11 Best Ways to Increase Download Speeds in Google Chrome on Windows

There are many factors that determine download speeds in Google’s Chrome browser. While a fast internet connection is the obvious solution, there are other ways to increase download speeds in Chrome. At the same time, it is equally important to understand the factors that can lead to slower download speed.

Sometimes you have to wait for the file to download when you need it urgently. This means that you cannot access the file until Chrome finishes downloading it. Sometimes Chrome generates a download error and you need to restart the download. We have compiled a few solutions to help increase download speeds in Google Chrome.

Let’s get started.

1. Disable the VPN service

While VPN is a great way to protect yourself from internet dangers, it can slow down your internet connection and download speed in Chrome browser. Try disabling the VPN service to check if it improves the download speed. If so, you can consider downloading the file without VPN protection. But this will expose your IP address.

Note that disabling the VPN may cause the download to stop halfway. You may need to restart the download.

2. Disconnect other devices from Wi-Fi

Most of us have multiple devices connected to the Wi-Fi network. And then there are family members or coworkers who also use the same Wi-Fi network, which slows down the network speed. If you have too many users using your Wi-Fi network, you can ask them to wait for your download to complete or to temporarily suspend their connection. If you are alone, disconnect your other devices until the file has successfully downloaded to your computer.

3. Use Google DNS

Using the default DNS server defined by your ISP is not the optimal solution. One way to solve this problem is to use a third-party DNS address like Google or OpenDNS. It could help increase Chrome’s download speed and improve browsing experience. But before you consider changing the default DNS address on your computer, we recommend that you check whether Google or OpenDNS works faster for you. Once you find out, changing the default DNS isn’t that difficult.

4. Disable proxy settings

Disabling proxy settings on your computer can also help improve download speeds in Chrome browser.

Step 1: Press Windows key + I to open settings. Go to Network and Internet.

2nd step: Select Proxy in the left sidebar and make sure “Automatically detect settings” is enabled but “Use proxy server” is disabled.

5. Change LAN settings

Step 1: Press Windows key + R to open the Run prompt and type the shortcut below before hitting the Enter button to run it.

inetcpl.cpl

2nd step: In the following pop-up window, click LAN Settings under the Connections tab. In the next pop-up window, check “Automatically detect settings” if it is not already checked. Save any changes made.

Check again if the download speed has improved in Chrome browser.

6. Disable the QoS packet scheduler

This method will not work for Windows Home users because it requires access to the Group Policy Editor. It’s available in Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise versions only.

Step 1: In Windows Search (press Windows key + S), type gpedit.msc to find and open the Group Policy Editor.

2nd step: In the left navigation pane, navigate to the folder structure below.

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > QoS Packet Scheduler

In the right pane of the window, double-click “Limit reservable bandwidth” to open the file and change the bandwidth settings.

Step 4: Click the Enabled button and reduce the percentage of reserved bandwidth to a lower limit. We do not suggest allocating zero as this will affect system functions such as system updates and bandwidth-intensive applications running in the background. Reducing it slightly to, say 50%, will have a positive impact while still allowing the system to function as it should.

7. Enable parallel download of Chrome Flag

Chrome Flags are small, experimental features that may or may not see the light of day or that are included in the final version of Chrome. However, there are all kinds of cool features to explore. One of them allows you to download files in parallel, which increases the download speed in Chrome.

Just type chrome: // flags in the address bar and press Enter. You can then search for “parallel download flag” and enable it from the drop-down menu.

8. Install the Turbo Download Manager extension

One of the most annoying aspects of slow downloads in Chrome is that sometimes it fails and you have to restart. A download manager could help resolve this and other related issues. Turbo Download Manager is a Chrome extension that will allow you to stop, pause, and resume file downloads.

Other features include how you can extract audio from video, images from websites, and boost download speed by grabbing multiple segments of file download.

Download Turbo Download Manager

9. Activate page prefetch

Step 1: In Google Chrome, type the address below in the address bar and press Enter to open the Chrome cookie settings.

chrome://settings/cookies

2nd step: Scroll down to find the option “ Preload pages for faster browsing and searching ” and enable it.

10. Remove unnecessary extensions

If you are a fan of extensions, you end up installing a lot of them but hardly using them. They are also responsible for the slow performance of Chrome. Uninstall extensions that you no longer use or that you can do without. This will help improve the download speed and overall performance of Chrome.

11. Clear cache and data

Clearing browser cache in Chrome can help resolve many common issues. The cache is only temporary files that websites store in your browser to improve your browsing experience, among other things. These files can accumulate over time, hampering Chrome’s download speed and browser performance. It is a good idea to clear the website’s cache and data once a fortnight or month.

Slowly but surely, we succeed

Google Chrome is not the only browser available. There are others and most of them use Chromium that Chrome was built on. This means that all of your favorite plugins will work on it too. We have already covered and compared some of them, like Microsoft Edge and Brave. Maybe it’s time to move on and try something new?