Google Chrome Helper acts as a bridge between our browser and external plugins so that they can work on the browser.
It’s essentially a very helpful tool for Chrome users, given the fact that it plays a really important role for many internet surfers.
However, it has been causing problems lately, especially for Mac users. I used to face this problem a few weeks back when my CPU usage started to skyrocket and at the same time, the fan starts off with immense power.
Looking into the matter, I found out that Google Chrome Helper is the culprit. In a hunt to find out what causes the trouble and what can possibly fix it, I discovered some of the most effective notes.
In this guide, I’ll get you through all the fixes that can possibly resolve the issue for you. These are curated solely on my experience and what others have experienced.
Related: Google Chrome is Very Slow: How I Fixed it! (5+ Methods Added)
Without bragging much regarding the matter, I’ll get us right into the causes and the possible fixes that can resolve the issue at hand.
Contents
Disable the use of hardware acceleration
As Google Chrome Helper drastically affects the device’s CPU, then the first thing we can do is prevent Chrome from making use of your CPU to offload tasks from the device.
Here are the steps to disable hardware accelerations:
- Launch the Google Chrome browser on a computer.
- Copy-paste the following address into the URL section.
chrome://settings/onStartup. - Scroll down to the very bottom of the tab and click on the Advanced button to expand options.
- Within Advanced settings, scroll to the System section.
- Under this section, toggle OFF Use hardware acceleration when available.
After you disable this option in Google Chrome, make sure to click the Relaunch button to successfully save the changes.
Turning it off will no longer give Chrome permission to utilize the CPU, thus fixing the issue of overutilization.
Drop off Installed Extensions
Certain chrome extensions that run in the background and require CPU usage might be the culprit of CPU’s overutilization. This can be prevented by removing such extensions from your Chrome browser.
Here are the steps to remove the Google Chrome Extension:
- Launch the Google Chrome computer browser.
- Click on the menu icon
at the top right side. - Hover your mouse pointer over More tools and head inside Extensions.
- Find the extensions that directly influence the CPU and other elements of your device.
- Hit on the button to delete extension.
Successfully removing such extensions from your Chrome browser will lift off the high tension and pressure your CPU takes. This ultimately results in a much lesser amount of CPU usage.
Block Ads on Chrome
Ads, as we know, can be harmful, irritating, and toxic at times. Although most of them serve no actual purpose, the Chrome browser will still pop them up, given the fact that you visited and gave permission to scam sites or apps.
Ads can be misleading while browsing. Not only do they scam you, but certain ads have the capability of influencing your device’s performance. This happens when your Chrome browser gives way for a lot of ads to overlap over time.
In order to prevent this, it is always suggested to use reliable ad blockers. You can either choose to go with ad-blocking extensions or antiviruses for ad blocking, which might be the more reliable option.
Antiviruses like AVG, Yahoo, and such offer in-built and automatic ad blockers, which will keep you safe to provide a convenient browsing experience. Making use of such ad-blockers will essentially take the load off the CPU, keeping it from being overutilized.
Bottom Line: Chrome Helper Overutilize CPU
That ultimately covers all the possible ways of fixing Google Chrome Helper from overutilizing your CPU.
Blocking ads play a really important role in fixing this issue. However, I strongly believe that the majority of the users already have an antivirus of their own, keeping the ads at bay for you.
As in my case, I already had Ghostery to block ads to deliver that tailored, convenient browsing experience.
That being the case, the solution for me was dropping off some of the highly demanding Chrome extensions that I had installed.
Related: 7 Best Google Chrome Flags to Try on your computer!
If you do have such extensions, I firmly believe that lifting them off from your browser will provide a drastic improvement regarding the situation where the CPU is overutilized.
However, if at all that isn’t working out for you, then disabling the use of hardware acceleration in Chrome will ultimately help you out. Good luck!
FAQs: Fix Google Chrome Helper Overutilization CPU Problem
Now, let us go through the frequently asked questions regarding how to fix the Google Chrome Helper Overutilization CPU Problem.
What are the ways to fix Google Chrome Helper Overutilization CPU Problem?
The ways to fix Google Chrome Helper Overutilization CPU Problem are, Disable the use of hardware acceleration, Block Ads on Chrome, and Drop Off installed Extensions.
How to drop off the installed extensions in Chrome?
Launch the Chrome Browser and hit on the three dots at the top right corner and select the More tools option and from other open the Extensions tab. You will be able to witness the installed extensions in Chrome. Identify the suspicious or unwanted extensions and hit on the Remove option.
How to disable the use of hardware acceleration in Chrome?
Launch the Google Chrome browser on your device and enter “chrome://settings/onStartup” code in the URL bar. Next, scroll down and hit on the Advanced button to expand the option and go down to the system section. Now, finally, toggle OFF Use hardware acceleration when available.
“Find the extensions that directly influence the CPU and other elements of your device.”
Q: How do I tell which extensions directly overutilize the CPU??
Hi Conrad, if you click on 3 dots more options and hover on the More Tools menu, you will see the Task Manager menu. Click to Chrome Task Manager app to understand the Extension memory utilization.
Thank you, disabling hardware utilization helps
I was having this issue on my macbook. I couldn’t figure out what was causing it. I would force close Google Chrome Helper and CPU usage would drop significantly. Sometime later, CPU usage would be up again. I would force close GCH again. At some point, I realized any Amazon.com pages I had open were not working. So now when I’m done shopping on Amazon.com. I close the window. I no longer have high CPU usage and constant fan running(not to mention fast battery drain), except when I have an Amazon.com window open. I have Honey coupon and Capital One coupon extensions on Chrome and don’t know if they’re the root cause of the problem. I like them and don’t want to get rid of them. They don’t affect any other websites I shop on. I feel it is the Amazon.com windows I leave open. At least for me it is. I usually have about 40-50 windows open. Lol
Hi, the game I play online needs hardware acceleration.
I have two extensions again for the game I play but are not needed during game play. Is it enough to disable them during game play then able them again afterwards or do the extensions need to be deleted to have any effect?