Opera browser is using high CPU and Memory on Windows 11/10

Browsers may show high CPU and RAM usage while working in multiple tabs but if this issue continues for a long time, it is a matter of concern. High CPU and RAM usage directly impact the system’s performance. Therefore, it is important for users to resolve this problem asap. If the Opera browser is using high CPU and Memory on your Windows 11/10 computer, the solutions provided in this article will help you.

Opera browser is using high CPU and Memory

Use the following solutions if you see that the Opera browser is using high CPU and Memory on Windows 11/10:

Update Opera browser
Disable extensions
Force update extensions
Turn off Opera’s Battery saver feature
Change Opera flags
Uninstall and reinstall the Opera browser
Switch to Opera GX or another browser

Below, we have explained all these fixes in detail.

1] Update Opera browser

Make sure that you are using the latest version of the Opera browser. Go through the following instructions:

Open Opera browser
Click on the top left side to open the menu.
Select Update & Recovery.
Click Check for update.

If an update is available, Opera will install it automatically.

2] Disable extensions

Extensions in a web browser are add-ons that we can install separately to make our work easier. Sometimes, extensions cause issues in a web browser. The Opera browser might be consuming high CPU and RAM due to some of the installed extensions. You can check this by disabling extensions one by one.

Disable extensions one by one and restart the Opera browser every time you disable each extension. After launching Opera, check if the issue persists. This process will take time but let you know whether or not the problem is occurring due to an extension.

According to the feedback of the users, Opera was showing high CPU and RAM usage due to the Honey extension.

3] Force update extensions

In Opera, you can force update extensions. Sometimes, updates released for extensions are not installed automatically. The force update feature of the Opera browser is helpful in such cases. If you have found any problematic extension in the previous fix, you can also force update it and see if it helps. The following steps will guide you on this.

Launch Opera browser.
Go to “Menu > Extensions > Extensions.” To access the menu, click on the Opera icon located on the top left side.
Turn on the Developer mode button.
Now, click on the Update button.

The above steps will force update all the installed extensions.

4] Turn off Opera’s battery saver feature

Opera has a built-in battery saver feature that helps users extend the battery life of their laptops when unplugged. According to the reports, this feature was found to cause high spikes in CPU and RAM graphs in the Task Manager. Turn off the battery saver feature of Opera and see if it helps. The following steps will guide you on this:

Open Opera.
Go to “Menu > Features.”
Turn off the button next to the Battery saver.

5] Change Opera flags

This fix was found effective for some users, You should also try this. If this does not work for you, you can revert the changes. Follow the steps written below:

Open Opera browser.
Type chrome://flags in the address bar of Opera.
Search for the following flags and enable them:
- Hardware-accelerated video decode
- Hardware-accelerated video encode
Now, search for Choose ANGLE graphics backend and change it to OpenGL.
After changing the above flags, you will see that a Relaunch button appears on the bottom right side. Click on it to restart Opera so that the changes will take effect.

7] Uninstall and reinstall the Opera browser

If none of the above fixes worked, uninstall and reinstall Opera.

8] Switch to Opera GX or another browser

You can also switch to Opera GX web browser. It is a gaming browser but you can also use it for regular web browsing purposes. It has a feature that lets you limit CPU and RAM usage. Download it from the official website and install it. Now, launch it and select GX Control from the left side. Scroll down to find RAM Limiter and CPU Limiter options. Enable them and move the slider to the left to reduce RAM and CPU consumption.

If you still experience the issue, switch to another web browser, like Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.

Read: Opera GX not opening, responding, or loading pages.

Why is my Opera taking so much CPU?

There could be multiple reasons why Opera is consuming so much CPU or RAM on your computer. One possible cause is the problematic extension. You can identify it by disabling the extensions one by one. You may also experience issues if Opera is outdated. Hence, make sure that it is up to date. We have explained some working solutions to resolve this issue in this article.

How do I limit RAM and CPU in Opera?

Web browsers usually consume high RAM and CPU when you open multiple tabs. If you have a low-end computer, you should not open too many tabs in Opera. Also, close other unnecessary apps while using the Opera browser. Sometimes, the problem occurs due to an extension. You can also switch to Opera GX browser as it has the option to limit CPU and RAM usage.