Microsoft Edge Beta Now Has Built-in RAM Limiter

How-To Geek

By Andrew Heinzman

Updated May 2, 2024

The RAM limiter, which is currently in beta, may be useful to gamers or those with weak PCs.

Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

UPDATE: 2024/05/02 14:51 EST BY CORBIN DAVENPORT

Now Official

Microsoft has officially announced the RAM limiter, now called "resource controls," in a blog post. It's available today in Microsoft Edge Beta 125, and it should be present in the stable version of Edge 125 when that rolls out. However, Microsoft notes that setting a low resource limit can slow down general browser performance.

Microsoft is testing a RAM usage slider in the latest Edge Canary build. This setting forces Edge to limit its memory consumption and may improve the performance of other apps on your system.

The RAM limiter is tucked within Edge's Browser Essentials panel alongside power-saving and safe browsing tools. Click the little heart icon in the Edge toolbar, select the maximum amount of RAM that you want Edge to use, and move on with your life. It's that simple.

Unlike Google Chrome, which is a notorious memory hog, the Edge browser runs pretty lean. I doubt that this feature will make much of a difference to the average user, though it may be useful when gaming or using an under-powered PC. To that point, you can ask Edge to only limit its RAM usage when a PC game is open. But Microsoft doesn't provide any other advanced options or functionality in this beta test.

Edge isn't the first browser to implement a RAM usage limiter. Opera GX, a "gaming browser," shipped with a RAM limiter five years ago. Still, it's nice to see this a feature in a mainline web browser, especially one that competes with Google Chrome. However, Edge and Chrome already contain some memory-optimization features, such as tab sleeping. Because the Windows operating system is responsible for managing system resources, the benefits of an in-browser RAM limiter are somewhat questionable. Your PC should automatically allot the appropriate amount of system memory to video games and other applications. In most cases, this automatic process works fine.

If you struggle with PC performance while Edge is open, give this new feature a test. Just know that it will probably make Edge slower. Pay attention, see if your other apps are working faster when limiting Edge's memory usage, and if there isn't a noticeable improvement, I suggest that you disable the RAM limiter.

To reiterate, Edge's RAM limiter is currently in beta. If you want to test the feature, you need to install the latest Edge Canary build. The RAM limiter will roll out to stable Edge versions in a future update.

Source: Leopeva64