Microsoft Edge users will soon be able to control how much RAM the browser uses with this feature

Microsoft and Google have long been at loggerheads, trying to push their respective smartphone and desktop browsers (Edge and Chrome respectively), as the superior option. Things have heated up all the more since the integration of AI capabilities across the two in the form of Copilot and Gemini.

Now though, in its latest attempt to thwart the competition, Microsoft has incorporated a rather handy feature in the Edge browser, which could turn things in its favour. Namely, a RAM management feature that lets you control how much RAM it is consuming on your laptop or desktop. Read on to find out more.

What is the new RAM management feature on Edge?

A post shared on X (formerly Twitter) shows that users will be able to control how much RAM the browser uses on their laptop or desktop. Microsoft seems to have taken a leaf out of Opera GX (a gaming-oriented browser) and allows users to selectively turn this feature on or off. This lets them decide whether RAM usage is limited on Edge permanently, or just while playing games. The description of the feature, hidden in the browser settings for Edge, reads “Setting a low limit may impact browser speed”.

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In case you missed it, some time ago, Chrome started showing how much RAM each tab uses. However, there is no way to restrict or boost this usage. All one could do was close tabs depending on their priority, to free up resources for other applications. Edge, therefore, in this respect, has gained a critical advantage over the former.

How to access the feature on your device

The RAM management feature is currently available to Canary program users and hasn’t been rolled out for the stable version of the browser yet. Moreover, the feature is being rolled out even to Canary users in a phased manner, and it might be a while before you see the feature enabled for you, should you have signed up for it.

To check for and enable the new RAM management feature on Edge, do the following:

1. Download and install Microsoft Edge Canary from its official website.

2. Click on the install package and follow the on-screen prompts to install it on your laptop/desktop.

3. Once this is done, right-click on the desktop shortcut of the app, and then click on “Properties.”

4. Here you’ll see a file path mentioned next to the “Target” name. At the end of this file path, you will see “msedge.exe” and double inverted commas.

5. Here, enter the following custom command: –enable-features=msEdgeResourceControlsRamLimiter

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Now, click on “OK.” Once you launch Edge Canary now, you should see the feature available to toggle on or off in the browser settings. And that’s that!

The feature could potentially be a game changer for the Edge browser. However, whether it will make its way to smartphones just yet, if at all, remains unknown for now.