Microsoft Edge's new feature warns if Extensions drain browser Performance

Microsoft continues to improve Edge browser performance. To the latest, the company is testing showing alerts to users in the Canary version when the browser detects extensions impacting “page load time”.

Microsoft Edge has several measures to ensure it doesn’t slow down when too many tabs are open. It tackles huge memory and CPU consumption by Edge via Sleeping tabs and Efficiency mode. Edge also allows you to control its RAM usage to control resources.

Microsoft Edge gets Extension Performance Detector

So everything is baked into Edge, but it’s not enough. Microsoft is newly testing the “Extension Performance Detector,” as the name implies. It triggers alerts when extensions impact browser speed and allows users to disable some of the extensions to ensure Edge gets back to normal browsing without affecting Page loading.

The feature of showing how too many extensions may impact browser performance has been A/B tested before. Microsoft is now experimenting widely for Canary users behind a flag. When enabled, if it finds too many extensions slowing down, it suggests disabling some from Browser Essentials itself without needing to visit the Extension manager.

The “Enables detection and optional disabling of user-added extensions if they impact page load time. Alerts will appear in browser essentials” flag describes this feature.

Launch the latest Edge Canary and enable the flag, then relaunch the Edge browser. If you have some extensions installed, check Browser Essentials to see if a warning similar to the one included in the article. This error may be different for you.

In case you don’t know, Browser Essentials in Microsoft Edge shows performance and security information. For instance, it informs you about the memory savings your device has gotten with Sleeping Tabs and recommends you keep Efficiency mode on to improve the device’s battery life. It also shows the number of sites, files, and downloads that Edge’s built-in Smart Screen Protection has scanned over the last 30 days.

If you’ve few or limited Extensions, Edge may not show a warning. Keep an eye on Browser Essentials for other performance and safety insights.

Apart from the Edge feature that monitors Extensions installed and alerts you of performance issues they bring, Microsoft has added a PiP button to Edge media controls on the Windows 11 taskbar, the company released WoWTab New Tab Page Extension to add-on stores and deprecated Cryptowallet feature in Edge browser.