Microsoft Edge 'Performance Mode' Takes the Load Off Your CPU and RAM, Saves Battery

An anonymous reader quotes a report from 9to5Google: The latest addition coming to Microsoft Edge is "performance mode." Rolling out first to the Canary channel, "performance mode" in Microsoft Edge is designed to improve how the browser uses the resources available to it. In practice, Microsoft says the new mode will improve speed and responsiveness overall while "optimizing" the use of battery, CPU, and RAM. Apparently, the mode may adjust based on your browsing habits too. "Performance mode helps you optimize speed, responsiveness, memory, CPU and battery usage," says Microsoft. "Performance improvements might vary depending on your individual specifications and browser habits."

One specific change Microsoft notes is that the "Sleeping Tabs" feature in Edge will be locked to five minutes when performance mode is turned on. "Sleeping Tabs" essentially freezes a tab that's left open in the background, saving resources when it's not actively being used. Performance Mode is rolling out now in version 91.0.856.0, available in the Canary channel. The toggle is available in the "System" section of the settings menu.

Nice Feature - hope to see it replicated in others

[vux984]

n/t

Re:

[terrorubic]

Chrome developers from August 2020 must have invented a time machine, went forward to April 2021 and stole Microsoft's innovation :s

Google just made Chrome better with performance and productivity tweaks [thenextweb.com]:

“Google is also introducing tab throttling to the beta version of Chrome. That means that tabs in the background will take up less of your CPU’s resources, improving both the speed on the tabs you’re actually using, as well as battery life all over.”

Re:

[geekmux]

You mean, Microsoft hacked Windows to make Edge run faster. Why does this even deserve a whole article on slashdot?

It doesn't.

Which means you must be new here.

Welcome, to Slashvertisements.

Re:

[vux984]

"You mean, Microsoft hacked Windows to make Edge run faster."

That IS a pretty neat trick seeing as the Microsoft Canary channel release build is also available on macOS.

It doesn't

[couchslug]

However slathering Dicedot with space filler, Slashvertisements and other junk whose posting amounts to passive-aggressive sabotage of the site since that shit doesn't attract new viewers or more page hits.

SEO-fu would be easy to accomplish while making Dicedot far better (like Slashdot of old) but there will never be a defensible explanation for the years of inflicting this shit on those who still come here for actual tech content.

THE COMMENTS ARE WHAT MAKE DICEDOT. Without them the site won't make squat.

Howzabout a "disable javascript"

[Snotnose]

I run noscript, when I load it onto friend's laptops they're amazed at how fast the web is. Until they hit Facebook or somesuch, and nothing works.

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[Aighearach]

That's why smarter people run uMatrix, and it takes n clicks to get anything working, and once you learn to tell the difference between the trackers and the CDNs then you can get a site going quickly. And if you're smart enough to press "save" when you have it working, you only do it once per site.

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[fahrbot-bot]

That's why smarter people run uMatrix, ...

Unfortunately, uMatrix hasn't been updated since Sept 2019. I still use it though, along with uBlock Origin (in advanced mode).

Re:

[Aighearach]

It doesn't need to be updated. Why would it need updates? It already works.

Re:

[Canberra1]

How about a disable comms/telemetry for frozen tabs - that is unable to talk to the mothership when in a quiesced state. Undoubtedly they would wish to load new ads and get paid for more impressions, and a ping to say, eyes still on page. I can think of many reasons why MS would not like to do this, so harming privacy scraping. If not , get something like ProcessHacker tool, and use it to block unwanted telemetry.

This is a Slahvertisement

[Striek]

Slahsvertisement much?

"Anonymous reader" my ass.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

slashvertisements are shit, but this hardly qualifies, I don't give a shit whether this came from MS, Google, some fanboi or even a whiner like you. It is relevant technical news on product development, and hopefully it is picked up and copied.

If You Use Edge - You Are an Internet Problem

[BrendaEM]

There is no reason to trust Microsoft, again! If you insist on using Edge, you work to ruin the internet for everyone.

5 minutes?

[blastard]

Is the time before it sends the background tab to bed adjustable? I only want a background tab to load a page, but after 30 seconds it should be in sleep mode already. Maybe even add timers based on the site, like ad block and other useful functions.

Performance mode..

[Traf-O-Data-Hater]

I already get the Edge Performance Mode.
I do this by not running Edge, and as the consequential benefit I get the performance it would have eaten up.

Why is it called performance mode?

[PingSpike]

Seems more like a power save mode to me. Or maybe an "optimize for low performance device" mode.