Microsoft Says Edge’s Sleeping Tabs Now Save Even More Resources

Microsoft Edge’s Sleeping Tabs feature, which saves resources by putting inactive tabs to sleep is now more efficient than ever, the company said today. Microsoft Edge 100, the latest version of the browser that was released last week added a new condition for putting tabs to sleep.

“Beginning in Microsoft Edge 100, we’ve updated sleeping tabs to enable pages that are sharing a browsing instance with another page to now go to sleep. With this change, 8% more tabs on average will sleep, saving you even more resources! On average, each sleeping tab saves 85% of memory and 99% CPU for Microsoft Edge,” the Edge team explained.

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In Microsoft Edge 100, Microsoft also added a new Performance menu where users can see how much memory they’re saving by enabling Sleeping Tabs. This Performance menu is accessible by clicking on the ellipsis button on the top right corner of the browser, and it can also be pinned to the Edge toolbar. 

“We’re continuously improving performance and efficiency features like sleeping tabs based on your feedback,” the Edge team said today. In addition to Sleeping Tabs, Microsoft Edge also recently added an Efficiency mode that can help to extend battery life by saving computer resources. If you’re on a laptop, you can configure this Efficiency mode to automatically turn on when you’re unplugged or when you’re battery is low.

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Conversation 7 comments

  • dftf

    07 April, 2022 - 2:37 pm

    <p>The <strong>Sleeping Tabs </strong>feature works great, yes: I have it set to make all tabs sleep after 30 seconds, so soon after they are loaded, they essentially get paused. I find <em>Edge </em>is more-responsive when using it.</p><p><br></p><p>However I did try the <strong>Efficiency Mode</strong>, setting it to "unplugged" but just find it slows things do too-much to where most things lag. If you’re on battery, you’d be better-off just creating a power-plan within Windows to make your CPU run at a fixed lower-speed (via the SpeedStep or PowerNow!). Maybe within <em>Windows 11</em>, this mode will eventually mean "only use the efficiency-cores" on CPUs that offer that — might be worth it at that-point, but not now.</p>

  • bluvg

    08 April, 2022 - 1:08 am

    <p>Thank you, Microsoft, for being a great enabler for my tab hoarding. </p><p><br></p><p>Seriously, this is a very, very good feature. Now if we could just get certain sites (ahem) to use less <strong>egregiously obnoxious, CPU- and human-loathing ads</strong> (ah yes, lets software render this pointless animation that aggravatingly repaginates endlessly, bouncing what one is trying to read off-screen while reading), we perhaps might waste a fair amount less energy and release a few megatons less CO2 into the air. Some of the ad providers are just unbelievably nasty in this regard, to the point where I will intentionally choose <em>not</em> to buy something/from somewhere I would otherwise have bought. (And ad blockers just solve one problem in favor of another.)</p>

    • dftf

      08 April, 2022 - 5:19 am

      <p>You would solve your issue easily by either (1) installing an AdBlocker, or setting your system DNS IP addresses to be those of an ad-blocking service; or (2) go into the browser settings, turn of Javascript, and only re-enable it on a per-site basis.</p><p><br></p><p>I agree ads should consume less-resources, sure, but even if they did, the savings made there would easily be wiped-out in just a year-or-two of crypto-mining anyway… what is it currently, 7% of all global electric use or something?</p>

      • bluvg

        08 April, 2022 - 10:55 am

        <p>As I said, an ad blocker just trades one problem for another. I don’t want to <em>block ads</em>, I want <em>ads to be </em><strong><em>far less obnoxious.</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>I do totally follow your point about crypto, but that’s like saying murder is ok because genocide is worse. </p>

    • spacein_vader

      Premium Member
      08 April, 2022 - 6:53 am

      <p>Pi-hole is your friend. </p>

      • ronv42

        Premium Member
        08 April, 2022 - 8:23 am

        <p>I have Pi-hole everywhere, home, parent home, when I VPN, etc. Not only does it save CPU in the browser it also reduces the data draw of apps on your cell phone.</p>

      • bluvg

        08 April, 2022 - 10:58 am

        <p>That is effectively just an ad blocker (via DNS), which as I said, I’m trying <em>not </em>to do. There are some other concerns about Pi-hole in WFH settings as well.</p>

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