7 Safe Ways to Limit Opera's High CPU Usage [Tested Solutions]

Removing some extensions might do the trick

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Key notes

  • Opera One, being one of the most used web browsers across the globe, affects millions when an issue pops up.
  • Several users have been complaining about the Opera One browser’s high CPU usage problem.
  • This guide lists down some of the most effective and tested solutions that will help you resolve the high CPU usage issue. Clearing browsing data and cache is one of them.
Having problems with your current version of Opera One? Make sure your browser is up-to-date.Although many possible reasons lead to issues with your Opera One Browser, one of the fastest solutions is reinstalling your browser first (make sure you download the version from only verified sources).Here's what Opera One can do:
  • Optimize resource usage: Opera One uses your Ram more efficiently than other browsers
  • Enhanced privacy: integrated and unlimited VPN
  • No ads or tracking with its built-in features
  • Gaming pleasant: Opera GX is the first browser created specifically for gamers
  • โ‡’ Get Opera One

Opera One browser has received tons of improvements, be it in terms of security or features. Talking about features, it comes with plenty of them.

You get an in-built adblocker, an unlimited and free VPN, a floating video player, a sidebar with all of your social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Twitter, a snapshot tool, a search in tabs option, and much more.

All of these features tempt you to switch over from other browsers to Opera One. However, there have been several user reports about the Opera One browser’s high CPU usage.

A high CPU usage problem exists in all browsers, but in Opera One, it is a bit more than in other browsers.

It does some things better than other browsers. For instance, it loads pages faster, blocks ads, keeps the background tabs refreshed, etc. Providing these features, it eats a lot of resources, resulting in high CPU usage.

If you are also experiencing high CPU usage in the Opera One browser and want to know how you can resolve the problem, then you have landed in the right place.

Because in this guide, we will explain and give you some of the most effective solutions to fix the Opera One browser’s high CPU usage problem. Let us check them out.

Why is Opera One power usage so high?

For some users, the Opera One browser works without any issues and efficiently. However, there are multiple users that are facing issues with high CPU usage.

The reason behind this could be a lot of things. Apparently, it could be because of the way you are using the different features of the Opera One browser, or there could be an issue with the PC you are operating it in.

After research, we have listed down some of the most common reasons, which you will come across Opera One browser’s high CPU usage issue:

  • You have installed a bunch of add-ons
  • There are some issues with the beta version
  • Because of corrupt browsing cookies and data
  • Presence of malware or virus on the PC
  • Hardware acceleration is causing high CPU usage
  • The browser version is outdated
  • Reinstall Opera One

Can I limit the CPU usage for Opera One?

Although the browser does not offer an in-built way to limit CPU usage, there are a few simple solutions that you can apply to achieve the same.

  • Try restarting the Opera One browser.
  • Update Firefox to the latest version.
  • Restart your computer.
  • Close all tabs and open only those which are in work.

While these are general solutions, if you use the Opera GX browser, which is a one-of-a-kind, gaming browser from Opera One, lets you limit CPU and RAM usage with an in-built tool.

Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Open Opera GX browser.
  2. On the left, you will see the control panel bar.
  3. Click on the GX Control to open it.
  4. Turn on the RAM limiter toggle. Or you can manually allocate the RAM you want it to use.
  5. Scroll down and turn on the CPU limiter toggle. You can also set what amount of CPU resources you want the browser to use.

Now that you are aware of the most common reasons for this issue, let us get down to the solution that will help you fix the Opera high CPU usage issue.

How do I make Opera One use less CPU?

1. Remove extensions

  1. Open Opera One browser.
  2. Click on the Opera One logo and select Extensions. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + Shift + E.
  3. Disable all extensions, one by one.
  4. Also, you can click on the Opera One logo and select Developer > Task Manager. Here you will know which extension is eating up the resources.

Add-ons are small apps that enhance the productivity of your program. However, these add-ons frequently consume a large number of resources, resulting in high CPU usage in the browser.

You can follow the above steps and disable all the add-ons and check if the CPU usage is back to normal or not.

2. Do not use the beta version

If you are using the beta version of the browser, then there are chances that because of a bug, the CPU usage is shooting up.

Beta versions, although they give you access to new features more quickly than stable versions, are loaded with bugs and glitches that can trigger multiple issues.

So, we would advise you to uninstall the beta version of the browser or install the latest beta version of Opera One as the new versions often fix the bugs present in the previous ones.

3. Clear browsing data and cache

  1. Launch Opera One.
  2. Click on Settings.
  3. Hit the Clear button for the Browsing data option.
  4. Check all the boxes and hit the Clear data button.

4. Scan PC for virus

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Search and open Windows Security.
  3. Click on Virus & threat protection.
  4. Hit the Quick scan button.
  5. Let the scan finish, and remove unwanted programs or viruses from your PC.

We have explained the steps for using the in-built Windows Security tool to scan your PC, but you can use your antivirus tool to scan and perform a check.

If you are not sure about which antivirus to choose, we have a dedicated guide on the 5 best antiviruses for Windows 11.

We would recommend you to try and useย ESET HOME Security Essentialย to address possible browser hijackers and adware toolbars.

5. Disable hardware acceleration

  1. Open Opera One.
  2. Click on the Opera One logo at the top left.
  3. Select Settings.
  4. Scroll down and toggle off the Use Hardware acceleration when available option.

6. Check for the latest update

  1. Click on the Opera One logo at the top left.
  2. Select Update & Recovery.
  3. It will automatically start looking for new updates. And if found one, will prompt you to install it.

Keeping any app up to date should be your first priority as it lets you enjoy the latest features and also keeps it updated with security features.

There are chances that the version that you are currently running has a bug that has increased CPU usage. Install the latest update and check if this fixes the issue or not.

7. Reinstall Opera One

  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. Select Programs and Features options.opera browser stuck in full screen mode 3
  3. Click on Opera One from the list of apps.
  4. Hit the Uninstall button at the top.
  5. Once is successfully uninstalled, restart your PC to remove all remaining files.
  6. Head to the official website.
  7. Download Opera One browser.
  8. Install it and do not interrupt the process.
  9. Check if this fixes the issue or not.

Reinstalling fixes most of the problems, and it might do the same for you and fix the Opera One browser’s high CPU usage error.

Opera One vs Chrome CPU usage

We ran a CPU usage test between Opera One and Google Chrome. The test was simple, we opened one website, i.e., Facebook.com, and after completely loading the webpage, opened the Windows Task Manager to check which browser ate up more CPU and RAM.

In the Task Manager, it was clearly evident that Google Chrome’s CPU usage was way higher compared to the browser’s usage. Google Chrome’s CPU usage was 19%, whereas the Opera One browser only used 0.2% of the CPU.

The memory used by Chrome was around 548.8 MB, compared to 270.3 MB by the Opera One browser. So, by a huge margin, Opera One is the better browser than Chrome, when we talk about CPU usage.

In case you come across an issue where the Opera browser is stuck in full screen mode then you can check out our dedicated guide which lists some effective solutions that will help you resolve the problem.

Moreover, we also have a guide where we have explained 6 methods that will resolve Opera browser not working or responding errors.

That is it from us in this guide. We hope that you found this guide helpful and you were able to fix the Opera One browser’s high CPU usage issue.

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