In this week’s tech tip, we walk through practical ways to boost performance in Edge, so your AI tools stay responsive. Microsoft Edge is more than just a browser—it’s the foundation where features like Copilot, tab context, and AI-assisted workflows run. If Edge is sluggish, all those features can slow down, also. Let’s take a look!

Free Up Resources with Sleeping Tabs

Inactive tabs often consume memory and CPU unnecessarily. Edge’s Sleeping Tabs feature helps by pausing those tabs until you return to them.

Turn On and Configure Sleeping Tabs:

• Open Microsoft Edge browser.
• Click the ‘…’ (Ellipses) menu from top-right and select ‘Settings.’
• From the ‘Settings’ menu, select ‘System and performance.’
• Select ‘Performance.’
  • Toggle ‘On’ setting for ‘Save resources with sleeping tabs.’
  • Toggle ‘On’ setting for ‘Fade sleeping tabs.’
  • From the drop-down next to ‘Put inactive tabs to sleep after a specified amount of time’ select a time that works for your productivity (e.g. 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes of inactivity.)
  • Optional: Exclude sites of your choice to exclude from efficiency mode. Select ‘Add site’ to add a specific website.

TIP: Certain website activities may prevent a tab from sleeping, e.g. audio or video playback, casting, intranet pages.

Use Efficiency Mode (Especially on Laptops)

Efficiency Mode helps Edge conserve system resources by adjusting background activity and limiting resource usage when your device is unplugged or under strain.

Enable Efficiency Mode:

• In Edge, from the ‘Settings’ menu and ‘System and performance’:
  • In ‘Performance,’ toggle ‘Efficiency mode’ to ‘On.’

TIP: Efficiency Mode reduces resource usage but may slightly throttle performance for active tasks. It’s more beneficial for devices with limited memory, or battery constraints. If you notice sluggishness, test toggling the feature to ‘Off.’

Clear Cache, Cookies, and Browsing Data Periodically

Accumulated data can degrade performance over time, especially when Edge is processing AI queries or summarizing pages.

Clear Browsing Data:

• Open Microsoft Edge browser.
• Click the ‘…’ (Ellipses) menu from top-right and select ‘Settings.’
• From the ‘Settings’ menu, select ‘Privacy, search, and services.’
• Select the ‘Clear browsing data’ button.
  • Choose what to clear:
    • Select from a time range.
    • Select ‘Cached images and files.’
  • Optional: Choose from other options such as Download history, Cookies and other site data, and more.
  • After your selections have been made, select ‘Clear now.’

TIP: Avoid regularly clearing passwords or site logins unless necessary, as this can cause inconvenience. However, clearing cookies and cached images and files will help Edge to pull fresh content and avoid stale data.

Manage Extensions and Unneeded Features

Extensions and background helpers can strain resources, especially when Edge is actively processing AI and other tasks.

• From Edge, and ‘Settings,’ select ‘Extensions.’
• Toggle ‘Off’ or ‘On’ or select ‘Remove’ for extensions unfamiliar or not in use.

TIP: A minimal amount of extensions will yield smoother performance in Edge with multiple tabs open or during heavy AI use.

Keep Edge Updated

Microsoft regularly updates Edge to make it faster, smoother, and more secure. Keeping your browser up to date is not only important but also ensures that you receive the latest speed, performance, and security improvements.

Update Edge:

• Open Microsoft Edge browser.
• Click the ‘…’ (Ellipses) menu from top-right and select ‘Settings.’
• From the ‘Settings’ menu, select ‘About Microsoft Edge.’
  • Edge will automatically check for the latest updates.
  • The browser may prompt you to select ‘Restart’ to relaunch your browser and complete the updates process.

With sleeping tabs, efficiency mode, a clear cache, fewer extensions and regular updates, Edge stays fast, reliable and secure. These small steps can make a big difference when using heavier AI features or working with many tabs. We hope you find these tips helpful and encourage you to give them a try!

Reach Out to TechWise Group

Interested in learning more about Microsoft Edge? Reach out to TechWise Group. We’ll help you make the most of your Microsoft tools.