How to Disable Efficiency Mode for Google Chrome on Windows 11

Google Chrome is known for being one of the fastest browsers out there — but also one of the most power-hungry. To improve battery life and reduce CPU usage, Chrome includes a built-in Efficiency Mode (formerly called “Energy Saver” or “Memory Saver”).

While this feature can be great for laptops, it sometimes causes issues — like tabs reloading when you switch to them, slower site performance, or delayed notifications from web apps like Gmail or Slack. If you prefer full performance over battery savings, you can easily turn off Efficiency Mode in Chrome on Windows 11.

In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to disable it — step by step.

What Is Efficiency Mode in Chrome?

Efficiency Mode in Chrome helps your PC use less memory and power. It works by putting inactive tabs to sleep and reducing background activity when your laptop is on battery or idle.

While it helps extend battery life, it can also cause:

• Slower tab switching or reloading when revisiting inactive tabs
• Delays in real-time web notifications (like chat messages)
• Slightly lower performance when using web-based apps

If you use Chrome on a desktop PC, or you prioritize performance over power savings, disabling Efficiency Mode might be the better option.

1. Turn Off Memory Saver (Efficiency Mode) in Chrome Settings

Google Chrome now includes a Performance section in its settings where you can easily manage the feature.

Here’s how:

1. Open Google Chrome on your Windows 11 PC.
2. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings from the dropdown.
4. In the left sidebar, click Performance.
   (If you don’t see it, type chrome://settings/performance in the address bar and press Enter.)
5. Under Memory Saver, toggle the switch off.

Once disabled, Chrome will stop putting inactive tabs to sleep, and all your tabs will remain active in the background.

2. Disable Energy Saver (for Battery Optimization)

If you’re using a laptop, Chrome also includes an Energy Saver feature designed to reduce background power usage when your battery is low.

To turn it off:

1. Go to Settings → Performance again.
2. Scroll down to the Energy Saver section.
3. Toggle off the option that says “Turn on Energy Saver when my computer is low on battery.”

This ensures Chrome won’t automatically limit background activity even when you’re running on battery power.

3. Use Chrome Flags (If the Performance Option Is Missing)

If you’re using an older version of Chrome or the Performance section isn’t visible yet, you can still disable Efficiency Mode via Chrome’s experimental flags.

1. In Chrome, type the following in the address bar and press Enter: chrome://flags
2. In the search bar at the top, type performance or efficiency.
3. Look for these flags:
   • Enable the High Efficiency mode feature in the Performance settings
   • Enable Battery Saver Mode feature in the Performance settings
4. Set both to Disabled using the dropdown menu on the right.
5. Click Relaunch at the bottom to restart Chrome.

Once Chrome restarts, the Efficiency Mode feature will be completely turned off.

4. Prevent Efficiency Mode for Chrome from Windows Task Manager

Windows 11’s Efficiency Mode in Task Manager is a separate system-level feature that can also throttle Chrome’s background activity.

Here’s how to make sure it’s disabled for Chrome:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Go to the Processes tab.
3. Find Google Chrome in the list.
4. Right-click on it and check if Efficiency mode is enabled (a green leaf icon appears if it is).
5. If it’s active, right-click Chrome and select Efficiency mode → Turn off Efficiency mode.

This ensures Windows won’t limit Chrome’s performance, especially when running multiple apps simultaneously.

5. Keep Chrome Updated

Sometimes, Chrome performance settings can behave inconsistently on outdated versions. Make sure you’re running the latest version of the browser.

1. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner.
2. Go to Help → About Google Chrome.
3. Chrome will automatically check for updates and install them.
4. Restart Chrome when prompted.

Newer versions of Chrome give you better control over performance features like Memory Saver and Energy Saver.

6. Optional: Whitelist Certain Sites (If You Don’t Want to Disable It Entirely)

If you don’t want to turn off Efficiency Mode completely but want certain sites (like YouTube, Gmail, or Spotify) to stay active all the time, Chrome lets you exclude them.

1. Go to Settings → Performance → Memory Saver.
2. Scroll down and click Add next to “Always keep these sites active.”
3. Enter the website URLs you want Chrome to keep active.

This way, Chrome keeps these sites running even when Efficiency Mode is on, giving you a good balance between performance and power savings.

Wrapping Up

Efficiency Mode in Google Chrome is great for extending battery life, but it’s not always ideal for performance — especially if you keep multiple tabs or web apps open.

By turning off Memory Saver, Energy Saver, and ensuring Chrome isn’t being throttled by Windows Task Manager, you’ll enjoy a smoother and more responsive browsing experience on Windows 11.

If you’re using a laptop, you can always re-enable Efficiency Mode later when you need to conserve battery power.