Microsoft Edge might let you limit its RAM usage soon including a setting just for gamers

Microsoft Edge is fine. Unfortunately, fine doth butter few parsnips in the world of browser choices, as it's often jokingly referred to as the browser you use on a new Windows install to download something better. Still, if some new features in the latest Canary build of the browser are anything to go by, soon you might be able to control its RAM usage, with a mode specifically for gaming, too.

According to Twitter user Leopeva64, the latest Canary build of Edge has a new section in its settings page that allows you to limit the browser's RAM usage with a handy slider (via The Verge). More than that, another setting also appears to let you control whether the RAM limiter engages for gaming only or is enabled by default, a feature that strikes as actually very useful for those of you running smaller amounts of RAM on a gaming PC.

In the example screenshots it appears that the slider can be set between 1GB and 16GB of RAM, presumably on a system with 16GB total. That's about the minimum amount we'd recommend for a modern gaming PC, and even then with some RAM-hungry games you'd be far more comfortable with 32GB if you like to keep multiple applications open in the background, including a browser loaded with tabs.

This isn't the first time we've seen Microsoft Edge enable features designed to curtail its resource usage, as it also currently includes an «efficiency mode» that limits resources, primarily for better battery life on mobile devices.

This new setting seems more specifically targeted at gamers though, and may well come as a welcome addition for PC gaming enthusiasts still persevering with the default Windows browser. C'mon, we know you're out there. Rejoice!

A new section on the Settings page could let you control how much RAM Edge can use, you can also choose whether this control is activated only when you are playing a game or always:https://t.co/YiCu5igL0U pic.twitter.com/pE29PI6FfRMarch 27, 2024

On my occasional jaunts into the Task Manager, I'm often