Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with billions of users worldwide. However, many users have reported experiencing high CPU usage when using Facebook, especially when browsing the News Feed. This can cause computer fans to spin loudly, laptops to run hot, and battery life to drain faster. There are several potential reasons why Facebook may be consuming a lot of CPU resources.
Too Many Tabs and Add-Ons
Having multiple Facebook tabs open at once can contribute to high CPU usage. Each tab runs in a separate browser process and uses system resources. In addition, many users have various Facebook-related add-ons and extensions installed, like notification pop-ups, read receipts, and chat apps. Each additional extension also taxes the CPU. Try closing unused Facebook tabs and removing any unnecessary add-ons. Run Facebook in a fresh browser profile without other extensions to test if they are a factor.
HD Videos in News Feed
The Facebook News Feed contains many different types of posts, including high-definition photos and auto-playing videos. Scrolling through videos and gifs is more resource intensive than text and low-res images. Facebook prioritizes showing videos higher in the News Feed, so you may encounter more of them. Try scrolling quickly past videos or setting Facebook to not auto-play videos and gifs in the settings. This reduces the strain on your device’s processor and graphics card.
Chat and Messenger Apps
Facebook Chat and the standalone Facebook Messenger app can also consume CPU cycles, especially if you have multiple chats open. There is additional overhead for network connectivity and processing messages. On desktop computers, Facebook Chat runs within the browser tab while Messenger runs as a separate application. Try closing chat windows or exiting the Messenger app when not in active conversations to free up performance.
Browser Version Differences
Facebook’s CPU impact can vary between different web browsers. Here is a comparison of CPU usage between browsers:
| Browser | CPU Usage |
|---|---|
| Chrome | Medium |
| Firefox | Medium |
| Safari | Low |
| Edge | High |
Chrome and Firefox tend to have similar CPU footprints, while Safari is more efficient. Try testing Facebook in multiple browsers to find which one works best for you. Browser extensions and open tabs affect this too.
Heavy Animation and Transitions
Facebook uses CSS animations and transitions extensively to provide a smooth, app-like user experience. For example, menus slide open, comments fade in, photos carousel, and buttons change on hover. These animations look nice but use additional computing resources to render, especially on lower-end hardware. Disable unnecessary animations in Facebook’s Accessibility settings to reduce this overhead.
Hardware Acceleration Issues
Facebook enables GPU hardware acceleration in browsers to offload some visual rendering operations from the CPU. However, bugs and driver incompatibilities can sometimes cause hardware acceleration to fail, forcing the CPU to do all the work. Try disabling hardware acceleration in your browser settings and update your graphics drivers to see if it fixes Facebook’s resource usage.
Location Services
Facebook frequently accesses your device’s geolocation to provide relevant city-level news and local business recommendations. Constant geolocation lookups can cause background CPU usage spikes. Disable location services for Facebook in your device settings to eliminate this factor.
Advertisements and Trackers
The many ads and trackers on Facebook also require processing power to load and render. An ad-blocker browser extension may improve CPU performance. However, this can break Facebook functionality. As an alternative, try ad blockers like uBlock Origin which are more configurable and less likely to break sites.
1080p and 4K Displays
High-resolution displays require more GPU and CPU power to render web page visuals at greater pixel density. Low pixel density monitors are less taxing for the same content. For example, a 1440p or 4K screen necessitates more processing than 720p or 1080p at the same screen size. If Facebook’s CPU usage is very high, try lowering your display resolution while browsing.
Old or Low-End Hardware
Using an outdated or budget computer can lead to high Facebook CPU usage even if the site is performing normally. Low-power mobile or older desktop processors often strain under the demands of complex web apps. Upgrading to modern hardware with better specs can improve the experience. For existing hardware, steps like adding RAM, using an SSD, and disabling background apps can help.
Too Many Friends and Groups
Having a high number of friends and group follows means more potential content to process in your News Feed. Try trimming down your friend list and leaving groups that no longer interest you. The News Feed relevance algorithm also ends older friends lower in rankings if not interacted with.
| Number of Friends | Average CPU Usage |
|---|---|
| 0 – 50 | Low |
| 50 – 200 | Medium |
| 200+ | High |
High Resolution Photos
Uploading and viewing high-resolution photos on Facebook also requires more computing power. CPU usage tends to increase when browsing albums and profiles with large ultra HD photos instead of downscaled images. Posting lower resolution photos where possible can help.
Conclusion
In summary, many factors can contribute to Facebook’s CPU and resource usage, such as too many browser tabs and extensions, HD videos, chat apps, animations, inefficient browsers, and low-end hardware. Identify and troubleshoot possible causes in your setup to reduce CPU demands. Limit Facebook tabs, disable unnecessary features, upgrade outdated PCs, or try alternative browsers. With some adjustments, you can have a smoother Facebook browsing experience.