How to Fix Opera GX High CPU Usage on Windows

The Opera GX high CPU issue often results from misconfigured browser features or background processes. Below are practical steps to reduce CPU consumption by using the browser’s own performance controls.

How do I fix Opera GX if the CPU is at 100%? 

1. Close other programs

You may not be aware that you have other programs running in the background that are causing your CPU to spike.

To check for this, open the Task Manager, find the program that’s using a lot of CPU and close its window or End process and see if Opera GX stops consuming so much CPU. If not, close all other programs except Opera GX and see if that helps.

2. Update Opera GX

1. Launch Opera GX and click on the Opera logo in the upper left corner.
2. Select Update & Recovery.
3. Wait for Opera GX to check for updates.
4. If a new version is available, the browser will automatically install it. All you’ll have to do is click on the Relaunch now button for all changes to take effect.

Getting stuck in the update-checking process? Click the button below to download the latest version directly from the official website.

Opera GX

Make errors disappear by installing the latest version of Opera GX!

Free Visit Website

3. Disable extensions

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + E shortcut to open the Extensions page.
2. Toggle off the Disable button for all your extensions.

Read more about this topic

• How Browser Gaming Went From Flash Player’s Death to 100 Million Monthly Players
• Mozilla Confirms Firefox Will Get Built-in VPN, Split View, and Other Features Next Week
• Best Customizable Homepage Tools for 2026

4. Disable hardware acceleration

1. Launch Opera GX, click the Opera icon in the top left corner, and choose Settings from the menu.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Advanced.
3. Go to the System section and toggle off Use hardware acceleration when available.
4. Restart your browser and check if the problem is still there.

For more information, don’t miss our guide on how to turn off hardware acceleration in Opera GX.

5. Limit Sidebar Apps and Integrations

Sidebar tools like Twitch, Discord, WhatsApp, and Instagram run scripts in the background, which increases CPU load.

• Right-click each sidebar icon and select Remove from Sidebar
• Or go to Settings > Sidebar and disable the services you don’t use

This prevents Opera GX from constantly updating or syncing those services in the background.

6. Use the CPU Limiter in GX Control

The CPU Limiter helps you cap the percentage of CPU the browser can use.

• Open GX Control from the left sidebar
• Enable CPU Limiter
• Drag the slider to limit usage, ideally around 50–60%

This ensures the browser doesn’t consume unnecessary processing power during regular use or gaming sessions.

7. Enable the Memory Limiter

The RAM Limiter reduces memory usage, which indirectly affects CPU usage by lowering tab and script activity.

• Go to GX Control
• Enable RAM Limiter
• Choose a limit based on your system memory (2GB or 4GB for most users)
• Select Hard Limit to enforce it strictly

This helps stabilize performance when multiple tabs are open.

8. Force Background Tabs to Sleep

Inactive tabs may continue running scripts or videos. You can set Opera GX to automatically suspend them.

• Go to Settings > Advanced > System
• Turn on Snooze inactive tabs to save resources

This will reduce CPU cycles spent on tabs you’re not actively using.

9. Turn Off Animations and Effects

Graphical effects can also increase CPU load unnecessarily.

• Go to Settings > Appearance
• Disable Animated themes, Dynamic background, and Visual effects

This creates a lighter user interface and helps lower overall system resource usage.

10. Reset the User Profile Without Reinstalling

Corrupted settings or session files can cause CPU spikes. You can clean up your user profile without losing bookmarks.

• Navigate to
  C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Opera Software\Opera GX Stable
• Back up this folder
• Delete all files except:
  • Bookmarks
  • Login Data
  • Extensions
• Launch Opera GX again

This removes leftover cache or broken session data that may be causing high CPU usage.

Limiting RAM and CPU usage can be useful when you’re running heavy games or apps that require a lot of power. It is also an alternative way to save battery life by limiting the amount of RAM consumed by background processes.

You may also want to consider installing a RAM cleaner and optimizer that automatically does the job for to avoid RAM errors in the future. 

If you are still experiencing problems with the browser, feel free to check out our recommended list of the best gaming browsers for another alternative.

Did you know that Opera GX has a hidden offline game? That’s right, and you can access it with a hidden URL.

Let us know if any of our solutions have been able to bring down the CPU usage in the comment section below.