Many Mac users have complained about Google Chrome Helper eating up their CPU memory. If your Mac is making a lot of noise and is running slower than usual, check your Activity Monitor. Chances are ? you will have at least an instance or two of a program called Google Chrome Helper that is going to be consuming more than half of your CPU?s memory. So what is it and how to remove it in 2019?
What is Google Chrome Helper and why does my Mac sound like an Airbus A380?
So what is this thing that makes your Mac sound like an A380 about to take off? Google Chrome Helper manages plugins and extensions not supposed by Chrome Browser. It is a name for embedded content running outside of the browser. Every time a plug-in interconnects with an external server? Google Chrome Helper creates a process on your Mac. It also runs automatically, so this is why your Activity Monitor can have two or more instances of the same process running simultaneously.
So as you can see, Helper is not the bad. In fact, Helper is not the problem at all! But despite this, it can eventually eat up a lot of CPU memory and slow down your computer. Because disabling Google Chrome Helper will not stop you from using plug-ins, when you see it eating up your Mac?s CPU memory and making your fans operate at full blast ? it is time to trash it! Not only it is loud , it also makes computer run at its strongest and drains the battery faster.
How to remove Google Chrome Helper
Before, you could easily do this by going into Chrome > Preferences > Settings > Show advanced settings > Content settings. From what it looks like, this is no longer the option in 2019 and Chrome?s Content Settings are now hidden deeper into the settings. There are two ways to do this now ? the short fast way, and the longer way.
The shorter way
To save you time, if you don?t want to spend time searching for the below options, just copychrome://settings/content/unsandboxedPluginsinto Chrome?s Omnibox and the plugin settings will appear immediately.
Type the above into the Omnibox to reach the settings immediately
Turn the first option off
By default, Ask when a site wants to use a plug-in to access your computer will be turned on. Turn this off, so says Do not allow any site to use a plug-in to access your computer instead. And this is it!
It should look like this.
For me, this got rid of the fan noise immediately, and reduced the CPU usage from 79% to 9%. That is a whole lot more than what my Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator used to consume when I ran them all at the same time. So of course, my Mac also runs faster.
The longer way
If you didn?t manage to do the above, try reaching the same settings Open Chrome go to Settings > Advanced > Privacy and Security> Site Settings.
Click Advanced tab on the left so that Privacy and Security Settings option shows up.
Scroll down until you see Unsandboxed plug-in access at the bottom and open that.
This is where the settings are now hidden. Now just press Unsandboxed plug-in access and turn off the Ask when a site wants to use a plug-in to access your computer settings, as described above.
P.S. It also helps to remove unwanted extensions regularly
One of the reasons Chrome is so popular is because of the many plug-ins it has. However, these don?t come with no cost and can become a burden on your CPU usage with time. Make sure you remove any unwanted extensions occasionally to keep your Chrome clean and reduce the memory that Google Chrome Helper takes on your computer.
