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How can I limit the amount of memory used by Firefox?

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Firefox on Windows 10 uses too much memory, >1G. Task Manager shows >7 Firefox processes. The sound gets distorted. What should I do?

Firefox on Windows 10 uses too much memory, >1G. Task Manager shows >7 Firefox processes. The sound gets distorted. What should I do?

All Replies (4)

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Hi Neiljacobson,

Unfortunately, I'm unaware of a way to set a hard limit for how much memory Firefox uses. This article might help you reduce the amount it is using:

Firefox uses too much memory (RAM) - How to fix

Another method you can try is to head to about:memory and click on Minimize memory usage under the Free Memory tab.

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Hi neiljacobson, Occasionally, I have audio issues, also. (It's the OEM.)

Open Windows Task Manager. Select the Services tab. Find audiosrv, right-click on it and select Restart.

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As far as the memory usage is concerned, @cor-el, one of the moderators here, offers this explanation:

It is quite normal to see more Firefox processes running.

- one process for the main Firefox thread (user interface) - one or more content processes (default is 8), see: Options/Preferences -> General -> Performance remove checkmark: [ ] "Use recommended performance settings" - one process for the compositor thread - one process for the WebRender when this feature is enabled

You can find the current multi-process state on the Troubleshooting Information page (about:support).

"Help -> Troubleshooting Information" -> "Application Basics": Multiprocess Windows Remote Processes

See also the Remote Processes section further down for more detail.

And also see this article from ghacks: https://www.ghacks.net/2016/07/22/multi-process-firefox/

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