Chrome Browser Update Promises New Energy and Usage Control Modes Soon

Two new performance options are headed to the desktop version of Chrome, promising less drain on your computer's power and memory.

The desktop version of Google's Chrome web browser will get a pair of new settings for you to adjust to improve performance. More precisely, these upcoming mode settings will let you better optimize how much (or how little) of your system memory and battery power that Chrome uses.

Energy Saver mode, which Google says will make Chrome use 40 percent less energy, will automatically kick in (if it's turned on) once your battery drops to 20 percent. In this mode, Chrome limits animations and videos on the web pages you visit to conserve power. And it will keep an eye on activity that pages may run in the background as another means of reducing the amount of energy it uses. Something that Google says is ideal for when you're running low and can't recharge immediately.

Memory Saver serves a similar purpose, but instead of limiting energy usage, it rations Chrome's memory usage for inactive tabs; up to 10GB less memory usage, according to Google. Think of it like open but unused tabs being put into sleep mode, where they're mostly dormant until you return to them, at which point they refresh.

Don't worry if you have essential pages and tabs you need to keep operating at full capacity at all times. Google states that you can mark specific websites of your choosing as exempt from Memory Saver's effects. And, of course, both features are optional, so you can also avoid using them at all if you'd prefer.

Energy Saver and Memory Saver performance settings will be rolling out worldwide over the next "several weeks." Once they're out, you'll be able to use them in Chrome for Chrome OS, macOS, and Windows.