Google Chrome is undoubtedly the first choice when it comes to browsers for most people worldwide. However, it is important to keep in mind that the Google Chrome browser has its fair share of issues just like other not-so-popular browsers.
One of the biggest problems with Chrome is its high memory usage. If you are scared of launching your Chrome browser because it makes your laptop’s fans run loudly and don’t know how to fix that, we’re here to help you out.
You’re probably losing your mind wondering what the Google Chrome helper renderer is supposed to do, is it a virus or not, how to fix it, etc. but not getting any proper solutions. Even the Chrome Help Center doesn’t explain what the Google Chrome Helper is and what is its function.
If you open the Windows Task Manager (for Windows PC users) or Activity Monitor (for Mac users), you’ll find that there are multiple copies of Google Chrome Helper processes. This might be causing your computer’s fans to go crazy and the computer could also be getting heated up.
Your computer is acting up because the Google Chrome Helper process is consuming too many resources. In this article, we’ll discuss why the Google Chrome Helper Renderer process is taking so much memory and system resources and how to disable it. Keep reading!
What Is Meant By Google Chrome Helper / Renderer?
Google Chrome Helper (Renderer) might be the reason why your computer’s fan is running like crazy. This eventually heats up your computer even if you are using a Macbook.
The Google Chrome Helper is the embedded content running outside your browser. Users have faced a 100% CPU and memory consumption issue on their Mac if a rogue extension or one of Google Chrome’s plug-in settings are running everything by default.
If you check your Task Manager on a Windows computer or the Activity Monitor if you use a Mac computer, then, you may find several Google Chrome Helper processes running in the background. Google Chrome Helper or Renderer acts as a bridge between the remote servers and your web browser. It is required for the plug-ins to function properly.
This tool consumes a massive portion of the CPU and the memory and that can lead to several issues linked to your Mac. So, basically, the Google Chrome helper acts like a display name for all the Plug-ins that are running in your browser’s background.
These plug-ins and other extensions embed some code into the browser but the code is written in a server located elsewhere. The Google chrome helper (renderer) works as a link between these two and allows them to interact with one another.
Why Does Google Chrome Helper/ Renderer Cause Issues?
To be fair, it’s not the Google Chrome Helper/ Renderer that is causing the issues. It’s probably a plugin or extension using the Google Chrome Helper. Faulty extensions and resource-heavy web pages that use third-party plugins cause the Google Chrome Helper to consume a lot of CPU or RAM.
Due to the same reason, Adobe Flash was found to be problematic when run in the Google Chrome browser. So, Google disabled Flash support in Chrome. The following are some of the reasons why your Google Chrome Helper/ Renderer might be causing problems:
- If several processes related to Google Chrome run at the same time, that can cause issues.
- Your Chrome browser extension has not been shielded from malware or spyware
- The plugin settings of Chrome have been configured to run everything by default.
- You can download a lot of plugins online but all of them, don’t create problems. But, the ones that operate using flash content are the ones that allow Google Chrome processes to have multiple instances.
- If you are running content that uses Adobe Flash plugins, the Google Chrome Helper won’t respond and will affect the working.
How To Disable Google Chrome Helper?
If you disable the Google Chrome Helper Renderer, your computer’s CPU consumption will most likely decrease drastically from 100% to 20%. Every time you wish to see flash content, you need to opt via view content.vtdecoderxpcservice. But, a benefit of killing the Google Chrome Helper process is that the Flash ads won’t auto-load and you won’t have to install an ad blocker.
Note: Disabling Chrome Helper Renderer will end third-party plugin processes and this might block certain site assets like video players from working properly. Try testing these sites in the incognito window of Google Chrome to ensure that the browser will work fine after disabling the Chrome helper.
As mentioned already, you can see the helper process via the activity monitor. But, disabling it from there won’t disable it completely. So, if you want to disable the Google Chrome Helper Renderer, you need to dig a little bit deeper into the Google Chrome settings.
The following methods will help you disable the Google Chrome Helper Renderer:
- Disable Google Chrome Helper Via Chrome Settings
- Stop Multiple Chrome Processes Using Task Manager
- Remove Suspicious Extensions
- Reset Your Browser Settings To Default
Method #1. Disable Google Chrome Helper Via Chrome Settings
- Launch Google Chrome browser on your computer.
- Click on the three vertical dots located at the top-right corner
- Click on Settings
Note: If you’re using a Macbook, click on Chrome located beside the Apple logo towards the top-left corner of the screen. Then, click on Preferences > Privacy & Security
- From the left-hand menu bar, click on Advanced.
