Browsers update themselves quietly, so a slowdown can appear to come out of nowhere. When it starts right after an update, the cause is often old cached files, an extension that needs an update, or a graphics setting that no longer works well with the new version.
Does this affect you?
Use this for Chrome, Firefox, or Edge on Windows and Mac when page loading, scrolling, typing, or video playback became sluggish after an automatic browser update.
Clear the cache left over from before the update
Old cached files can conflict with a fresh browser version, especially after a major release.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac.
- Set the time range to All time.
- Select Cached images and files. Leave passwords, cookies, and history unchecked unless you intentionally want to clear them too.
- Click Clear data in Chrome or Edge, or Clear Now in Firefox.
- Close every browser window, reopen the browser, and test the same pages again.
If the stale cache was the cause, the browser usually feels normal again after the restart.
Find an extension that conflicts with the new version
Extensions can lag behind browser changes and cause slow pages, freezes, or high CPU use.
- Open chrome://extensions in Chrome, edge://extensions in Edge, or about:addons in Firefox.
- Turn off every extension.
- Restart the browser and test performance.
- If speed improves, enable extensions one at a time.
- After each extension, restart or reload your test pages until the slowdown returns.
Once you identify the extension, check its store page for an update. If it has not been updated recently or causes the slowdown every time, remove it until the developer fixes it.
Reset hardware acceleration and browser flags
Use this when the slowdown feels visual, such as choppy scrolling, glitchy video, or lag during animations.
- In Chrome or Edge, open Settings > System.
- Turn off Use graphics acceleration when available, then relaunch the browser.
- In Firefox, open Settings > General, scroll to Performance, uncheck Use recommended performance settings, then uncheck Use hardware acceleration when available. Restart Firefox.
- Test video playback and scrolling.
- If nothing improves, turn hardware acceleration back on.
More control
Update the graphics driver
A browser update can expose a graphics driver problem. On Windows, check Windows Update and optional driver updates from your PC or GPU maker. On Mac, install available macOS updates.
Check for a follow-up browser update
Open Chrome or Edge > Help > About, or Firefox > Help > About Firefox. These pages check for updates, and a small follow-up release may already fix a recent performance bug.
Look at release notes and support forums
If the slowdown began immediately after a known browser version, official release notes or support forums can reveal whether other users are seeing the same issue. That can save time when the problem is being fixed upstream.
Avoid chasing old versions
Chrome, Edge, and Firefox do not make downgrading simple through normal update channels. Treat cache cleanup, extension testing, hardware acceleration, and driver updates as the practical fixes.
Sources
- Google Chrome Help – Fix a webpage that is frozen, unresponsive, or missing (2025)
- Mozilla Support – Firefox is slow: troubleshoot, fix and improve performance (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Improve performance in Microsoft Edge (2025)