Why Chrome Unloads Your Open Tabs
Google Chrome includes a performance optimisation feature called Memory Saver. When activated, this feature automatically deactivates background tabs that have not been used recently, freeing up system RAM for active tasks. While this improves overall device performance, it can be extremely frustrating if you frequently switch between multiple research tabs or rely on background web applications, as the tabs will need to reload completely when you click on them, potentially causing data loss in unsaved forms.
Disabling Memory Saver in Google Chrome
If you prefer to keep all your tabs active at all times, you can easily disable the Memory Saver feature in the browser settings.
1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner of the window.
3. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
4. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Performance.
5. Locate the Memory Saver section.
6. Toggle the switch to the Off position.
Exempting Specific Websites from Memory Saver
If you want to keep the performance benefits of Memory Saver but ensure that specific websites never reload, you can add them to an exclusion list instead of turning the feature off completely.
1. Navigate to the Performance settings as described above.
2. Ensure Memory Saver is turned On.
3. Under the “Always keep these sites active” section, click the Add button.
4. Enter the web address of the site you wish to exempt (for example, mail.google.com) and click Add.
These specific websites will now run continuously in the background without being unloaded, while the rest of your unused tabs will be managed efficiently by the browser.