- Click on Privacy and Security from the dropdown menu.
- Keep scrolling until you find Site Settings.
- Click on Unsandboxed plugin access
- Click on the blue slider located beside “Ask when a site wants to use a plugin to access your computer (recommended)”
- The slider turns gray and the text changes to “Do not allow any site to use a plugin to access your computer”
Then, you can disable the Flash ads from loading once the Google Chrome Helper has been disabled. Follow the steps given below to do so:
- Launch the Google Chrome browser
- Click on the three vertical dots from the top-right corner
- Click on Settings
- Click on Privacy and Security > Site Settings
- Keep scrolling to click on Pop-ups and redirects
- Disable the toggle button
- Go to the previous window and click on Ads and ensure that the toggle button is turned Off
Method #2. Stop Multiple Chrome Processes Using Task Manager
- Launch the Google Chrome browser
- Click on the three vertical dots located at the top-right corner of the Chrome screen
- Click on More Tools followed by Task Manager.
- Look for the process with high CPU usage and right-click on them. Select End Process to end the processes using a large amount of CPU.
Note: The memory footprint and CPU columns will help you identify the problematic plugins and extensions that you can choose to end. Also, keep in mind that the processes that you end will crash but the Chrome browser will work fine.
Method #3. Remove Suspicious Extensions
- Click on the three vertical dots from the top right corner of the Chrome screen to open the Google Chrome Settings
- Click on More Tools followed by Extensions
- Delete the suspicious extensions by clicking on the Remove button for every such extension. Or else, you could also choose to disable them by toggling the slider for the extension to the Off position.
Method #4. Reset Your Browser Settings To Default
- Launch your Chrome browser and click on the three vertical dots from the top-right corner.
- Click on Settings and then, click on Advanced.
- Next, click on the Reset button
How To Reduce The Resource Usage Of Any Browser
The following tips will help you reduce the pressure put on your CPU or RAM by your browser:
- Decrease the number of browser extensions you have
- Block ads in your browser
- Allow javascript only when it’s required for the sites to function correctly
- Don’t put anything on autoplay
How To Disable Google Chrome Renderer On Apple Macintosh System?
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you disable the Google Chrome Renderer on your Mac system:
- First, log into the System via the user that is facing the issue.
- Go to the following address-
:\Applications - Right-click (or Control+Click) on Google Chrome and select “Show Package Contents”
- Next, go to-
:\Contents\Frameworks\Google Chrome Framework\Helpers - Then, remove the Google Chrome Helper plugin.
- Many Mac users have claimed that this procedure has worked wonders for them and also removed the annoying pop-up ads.
How To Reduce The CPU Usage Of Google Chrome
Google Chrome has been an issue for any operating system for quite some time now. Not to worry, we’ll tell you how to reduce Google Chrome’s resource usage before you move forward to disabling the Google Chrome Helper Renderer.
Disable Flash
The Flash content is what causes the slow performance of the browser on your Windows or Mac computers. In case you can’t uninstall system-wide flash content and the content embedded with your Chrome browser then, you should prohibit it from auto-playing
Avoid Old-Fashioned Sites
The website structure could also hog Chrome on your computer. Visiting old-fashioned sites won’t put any pressure on your browser from rendering JavaScript. So, while visiting heavy sites, consider blocking overused advertising, user profiling, and user tracking that every domain has been doing recently. Also, you should download an adblocker tool.
Avoid Suspicious Websites
Avoid visiting websites with bad web design that includes JavaScript abuse, bloated CSS, etc. Other than that, if the website enables multiple cross-site requests, big media elements, or auto-loading of additional content, avoid visiting them.
Extensions And Plugins
If some specific pages are loading slowly, then, try blocking the third-party plugins from being loaded. Follow the steps given below to do so:
- For a specific page, click on the lock icon located before its site address in the address bar.
- Then, click on Site settings
- From the site permissions menu, set the Unsandboxed plug-in access to Block instead of Allow.
- Other than that, you can go to the Chrome Extensions page and remove or disable the third-party extensions.
Final Words
If the above solutions couldn’t help you fix the problem, then, we would suggest you switch to another browser such as Firefox or Safari. We know how frustrating it can be if Google Chrome starts going rogue and makes your computer slower. Hopefully, if you follow along with the above fixes, your Google Chrome Helper issues should be gone in no time.