Google Chrome doesn't use enough RAM, so it will soon launch in the foreground when you boot up your Windows 11 PC

Google Chrome on Windows — It's easy to joke about Chrome using lots of RAM, but its latest feature in testing could save you some time. (Image credit: Chris Wedel | Android Central)

Unused RAM is wasted RAM, right? Assuming your PC can handle the load of some extra Chrome tabs at startup, a new feature could help you jump into the web quicker.

Google has a new feature in the works that will make it easier to hop into your browser. Chrome is already testing the option to have the browser open up when you start your PC.

The feature, which is currently in testing in the Canary Channel, is disabled by default. Within the Chrome Settings page, you can toggle the option to "Open Chrome when my computer starts."

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Browser expert Leo Varela spotted the change and highlighted it on X.

The new option to open Chrome when the computer starts is already available in Canary (it's turned off by default). I tested it and it works exactly as I mentioned in a previous tweet. It opens a Chrome window IN THE FOREGROUND as soon as you log in:https://t.co/dl2LSvhqly pic.twitter.com/5O8aW5eJHgJanuary 27, 2026

Chrome already has a few options for startup that control how the browser acts when opened: Open the New Tab page, Continue where you left off, and Open a specific page or set of pages.

The new startup option to have Chrome open when you boot up your PC can be used in conjunction with the preexisting choices.

My headline about Chrome using more RAM is somewhat in jest. While the browser does gobble up RAM, the startup feature seems useful in certain cases. It's also off by default.

At my work PC, I sit at my desk and open a browser immediately. I usually open my browser to the same five websites. It would save me a few clicks to have a browser open when I start my PC.

Microsoft Edge has a similar feature that opens the browser when you sign in to Windows, but that feature has Edge open in the background.

A pink banner that says "What do you think?" and shows a dial pointing to a mid-range hue on a gradient.

Chrome is already notorious for gobbling up RAM—does it really need a head start on your system resources before you've even opened a tab? Let me know if this 'shortcut' is a feature or just more bloat.

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Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.