10 Confirmed Methods to Lower CPU Usage in Vivaldi

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Key notes

  • Before exploring any complicated fixes, we recommend a quick browser and device restart.
  • Poorly coded websites, malware, and numerous active tabs can lead to a high CPU usage problem. 
  • While your workload will determine how much processing power is used, between 4 and 15% is normal with little workload.

In this article, we explore Vivaldi’s high CPU usage. Browsers have evolved a lot since the 90s. In fact, from being able to view only static pages, they can now render all sorts of media types.

This growth in functionality has taken a toll on its resource efficiency. Most modern browsers will require a powerful computer with a lot of memory and CPU strength.

Sometimes, the browsers become buggy and use up more resources than usual. In this article, we shall explore the Vivaldi web browser and give the best fixes for its high CPU usage.

Some other users have experienced issues with Vivaldi not loading pages; this also can be fixed in a few simple steps.

Why is my browser CPU usage so high?

There are a few reasons why your browser CPU usage is high. Here are a few common culprits:

  • Browsing unoptimized websites – Poorly coded websites may have too many autoplay videos and ads.
  • Too many extensions – If you run many demanding extensions, they will take a toll on the CPU.
  • Many browser tabs open – Some browsers consider tabs as separate computer processes. When you have too many open, they consume so much memory and CPU resources.
  • Watching videos in high resolution – The more tabs playing videos or streaming, the more CPU they will take up.
  • Malware infections – Malware can make your computer open unnecessary tabs.

Does CPU affect Web browsing speed?

The workload of your CPU will determine your Internet speed. If the CPU has to process several processes, it will lag in loading pages or playing web content.

Quick Tip:

Some browsers have high CPU usage, however, some have additional settings that you may toggle to set minimal CPU consumption.

Opera One is one such browser that may help with browsing speed and resource use with a single click. Also, the browser features a built-in energy saver mode. This reduces CPU load and makes other changes such as lowering background tab activity and halting unnecessary plugins to enhance laptop battery life.

Opera One

Forget about page freeze or slow loading times with this light and rocket-speed browser.

How do I fix high CPU usage in Vivaldi?

1. Relaunch the browser

Closing and reopening a browser helps many processes to shut down properly. It will be all you need to reduce CPU usage in minor cases.

2. Restart the computer

This makes it a further step after you must have restarted the browser. A PC restart forces every running process to shut down. It also erases temporal memory so that everything gets a reboot at the restart.

After a reboot, if the problem persists, try other fixes.

3. Get rid of excess extensions

  1. Launch the browser and navigate to the below link in the address bar:
    vivaldi://extensions
    vivaldi high cpu usage
  2. Click the Remove button to get rid of any unwanted extension.
  3. Restart the browser and check to see if the CPU usage is reduced.

4. Clear the browsing history and cache

  1. Click on the Vivaldi icon at the top left.
    vivaldi high cpu usage
  2. Navigate to Tools, then Delete browsing data.
    vivaldi high cpu usage
  3. Select a time frame in the Delete Data for dropdown menu, tick the checkboxes for Browsing History, Cookies, and Cache, then click on the Delete button.
    vivaldi high cpu usage
  4. Restart the browser and see if the CPU usage has been reduced.

5. Close unused open tabs

As previously mentioned, plenty of open tabs could impact CPU usage. If you notice you have many unused open tabs, you should close them all and check if it reduces the used processing resources.

6. Disable or cancel any unwanted tab features

  1. Click on the Settings gear at the top right of the Start page.
    vivaldi high cpu usage
  2. Scroll to the bottom and click Open Start Page Settings.
  3. Click on the Tabs option on the left pane, then go through the settings on the right side and disable anyone you may not need.
  4. Once done, restart the browser and verify if the high CPU usage is corrected.

7. Remove the web panel feature

  1. Launch your browser.
  2. Right-click on the Vivaldi icon on the left pane.
    vivaldi high cpu usage
  3. Click on the option to Remove Web Panel.
  4. Relaunch the browser and verify if the CPU usage has dropped.

8. Update Vivaldi

  1. Click on the Vivaldi icon at the top left.
    vivaldi high cpu usage
  2. Navigate to Help, then click Check for Updates.
  3. If you are not updated, you will have the option to Update Vivaldi.

9. Reset Vivaldi settings

  1. Click on the Vivaldi icon at the top left.
    vivaldi high cpu usage
  2. Navigate to Help, then About.
  3. Copy the directory listed under Profile Path:
    C:\Users\afamo\AppData\Local\Vivaldi\User Data\Default
  4. Close your Vivaldi browser.
  5. Open your file explorer and navigate to the Vivaldi folder. In our case it will be:
    C:\Users\afamo\AppData\Local\Vivaldi
  6. Delete the User Data folder.
  7. Restart your browser.

10. Reinstall a fresh copy of Vivaldi

  1. Click on the Start menu, type Vivaldi in the search box, and click on the Uninstall option.
    vivaldi high cpu usage
  2. Follow the prompts to uninstall.
  3. Download a fresh copy of Vivaldi.
  4. Once the download is complete, click on the downloaded file and follow the prompts to install it.

How much CPU should Vivaldi use?

There is not a specific value because the CPU used depends on different factors like the kind of content it is rendering, the kind of websites visited, the number of open tabs, etc.

We expect between 4 and 15% on CPU usage with a single tab playing a YouTube video. Browser high CPU usage on startup means you are clocking CPU percents higher than this.

High CPU usage can lead to computer crashes. If you get as high as browser 100 CPU usage, then you must shut down the browser, uninstall it, and reload a fresh version.

Also note that while we have not written these fixes in any particular order, it is advisable to start by relaunching the browser or restarting the computer, before moving to any other solutions.

Lastly, note that Vivaldi running slow may be a sign of high CPU usage, and should be fixed immediately.

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