are still on the System and performance settings page in Edge, look directly below the Startup boost option.
- Find the toggle switch labelled Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed.
- Click the switch to turn it off (grey).
You can now safely close Microsoft Edge. The next time you restart your PC, Edge will no longer launch silently in the background, freeing up your system resources for the applications you actually intend to use.