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High CPU Usage With Microsoft Edge Browser

4,667 6,948 July 12, 2022 at 06:08 PM
I'm posting this more as a discussion topic, rather than asking for assistance. WIthin the last 6 months or so, 2 of the 3 desktops I use daily have started running very slow. There are times when they pretty much lock up and won't do anything for 30 seconds or so. I did some investigating and found that Microsoft Edge was devouring a huge chunk (60%-80%) of my CPU's capacity, for no apparent reason, even when I have tabs open but am not loading any pages. I have premium internet security installed and have not installed any add-ons or new software during the period when the problem started. I have, however, gotten several Windows updates that have auto-installed, and I think that's where the problem resides. I've done a little research and it seems that a lot of people are having this problem with Edge, even those with the latest high performance computers that should be more immune to CPU usage problems. Restarting helps some, but not for long.

So, as an experiment, I started using Chrome as my browser. Edge is Chromium based since 2020, and the differences with Chrome are minimal as far as the user experience goes. However, Microsoft has their code in Edge and there's no telling what they added in. And guess what? All my problems went away. My desktops are zipping right along as fast as ever, and CPU usage is minimal. Something within Edge is causing this issue, and if I haven't changed anything I shouldn't have to start tweaking settings to see what makes an improvement.

Is anyone else having this problem with Microsoft Edge?
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Joined Oct 2010
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YanksIn2009
07-13-2022 at 11:35 AM.
07-13-2022 at 11:35 AM.
Quote from BabyBubba :
I'm posting this more as a discussion topic, rather than asking for assistance. WIthin the last 6 months or so, 2 of the 3 desktops I use daily have started running very slow. There are times when they pretty much lock up and won't do anything for 30 seconds or so. I did some investigating and found that Microsoft Edge was devouring a huge chunk (60%-80%) of my CPU's capacity, for no apparent reason, even when I have tabs open but am not loading any pages. I have premium internet security installed and have not installed any add-ons or new software during the period when the problem started. I have, however, gotten several Windows updates that have auto-installed, and I think that's where the problem resides. I've done a little research and it seems that a lot of people are having this problem with Edge, even those with the latest high performance computers that should be more immune to CPU usage problems. Restarting helps some, but not for long.

So, as an experiment, I started using Chrome as my browser. Edge is Chromium based since 2020, and the differences with Chrome are minimal as far as the user experience goes. However, Microsoft has their code in Edge and there's no telling what they added in. And guess what? All my problems went away. My desktops are zipping right along as fast as ever, and CPU usage is minimal. Something within Edge is causing this issue, and if I haven't changed anything I shouldn't have to start tweaking settings to see what makes an improvement.

Is anyone else having this problem with Microsoft Edge?
Like with all things spyware that are Google\Chromium based imo, MS took it to new levels in Edge. Make sure you turn off background processing in the Settings|System area as it is a real pig. Also in the privacy area, turn off all the nonsense related to optional diagnostic data and search and service "improvement". In fact, turn off anything you really do not need and ratchet security and privacy up to the highest level you can deal with in the browser.

Personally, I only use Edge when I am forced to because Firefox and the extensions that I use have an issue with a particular site or two. Firefox is definitely a better all round product and not a piece of spyware and I would highly advise sticking to that over Edge or Chrome, but that is just my opinion.
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Joined Apr 2021
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BabyBubba
07-13-2022 at 12:28 PM.
07-13-2022 at 12:28 PM.
Quote from YanksIn2009 :
Like with all things spyware that are Google\Chromium based imo, MS took it to new levels in Edge. Make sure you turn off background processing in the Settings|System area as it is a real pig. Also in the privacy area, turn off all the nonsense related to optional diagnostic data and search and service "improvement". In fact, turn off anything you really do not need and ratchet security and privacy up to the highest level you can deal with in the browser.

Personally, I only use Edge when I am forced to because Firefox and the extensions that I use have an issue with a particular site or two. Firefox is definitely a better all round product and not a piece of spyware and I would highly advise sticking to that over Edge or Chrome, but that is just my opinion.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I'll give Firefox a try. Over the years I've had several friends recommend it, but have never given it a test drive.
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Joined Jul 2022
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FeistyClover3349
07-14-2022 at 12:16 AM.
07-14-2022 at 12:16 AM.
Quote from YanksIn2009 :
Like with all things spyware that are Google\Chromium based imo, MS took it to new levels in Edge. Make sure you turn off background processing in the Settings|System area as it is a real pig. Also in the privacy area, turn off all the nonsense related to optional diagnostic data and search and service "improvement". In fact, turn off anything you really do not need and ratchet security and privacy up to the highest level you can deal with in the browser.

Personally, I only use Edge when I am forced to because Firefox and the extensions that I use have an issue with a particular site or two. Firefox is definitely a better all round product and not a piece of spyware and I would highly advise sticking to that over Edge or Chrome, but that is just my opinion.
What about Brave Browser compared to Firefox?
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Joined Oct 2010
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YanksIn2009
07-14-2022 at 09:54 AM.
07-14-2022 at 09:54 AM.
Quote from FeistyClover3349 :
What about Brave Browser compared to Firefox?

No experience with it, so I really can't comment. From their website though, they compare themselves to Firefox and note things about their built in ad-blocker and tracking protection vs. Firefox. That is all fine but sort of misleading in that you can load in extensions like AdBlock Plus and Ghostery to Firefox to essentially do the same thing and then it really becomes a debate of which does a better job\which is better overall (no idea as I noted I have never used Brave). In the case of Chrome or Edge though, they are spying by default themselves as that is the whole business model of Google, namely get your personal data and market it to third parties.

If you run a search comparing the two head to head in reviews online, it is more or less a push depending on what you are concerned with\like\are used to.
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Joined Jun 2005
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
> bubble2 8,770 Posts
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komondor
07-20-2022 at 04:33 PM.
07-20-2022 at 04:33 PM.
well what extensions do you have running on Edge?

From a command prompt with Edge closed run:

start msedge --disable-extensions


See if your speed comes back it, it could your premium internet security installed some extensions in Edge but not Chrome!
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