Brave 1.18.75 and RAM issue

Has anyone tried disabling Hardware Acceleration yet to see if this helps performance
( Settings --> Additional Settings --> System --> Hardware Acceleration)?

Yes, we have tried that. No difference.

@dallaz100,
If you’ve tried:

  • Clearing cache/browsing data
  • Using a new profile
  • Disabling extensions
  • Disabling Hardware Acceleration
  • Disabling Rewards
  • Disallow Brave/apps/extensions to run in background
  • Testing in a Private window

And none of these had any effect – I would recommend downloading our Beta build and testing that to see if you get the same behavior. Note that installing/running the Beta will not interfere or overwrite any of the data in your current installation.

Downloaded and installed the beta. Tried to open it and got the following:

Error code: STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH

Hit the Reload button several times, but it would never run.

I have the same problem with Brave working fine at first but then slowly degrading until it freezes. I stopped using Brave for about a month but then went back to it. It worked fine for a while but now it’s starting to freeze/slow again.

For those impacted by performance and/or memory issues, here are a couple steps to take which will help us in helping you.

As many here have stated, it’s good to disable extensions. Extensions are third-party applications; it’s entirely possible an extension could eat up tons of memory. By removing them from the equation, we greatly simplify the task of identifying the problem itself.

Create a Testing Profile

Testing with a private window is good, but this usually leaves a normal window in the background (where performance issues could still occur). Using a fresh profile is a much better approach. To do this, select ☰ â€ș Create a New Profile.

image

Your new profile will launch immediately. If you haven’t had a second profile up to this point, you will now notice a small circle image at the top-right of Brave. If you have had a second profile prior to this point, you’ll note a new, distinct image at the top-right:

This profile is fresh, meaning it shouldn’t have any extensions installed (:warning: check brave://extensions to make sure none have been side-loaded by other software on your computer), or browsing history.

Monitoring Memory and Performance

Users tend to share screenshots of memory-management tools beyond the browser, such as Task Manager. This doesn’t help much, since it doesn’t identify which processes within the browser (be they tabs, frames, extensions, service workers, etc.) are using the resources.

Brave comes with a built-in Task Manager. You can find it in ☰ â€ș More Tools â€ș Task Manager. Unlike Windows’ Task Manager, Brave’s built-in option tells you how much CPU/GPU, memory and more are tied to specific browser tabs and extensions.

Right-clicking on any column header will reveal additional types of data you can review; turn on as much as you like, or as little. Memory, Cache, CPU, and GPU are among the most helpful.

Less is More

Now that we have a new profile (with the original profile being closed), and a way to monitor memory and performance, we can start testing. We don’t know what this point which sites are causing the most drain, or if it’s something in Brave itself. So it’s best to start simple. Visit only a couple sites, and keep an eye on that memory usage (you can click the headers to sort the process list into ascending or descending order; great way to keep the biggest memory-hogs on top).

If typical browsing activities on one site doesn’t impact memory and/or performance, open a new tab and begin testing another site. Brave’s Task Manager will continue to report memory and performance metrics for specific tabs.

If you are unable to reproduce the issue by browsing to the sites you typically visit, you can proceed to install an extension you commonly use. In similar fashion to testing pages, let’s start with only a single extension. Install (and complete any necessary setup afterwards), and keep an eye on that task manager for sudden spikes in usage.

Reporting an Issue

Think you might have found an issue? We’d love to know! Metrics from Task Manager are incredibly helpful, especially since they explicitly identify the process to which they are associated. You might just find that Brave starts to crawl after a few minutes on a popular site, or moments after installing a commonly-used extension. With that information, our team will be better equipped to move more promptly towards improving your experience.

Deleting a Testing Profile

When you’re ready to delete your testing profile, click the image at the top-right of Brave and select the :gear: icon to open up the Manage Profiles view. Hover over the testing profile to reveal a ⋼ in the top-right corner—clicking that will give you the option to remove the testing profile (Note, double-check the metrics to make sure this is the profile you wish to delete).

I hope this helps!

If I can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to message me here, or on Twitter. Thank you all again for your incredible commitment to helping us develop not only the most private and secure web browser, but also the fastest one too :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like

Thanks, Sampson,

I set up a new profile and tried a couple of sites. With site 1, zerohedge.com, I could open 15 tabs and Brave was still working. With site 2, twitter.com, Brave locked up on tab 5. Screenshot of the Brave Task Manager:

Thank you, @dallaz100. Were you signed into Twitter? Any tips you can give us for how to reproduce the issue; did you Tweet, or follow, or do any direct messaging? Thanks!

I was logged in with my ID, however I didn’t send any tweets, or even ‘like’ any tweets. I just opened new tabs on other user IDs in my timeline (rt-clk, new tab). Had just done a fresh reboot and nothing else was running.

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