Simple trick to clear up your browser tab clutter and speed up your computer
You might be a tab hoarder and not even know it. According to the internet lexicon, a tab hoarder is someone who has too many browser tabs open at once. But how many are too many? Well, the answer will differ depending on who you ask.
Most people will generally have about three or four tabs open on their browser at any given time. More than that, you don’t just lose track of what’s going on, but it can also slow down your computer. Browser feeling sluggish? Tap or click here for how to speed up Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
Browsers like Google Chrome are notorious memory hogs. While the company has taken steps to reduce its dependency on your precious resource, it still requires a lot. Keep reading for a simple fix that will help speed up your computer.
Clear the browser clutter
Chrome and other Chromium-based browser problems are two-fold: it allocates RAM for each open tab (where other browsers gave a set amount for just the browser) and extensions. Each of the latter needs a slice of the pie, which leaves very little to go around for everything else.
RELATED: 6 ways to speed up an old computer
You might have a valid reason for having more than 10 tabs opens. Some people conduct a lot of research, while others want to stay in the know. Either way, it doesn’t detract from the fact that browser tab clutter is bad for your computer’s speed. And your brain.
Dr. Daria Kuss from the Cyberpsychology department at Nottingham Trent University explained to Metro that it could potentially result in information overload. “Rather than creating efficiency, switching frequently between tasks (or tabs) may lead to short attention spans and a lack of depth in the ongoing tasks.”
What you can do about it
But all is not lost if you identify as a tab hoarder. Luckily, there is a way for you to save up to 95% of your computer’s memory and significantly reduce your browser clutter. We’re not suggesting that you have fewer tabs open, but rather to manage it in a better way.
OneTab was created for this specific goal in mind. Available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, this extension sits next to the search and URL bar in your browser. When activated, it shifts all your open tabs to one window.
It’s presented in a list view, and when you need to reaccess the tabs, you can either restore them individually or all at once. The company claims that when you use OneTab, you can free up almost 95% of your computer’s memory.
RELATED: Privacy tip: How to delete cookies from your phone
The extension is available for free, and your URLs are never transmitted or disclosed to anyone, not even OneTab. You can export and import your tabs as a list of URLs and share them with others.
Tags: Apple Safari, browser tabs, extension, Firefox, Google, Google Chrome, internet, memory, Microsoft Edge, privacy, research