Google Chrome Helper (GPU) gone crazy > 50GB - who to fix this?

[Muescha]

I have regulary to run my mac out of working memory: "System has run out of application memory"

I see in the activity monitor that the process "Google Chrome Helper (GPU)" have normaly around 1,7GB memory goes creazy and growing fast: 10 GB, 20GB ... up to 80GB

then i got the out of memory message from the system - if i am now not fast enough then i have to force shutdown the macbook

the only solution i found is to force kill the fast growing process


is there an other solution available?


MacBook Pro M1
Chrome 105

PS: the great suggestion to switch on "ask for Unsandboxed Plugin access" is not available anymore at Chrome 105

 

[Fishrrman]

Best way to "fix" it:
GET RID OF google chrome -- ALL of it.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Best way to "fix" it:
GET RID OF google chrome -- ALL of it.

Classic uneducated response.

I’ve not had any issues so either uninstall/reinstall Chrome, do a computer restart, or check for an update.

 

[KaliYoni]

is there an other solution available?

You could use another browser as your primary browser and only use Chrome if a site requires it.

Personally, I have a 2-browser setup. I use Firefox with privacy and security add-ons for general browsing. I use Safari in its default configuration for a very small number of trusted websites I visit regularly. This compartmentalizes my browsing and helps keep sensitive browsing separate from daily browsing. I do have Chrome on my Mac but I very rarely use it. In fact, if I deleted it, I probably wouldn't even notice.

I went with Firefox because it is widely used and open source, which means there are lots of eyes watching how it works, and because it is free. I continue using Safari because it is highly integrated with macOS and Apple consistently provides updates for it.

Firefox add-ons I use:

• Adblock Plus
• Disconnect
• Ghostery
• Google Analytics Opt-out
• NoScript
• Privacy Badger

 

[Muescha]

I used the suggested browsers before but I don't like them.

So I look for a solution with chrome.

 

[HDFan]

I used the suggested browsers before but I don't like them.

So I look for a solution with chrome.

It might relate to a website that causes a runaway process. When you see this starting to occur keep closing tabs to see if you can isolate any tabs that are causing the problem.

Otherwise you can try any google support, or if no help available accept the fact that you have to accept it if you use chrome.

 

[davidlv]

I used the suggested browsers before but I don't like them.

So I look for a solution with chrome.

Have you tried the "ungoogled" Chromium browser? Chromium, minus the tracking and data mining google services, is available at:
https://softaro.net/ungoogled-chromium/ Click on the Download button, and then the second to last choice for an Intel Mac or the last choice for a Mac with Apple's M1 or M2 chip
https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/chromium (click once on the dark orange "Eloston - Chromium" then twice on the dark orange version number after the yellow "Current version"
(You may find that those colors may vary, as my cataracts do tint everything!)

 

[GerritV]

Not using Google Chrome anymore, so what I'm about to say may be obsolete by now - in which case I apologise.

Chrome is launching the Google Chrome Helper process for each and every tab that you create within the browser.
The advantage (and probably the reasoning behind it): if one webpage (IOW one tab) is crashing, the rest of the tabs remains stable and usable. The disadvantage is what you're describing: this concept is eating lots of RAM.

What can you do? Not much, except keep as little as possible tabs open and running.

 

[sracer]

I have regulary to run my mac out of working memory: "System has run out of application memory"

I see in the activity monitor that the process "Google Chrome Helper (GPU)" have normaly around 1,7GB memory goes creazy and growing fast: 10 GB, 20GB ... up to 80GB

then i got the out of memory message from the system - if i am now not fast enough then i have to force shutdown the macbook

the only solution i found is to force kill the fast growing process


is there an other solution available?


MacBook Pro M1
Chrome 105

PS: the great suggestion to switch on "ask for Unsandboxed Plugin access" is not available anymore at Chrome 105

I suggest deactivating all extensions (deactivate, NOT uninstall) and run Chrome for a while to see what happens. On rare occasion, I'll experience some odd behavior with Chrome. It turned out that there was an update to an extension that had a bug.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"So I look for a solution with chrome."

The problem with Chrome is that google tracks you.

There are some other (lesser known) browsers that use the "chrome engine" (I think they do) but do not track you like Chrome does.

Some I can think of:
- Vivaldi
- Epic
- Brave
- Dissenter

Might be worth trying them.