Chrome is one of the fastest and most widely used browsers on the market. However, there may be times when hidden bugs and issues slow it down. After going through this article, you can determine if it's the internet or your browser that's slowing down your downloads.
The 12 fixes that we cover in this article can help you speed up downloads if they are slower than usual.
Check Your Internet Connection First
You must first verify that a slow internet connection isn't the cause of the slow download speed. Test that by downloading the same files on another system connected to the same internet connection, ideally using Chrome. If your internet is also slow on your other devices, take the necessary steps to speed up your Wi-Fi router.
If the download speed is normal on other laptops but slow or unstable on your device, check if the problem is limited to Chrome or is consistent throughout your device. The best way to confirm that is to download the same file on another browser installed on your device and see how much download speed you get.
The problem is device-specific if the download speed is slow on other browsers too. If that's the case, you'll need to speed up your internet connection on Windows or macOS. The download speed of Chrome will return to normal as soon as the connection speeds up.
If speed is normal on other browsers and devices but is slow in Chrome on your primary device, it's a Chrome-specific issue. If this is the case, start applying the rest of the fixes.
1. Close Unused Tabs While Downloading Files
Each open tab in your browser consumes some resources. Chrome has very few resources to utilize when so many tabs are open, and you're downloading files. Therefore, a lack of RAM resources can slow down the download process.
Chrome has its Task Manager that enables you to identify which processes use the most network resources on your browser. Open the Chrome Task Manager by clicking on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner and navigating to More tools > Task manager.
To identify the processes consuming the most network resources, click on the Network to arrange the column in ascending order. To close any task in the Task Manager, select it and click the End process button in the lower-right corner.
Close all the processes consuming the most network resources to see if it makes a difference in Chrome download speed.
In addition to using RAM, each open tab puts some strain on the internet. As more tabs are open, the internet becomes slower, causing files to take longer to download. Try closing the unused tabs one by one to see if it makes any difference to the download speed.
2. Close Other Applications Running in Parallel
As you download files from Chrome, each application you run on your computer in parallel that utilizes the same internet connection consumes some bandwidth.
You should filter out and close those apps that hog bandwidth on your network so that Chrome can download files more quickly.
Open the Windows Task Manager, click More details in the lower-left corner, and click Network to sort the applications using network resources in the ascending order. Once you have sorted the applications, right-click on them and choose End Task.
Mac users can visit this article explaining how to open the Task Manager on a Mac. By closing all bandwidth-hogging tasks, Chrome will be allocated more resources, leading to a faster download speed.
3. Turn Off Any VPN You're Using
Surfing over the internet is more secure with a VPN. If, however, the VPN server is too far from you, the data packet will take longer to travel between your and the server's location. This will slow down Chrome browsing as well as download speeds.
Check whether removing the VPN connection improves download speeds. However, this will expose your IP address, so make sure it won't compromise your security.
4. Update Your Version of Chrome
Chrome updates can eliminate hidden issues and enhance its performance. The download speed may slow down if Chrome is not updated to its latest version.
To see if Chrome is updated, follow these steps.
- In the top-right corner, click on the three dots.
- Go to Help > About Google Chrome.
If Chrome is already updated, you'll see the message "Google Chrome is up to date". If not, update it and download the file again. Enable auto-updates to avoid facing the same problem in the future.
5. Disconnect Other Devices From the Same Internet Connection
Having too many connections to the same internet connection can slow down Chrome's download and browsing capabilities. If you're using a shared internet connection in Chrome to download files, ask other users to disconnect their devices until the download completes.
If you have connected your devices to the same internet connection, disconnect them to see if it speeds up the download. You can also move the laptop close to the router to improve signal strength.
6. Enable Parallel Downloading
Parallel downloading divides a file into smaller pieces and downloads them simultaneously. Multiple connections to download a file decrease the load on servers, which speeds up the download process. Chrome automatically combines these small packets into the final download file once they have been downloaded.
To enable parallel downloading in Chrome, follow these steps:
- Open a new tab.
- Go to the Chrome flags area.
- Search for parallel downloading.
- Enable the option from the dropdown.
- Relaunch the browser once.
Turn off this feature if it adversely affects download speed.
7. Clearing Browsing Data
Temporary files can cause a hiccup in the data download process if they accumulate in the browser. Therefore, clearing cookies may help speed up the download process.
- Press Ctrl + H.
- Click on Clear browsing data.
- Select all options, including the cookies and cached data.
- Tap on Clear data.
Performing this action will remove any saved usernames, passwords, and other information. If you wish to keep it intact, you can create a new account in the same Chrome browser with no cache data or saved cookies.
8. Flush DNS Cache
As a result of malware attacks or other technical problems, the DNS cache gets corrupted, and unauthorized IP addresses sneak in. While this compromises your security, it can also slow down your browser.
Clearing your DNS cache will remove all IP addresses and DNS records from your network. Therefore, you must flush the DNS cache.
Follow the steps below to flush the DNS cache in Windows:
- Open the Windows Command Prompt app.
- Type "ipconfig /flushdns" and hit Enter.
Mac users can check out this article explaining how to flush DNS cache in Mac.
9. Change DNS Servers
You might be using the DNS server assigned by your Internet Service Provider if you have never changed them.
Depending on how reliable your ISP is, the DNS server may not be as fast as it should be. It means your internet speed could be faster than it is. By changing DNS servers, you have a good chance of increasing the Chrome download speed.
Windows users can visit this article explaining different ways to change the DNS server on a Windows device. Mac users can check out this article explaining changing DNS settings on Mac.
To get the best internet connection, it's preferable to use the Google Public DNS IP addresses (IPv4) listed below:
Preferred DNS: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS: 8.8.4.4
Chrome also has the option to change the DNS servers provided by your ISP to Google Public DNS without affecting your whole internet connection or device. To do that, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Settings by clicking on three vertical dots.
- Click on Privacy and security in the left sidebar, then on Security in the right-hand pane.
- Under Advanced settings, check the circle for With and select Google (Public DNS) from the dropdown.
10. Disable Extensions
Chrome extensions can also interfere with downloads in some cases. Turn extensions off one by one to see how it affects download speed. Turning off a particular extension may increase download speed. If that's the case, disable or permanently remove that extension from Chrome.
11. Turn Off Hardware Acceleration in Chrome
The hardware acceleration process transfers the high graphics computations to hardware such as the GPU, so the CPU doesn't have to deal with as much workload. Most of the time, it improves the performance of browsers and applications.
This may, however, slow down the download speed. If it's already on, turn it off and see any effect on downloading speed. Turn it back on if turning it off further slows the download.
To turn off hardware acceleration in Chrome, follow the steps below.
- Click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner and select Settings.
- Navigate to the System tab on the left.
- Turn off the toggle next to Use hardware acceleration when available.
12. Install a Download Manager
The download manager works in the same way as parallel downloading in Chrome. Each part of the file is downloaded separately, which puts less stress on the server. All downloads are conducted using full bandwidth and multiple connections.
Furthermore, once the connection is interrupted, you must download the file in Chrome from scratch. Download managers retain the downloaded part and resume downloading from where the connection was interrupted.
Increase Chrome's Download Speed
The above fixes will improve Chrome's download speed. There are often problems on the server that hosts a particular file, slowing down the download. If that is the case, the above fixes won't help much.
To get the maximum speed, download one file at a time, and if the slow speed issue persists, consider switching to another browser that downloads files faster than Chrome.
