How To Enable the Sleeping Tabs Feature in Microsoft Edge

Learn how to easily and quickly enable the Sleeping Tabs feature in Microsoft Edge to reduce the browser’s overall RAM (memory) usage.

Compared to Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge is much better in terms of memory management, without sacrificing features or performance. However, even with all the built-in optimizations, memory usage may still be higher depending on the number of tabs open and the tasks performed in them. For example, when I have over 40 tabs open with some intensive tasks running on a few of them, my Edge browser’s memory usage is around 16 GB.

The good thing is, you can significantly reduce the Edge browser’s RAM usage by enabling the Sleeping Tabs feature. Once turned on, Edge automatically puts unused tabs in suspended mode, freeing up RAM (memory). When you open a suspended tab, Edge will automatically reload the page instantly. In my case, this simple feature reduced the browser RAM usage by at least 25%.

In this quick and easy guide, let me show you the steps to enable the Sleeping Tabs feature in Microsoft Edge. Let’s get started.

Steps to Enable Sleeping Tabs in Microsoft Edge

1. Open the Start menu by pressing the “Windows” key.
2. Search for “Microsoft Edge” and click “Open“.
3. Click the “Menu” icon in the top right corner.
4. Select the “Settings” option.
5. Go to the “System and performance” tab on the sidebar.
6. Click the “Performance” option on the right panel.
7. Turn ON the “Save resources with sleeping tabs” toggle.
8. With that, you’ve enabled the Sleeping Tabs feature in Microsoft Edge.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, you need to open the Microsoft Edge browser. If it is already open, skip this first step. To open the Edge browser, open the Start menu, search for “Microsoft Edge”, and click the “Open” option.

After opening the browser, click the “Menu” icon (three horizontal dots) and select the “Settings” option. This opens the Settings tab in the Edge browser window.

In the Settings tab, go to the “System and performance” tab on the sidebar and then click the “Performance” option on the right panel.

Here, turn ON the “Save resources with sleeping tabs” toggle.

By default, Edge puts unused tabs to sleep after 1 hour of inactivity. If you want, you can change the duration using the “Put inactive tabs to sleep after a specified amount of time” dropdown menu.

If you don’t want tabs with specific websites to go into sleep mode, you can exclude them. To do that, click the “Add site” button next to “Never put these sites to sleep“.

Type the website address (ex, https://youtube.com) and click “Add“.

With that, you’ve enabled the Sleeping Tabs feature in the Edge browser. From now on, any unused tabs will be put to sleep, freeing up the memory.

Steps to Disable Sleeping Tabs Feature in Microsoft Edge

If the Sleeping Tabs feature is causing problems or you no longer want to use it, disabling it is pretty simple. Here’s how to do it.

1. Open the Start menu by pressing the “Windows” key.
2. Search for “Microsoft Edge” and click “Open“.
3. Click the “Menu” icon in the top right corner and select “Settings“.
4. Go to the “System and performance” > “Performance” page.
5. Turn OFF the “Save resources with sleeping tabs” toggle.
6. With that, you’ve disabled the Sleeping Tabs feature in Microsoft Edge.

That is all. Enabling or disabling the Sleeping Tabs feature in Microsoft Edge is as simple as that. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.

Good to read: How to stop Windows from showing Edge tabs in the Alt-Tab menu

Update: This guide has been updated to reflect the changes in Microsoft Edge and to remove outdated information & steps.