How to free Chrome's memory without closing tabs

28 September 2026 · 3 min read

Chrome's Memory Saver

Settings → Performance → Memory Saver. Chrome unloads tabs you're not using and reloads them when you click. Moderate, Balanced and Maximum decide how soon.

Chrome's Settings, Performance page: the Memory section with Memory Saver switched on. — Memory Saver in Chrome's settings.

On your own timing

Chrome decides for itself when a tab counts as unused. With WithFew (our extension), the ready-made Memory saver workflow puts a tab to sleep after exactly 30 minutes unused: unloaded, in the same place, reloaded when you click it. Nothing is moved or closed. Change the 30 minutes to anything you like.

The Memory saver workflow in WithFew's editor: Unused for 30 minutes → Sleep. — Memory saver in Few's editor: Unused for 30 minutes, then Sleep.

You can also unload only some sites: put a Condition with a Domain before Sleep. The Social timeout workflow does this for social and video sites.

WithFew is free for 7 days, then $5 a month.