You open your laptop: slow internet browsing…again! You’ve checked your internet connection with your internet service provider and those internet speed tools, not twice but thrice! Why is my browser so slow but my internet is fast, you wonder. More specifically, you’re bewildered: Why is my Chrome browser so slow!?
The frustration is real. You’ve Googled “laptop slow internet browsing” soooo many times, but with this lag, it’s a wonder to even reach the search results page…
In this article, let’s address two key issues: “Why is my browser so slow but my internet is fast”, and “Which browser is best for slow internet connection?”
Is your browser slow although your internet is fast? Here are some tips to speed up your browser:
How to clear browser cache on computer and mobile
Okay, the most obvious culprit for your slow internet browser is probably your browser cache. Like our brain, give it too many things to remember and it’s bound to slow down. Even worse is that a corrupted file could be causing mischief and slowing your browser down too. So the first thing is to just clear the cache for your mobile and/or laptop to combat slow internet browsing.
Generally, on browsers you’d want to look for the “three dots” on the menu bar (usually upper right corner), which usually indicates more menu options. When you click on it, you’re looking for something like “Settings” or “Preferences”, and the function to clear cache is usually under “Privacy and security”, “Clear browsing data”, etc.
There might also be an “Advanced” tab and various checkboxes for you to tick if you want to also remove cookies, a specific site, or include image files. It depends on the browser you’re using, but the prompts should more or less be intuitive. You might even be able to select if you want to just clear everything, up to a certain time period, or set your browser up to automatically clear the cache each time you close the browser (great for shared computers).
Remove unused extensions
To address an issue specific to the question of: “Why is my Chrome browser so slow?”, there’s a unique thing that Chrome and some other browsers have, which is extensions. Just think of them as tiny bits of complementary code or mini software/apps that you can add to your browser so you can do specific functions and to customise your browsing experience.
For example, you can install browser extensions to help you take full-page screenshots, to manage your cookies, block ads, make your webpages look cooler than what they usually are, and other mods. Shopaholics, you might even have heard of browser extensions that let you track prices of your fave products on Amazon. For parents, you’ll be pleased that there are browser extensions looking out for the Internet safety of your child.
With so many browser extensions available, there’s probably something for everything you’ve ever thought about! And therein lies the problem… If you’ve gone cray and downloaded too many browser extensions, it’s time to clean them up. We know that an overloaded machine can overheat; the same goes for an overloaded web browser with too many things to process!
There should be an Extensions item in your menu, and from there you can manage the various extensions — once you get over the surprise of how many you’ve amassed — and remove what’s not necessary to up your internet browsing speed.
For those who need a solution, and fast, but don’t want to lose your treasure trove of extensions, look for the option to disable all extensions for a quick fix.
Uninstall and reinstall browser for speed
Funnily enough, this simple fix is not quite obvious. Just like how files can be corrupted, software applications like browsers can also become overrun with bugs. Sometimes a simple uninstall and reinstall could be the trick, so do try it out!
Uh but wait. If you’re doing this on your mobile phone, it’s fine and dandy as you’ve got the Google Play store or App Store. However, on your laptop or computer, uninstalling the possibly only browser you have means…you have no way to search for the software later for a clean reinstall!
So before you do anything, make sure you have a backup browser. Either that, or download the installer prior to uninstalling your Chrome or whatever browser software you’re rebooting. Do a restart of your computer or laptop for better effect.
Remember to update your internet browser
Oh ya, for those among us who never/rarely turn off our laptop or computer, it’s likely that your various apps and software isn’t updated (especially if a restart is needed and you keep denying that). Do check if your internet browser is the latest version and update it — sometimes that’s all you need.
Can’t find the option to update your internet browser? Here’s a tip: Look for those familiar “three dots”. For Chrome, it’s under Help > About Google Chrome.
Close your tabs!
You might overlook this, but the 50-something tabs on your internet browser not only slow down your internet browsing speed, but also your computer or mobile phone’s processing speed (hear the rush of those fans???). If you can’t let any of these go, we suggest pasting the URLs into a note application on your computer or phone so you can close the tab yet continue to have quick access to them.
Which browser is best for slow internet connection?
We know you’ve been loyal to your internet browser for like, the longest time, but sometimes this commitment needs to go out the window if it’s only detrimental to your browsing speed (and wasting your precious time).
Yep, so sometimes it’s best to change your browser (RIP Internet Explorer…) as it might be the main culprit giving you a slow time. Also, for the non-fibre folks, which browser is best for slow internet connection?
Google Chrome has garnered a reputation for being one of the most efficient internet browsers, but if that’s not working for you, you can also check out others.
According to opinions gathered from discussion forums and articles, Opera is a good candidate as it has a “turbo mode” that’ll compress sites on its end before transmitting the data to you via your limited connection. You can also temporarily disable images easily, if all you need is quick info but you’re on some mountaintop with hardly any internet connection.
You could also try Mozilla Firefox, which provides security features such as blocking crypto miners (yikes, a whole new way to slow you down if they’re tapping your network connection via some random rogue software you didn’t know you downloaded while browsing some dubious site or accidentally clicking on a suspicious ad).
Other users also recommend a lighter browser without all the bells and whistles or Chrome or Firefox, such as the “Good Browser” that’s available on Android and is a featherweight at just 0.7MB with no ads.
Well, there you go, ways to fix your slow internet browser. Give them a try and onwards to faster browsing speeds!
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