The Memory Saver Feature
Modern web browsers require a significant amount of system memory (RAM) to keep multiple websites running simultaneously. To combat high resource usage, Google Chrome introduced a “Memory Saver” feature. When enabled, Chrome automatically unloads (or “discards”) tabs from your computer’s memory if you have not looked at them for a while. While this frees up RAM for your active applications, it means that when you finally click back to an older tab, the page is forced to completely reload from the internet. If you are filling out a long form or monitoring a live data dashboard, this automatic reloading can cause you to lose unsaved progress.
How to Disable Automatic Tab Discarding
If your computer has plenty of RAM and you prefer all your open tabs to remain active and ready in the background, you can easily disable the Memory Saver feature.
1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click the three vertical dots 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. Look for the Memory Saver section.
6. Click the toggle switch next to “Memory Saver” to turn it Off.
Whitelisting Specific Websites
If you generally like the idea of saving memory but want to ensure that a few specific websites (like your work email or a live stock chart) never get unloaded, you can keep Memory Saver turned on and use the whitelist feature instead.
Beneath the Memory Saver toggle, click the Add button next to “Always keep these sites active.” Type the web address (e.g., mail.google.com) into the pop-up box and click Add. Chrome will now aggressively manage your other inactive tabs, but will always leave your whitelisted sites running continuously in the background.