Forum Discussion
Andrew_Nolan
Microsoft
Mar 04, 2021Start Microsoft Edge quickly with startup boost
Note: We are in the process of releasing this feature, so it may be a little while before you see it in your respective channel and build.
We have developed a new feature called startup boost to improve browser launch time. This feature runs a set of core Microsoft Edge processes in the background, so Microsoft Edge is quickly available when you need it.
Experimentation in Stable channel, comparing Microsoft Edge with startup boost enabled vs not enabled, shows startup times improve ranging from 29% to 41% when startup boost is enabled*. This means when you launch Microsoft Edge with startup boost enabled you'll see the website you're looking for faster.
Startup boost works by keeping a few Microsoft Edge processes running when the browser is not visible. This allows Microsoft Edge to start more quickly when, for example, you click the Microsoft Edge icon, a hyperlink from another application, or search from the search box in the Task Bar. We developed heuristics based on experimentation to determine when startup boost is on by default which helps ensure the best experience. We know resource usage is important to our customers. Startup boost does not add any additional resources when Microsoft Edge browser windows are open. When Microsoft Edge is closed, a set of core Microsoft Edge processes will continue to run to enable faster launches in the future. You may see browser, GPU, Network, CrashPad, or other processes running in the background. Experimentation has shown these processes have a minimal resource footprint. In addition, we are monitoring and targeting different device classes to ensure performance is being improved, not regressed. Finally, we want to give you agency over your browser’s performance, startup boost can be enabled or disabled at any time.
We want to thank all the Insiders who have sent us feedback and shared their experience with startup boost!
Startup boost was first released in Stable channel 88.0.705.53 on Windows devices. If you experience any issue while using this feature, please let us know through Microsoft Edge by pressing Shift+Alt+I on a Windows device or going to Settings and more … > Help and feedback > Send feedback.
Please also join us here on the Microsoft Edge Insider forums or Twitter to discuss your experience or send us your feedback through the browser! If you have any questions, see our FAQ or reach out to us. We hope you enjoy this exciting new feature and look forward to hearing from you!
- The Microsoft Edge Product Team
* Startup times improved across percentiles.
- pg33gsCopper ContributorJust noticed that I can't disable startup boost. The switch is not working.
- Outlook2015Brass Contributor❤️😍💕👍👍👍😊😊❤️👍😍
- pg33gsCopper Contributor
Is Startup boost cosmic ray hardened? That is, if you keep these residual processes going for a long time, including across hibernations etc, and since the odds of high energy particle bitflips are not zero, a periodic self-integrity check for each process should make sense.
- rcadrobertoCopper ContributorComo quitar el aviso Se encuentra en modo de Internet explorer.
- Nancykorkinecco47Copper ContributorHow do I get the startup boost? My computer is very slow. I've done all the cleanups and dumping I know of and it's still too slow.
- dftf-wipIron Contributor
Nancykorkinecco47 Hi Nancy. Click this link edge://settings/system while viewing this comment in Microsoft Edge and it will open the Settings for you. Then ensure the first one, "Startup boost", is turned on (the dot should be on the right side with a blue background, which means "on").
If you still find Edge slow to start, it's likely your computer has a hard-drive, not a solid-state drive, and so Edge and other apps will still be slower to start than on newer computers. To check what drive you have, open Task Manager (hold the CONTROL and ALT keys on your keyboard, then press DELETE, then select Task Manager in the list) and then on the Performance tab, look at what it says below each "Disk" entry (for example "Disk 0 (C:)"). You will either see "SSD" which means a newer, solid-state drive, or "HDD" which means the older, slower type of disk. Note that you will only see what I'm saying here if your computer has Windows 11, 10 or 8 installed; the older Task Manager in Windows 7, which Edge also works on, does not show you this information
- Deleted
And have you cleared your browser's cache?
of course, you need to have up-to-date Windows.
sometimes third-party antiviruses cause a big slowdown.
remove unnecessary browser extensions.
How to Enable Startup Boost in Microsoft Edge (nirmaltv.com)
- Peppy_95Brass Contributor
It's good feature but
make sure it's not overheat the computer - jasonsch69Brass ContributorIs there a way to clear out the background processes without rebooting or using task manager. There are times when edge is in an unstable state, usually slowdowns or odd behavior in the M365 suite of web apps. Without startup boost, simply closing the browser and relaunching clears the issue. With startup boost, this does not clear the issue and usually forces a reboot to resolve. Would be nice if there was a "restart browser" option in the menu similar to when an update is available.
- Deleted
Hi.
Please ask a question to the whole community (start a new discussion) you will get an answer faster.
This is an old thread, the author may be unavailable!
Best regardsAlt+Shift+I , provide feedback directly to the Edge development team + add diagnostic data!
- JourneymanMCIron ContributorI am still unable to use startup boost due to having some of Microsoft's own browser extensions. Will this be fixed?
- tonymentiosCopper ContributorHow do I go about initiating this start up boost?
- OmarPlastinaBrass Contributor
- Eddarc4844Copper Contributormy email 365 stopped receiving 3/18/21with the latest microsoft email update. how do I get it fixed,thx eddarc4844
- paulpchouIron ContributorI disabled the feature because Edge runs in the background when all browsers closes. Please prevent running it when all browsers closes.
- mwmsjcCopper Contributor
Andrew_Nolan I've also turned off startup boost because of surprisingly high resource use when Edge is closed. Obviously, this means I lose the speed benefit of startup boost altogether.
My main challenge is Edge's resource load when trying to use other resource-intensive applications--I need my RAM and clock cycles back. (16 GB RAM and an i7-9xxx CPU should be sufficient for web browsing and other mainstream applications, especially when Edge is minimized; and definitely for less-than-workstation-class applications when it's closed.)
I'm not sure if there's room for a "medium" setting (or a way to enable/disable Startup Boost's Edge processes for a given session without resorting to changing all-or-nothing Settings or using the Task Manager):
1. Engages startup boost on first launch of the day and/or when waking from sleep (conflicted about the latter). For me, first boot up easy--I shut down at the end of each day.
I'm not sure how one would define "first launch" since time of day varies (possibly on-device ML for that user?), and some people wake from sleep vs. starting up from Shut Down... and where do Restarts fit into this?
Then there's what all of this does to overall Windows start up time, another sensitive metric (especially if you need a quick launch while trying to run out the door if you've forgotten something after shutting down your system or putting it to sleep). Although you've likely already factored the impact on overall Windows start up in with the current Startup Boost.
2. Do something based on last-open tabs in the front-most window. This relates to other feature discussions about sleeping tabs/windows, and I don't understand the current default behavior; but if a "medium" Startup Boost setting focused more on windows/tabs (also possibly using on-device ML for that user's workflows) than persistent resource-hungry background processes to speed returning to last state.
Edge seems to attempt such a "pick up where you left off" behavior, but it's currently a hit-or-miss proposition (even in the current Live version on Windows) regarding which windows reopen on relaunch and how they're sized & arranged--and if minimized windows come back at all. I'm not sure if a "medium" Startup Boost setting would help or hurt that or the overall start up / restart/relaunch experience.
- mrPaul_101Copper Contributor
So far memory management on Edge is great, however regarding start-up boost... please consider virtual desktops. Please make this an inTune & GPO policy which we can control. Early morning all our lecturers and students login and load browsers, with this enabled we don't want our storage arrays struggling.