Even though Safari is the default browser that comes together for macOS, Google Chrome is still the most used one in the world, and Safari only comes second after it. With more than 1 billion users worldwide, Google Chrome is appreciated by many users because of its ability to sync with various devices and online tools seamlessly.

But the main advantages of Google Chrome often become its own disadvantages too. With all the devices and online tools syncing periodically, one of the fastest and most effective browsers can become frustratingly slow. And in a dynamic world like this, there is no place for a slow browser.

Understanding your annoyance and having been there too today, we want to share some hints, reasons, and solutions for solving a slow Google Chrome browser issue on Mac. If your browser has become unbearably slow – read on, and we hope we can help you fix the issue.

Reason #1: You Need to Update Your Browser

In the fast world that we live in, where nobody has the patience to wait for things to happen, it is completely understandable that most people have a tendency to postpone updates. All kinds of updates, including Chrome updates. Which can become the reason why your browser is working so slow.

But if you want Chrome to function impeccably and work well with macOS, the updates are crucial. Each time macOS releases an update, a lot of app developers also work on app updates to bring you the best performance and speed on the newest macOS. So if you skip these updates, not only will you have a slower browser – updates also bring a lot of security improvements.

If you want to check if there is an update for Chrome, simply click on the three dots icon in the right corner of your browser. If you see a green, yellow, or red dot – it means that there is an update waiting to be installed. The green one means the update has been available for two days, yellow – four days, and red – more than a week.

Reason #2: You Have Not Cleaned Your Cache in a While

We believe that over time you hear this term called browser cache and how it is super important to clean it occasionally. And there is a strong reason why. If you have not ever cleaned your browser cache, it may be the main reason why the Google Chrome browser is running so slow on your Mac.

Cache files are temporary files that store all kinds of information about your browsing. For example, if you browse the internet quite often and have your favorite websites that you visit almost daily, Chrome or any other browser saves cache files to load the same website faster next time. Or, if you choose to save your login information on some websites, it is also stored in the browser cache files.

Unfortunately, Chrome has a very limited space to store these cache files. And that may be the main reason why your browser is struggling to load new websites. So to fix that, all you need to do is clear your browser cache. To do so, click the icon with three dots in the upper right corner of Chrome, click More Tools, and choose Clear Browsing Data.

Reason #3: Adobe Flash Is Constantly Turned on

The macOS has never had a good history with Adobe Flash because it has always been known as a factor that slows everything down significantly and uses a lot of battery power, which is unhealthy for your Mac’s battery overall health. 

Therefore the smartest thing to do is to turn on a setting that will make Flash ask permission each time it tries to be activated. This will prevent your Google Chrome browser from loading Flash elements where it is completely unnecessary, and this will help it function way much faster.

To activate this setting, all you need to do is go to the Chrome menu and click on Settings. It is located at the bottom of all shown options. Then, click Privacy, and then go to Content Settings. There, find Flash and choose the option Ask first before running Flash.

Reason #4: Too Many Plugins and Extensions

There are people who ignore extensions, and there are the ones that want to try out any extension that there is. The same situation with all sorts of plugins. The point is that if you really use an extension daily and it really helps you with your work – then yes, it is worth it.

But if you have multiple extensions and plugins that you do not ever remember and do not know their purpose, it is best to remove them because they only lead to an underperforming browser and computer.