Google Chrome helper is the interface bridge that allows external plug-ins to work on a user’s browser. However, it is a well-known fact that Google Chrome Helper hogs up on the CPU cycles. If users use a Personal Computer (PC) and Google’s Chrome browser, then they may occasionally be haunted by a menace that goes by the name of “Google Chrome Helper.” They’ll find this mysterious being lurking in the Activity Monitor menu sometimes hanging out in packs of seven, eating up the CPU cycles and system memory, resulting in deafening noise from the PC’s fan.
The Google Chrome Help Center doesn’t explain what it is or what it does, although plenty of users can be found complaining about it there. The Chrome FAQ doesn’t resolve the issue either. This begs the question; What is this Google Chrome helper, and what is it “helping” with?
The gist of it is that Google Chrome Helper isn’t really the problem. It tends to spiral out of control when there’s a rogue extension or when Google Chrome’s plug-in settings are configured in such a way to run everything by default. There’s a lengthy list of the plug-ins supported by Chrome, but most users in the Help Center forums seem to run into trouble when it’s working with Flash content.
“Google Chrome Helper” is the name for embedded content that runs outside the browser. The Browser plug-ins aren’t features that are rendered by HTML code; they only involve content that needs to be pulled in from elsewhere. The “Google Chrome Helper” is essentially the interface between the embed code in the browser and a remote server, and it is set to run automatically with Chrome’s default settings. In many cases, the plug-ins and processes that are being handled aren’t listed by name because the APIs don’t allow it. Google Chrome Helper can be termed as a martyr.
Nevertheless, disabling Helper’s auto-helping is easy, and it won’t stop users from using plug-ins. They’ll just have to opt in to view plug-in content on a case-by-case basis. Deactivating it isn’t entirely fruitful, though there’s no mention of the Helper outside of the user’s Activity Monitor and forum complaints. Therefore, users will have to dig a couple of levels deep into their Chrome settings.
They will need to first, shut down all their Chrome windows without quitting the program. Then join the Chrome menu, go to “Preferences,” go all the way down in the menu, and click on “Show advanced settings…” The first thing in the expanded advanced settings list will be “Privacy,” and then click on the “Content Settings” button right under that. About midway down the content settings list is a “Plug-ins” entry, which will likely be set to “Run automatically.” Users should instead, select “Click to play.”
This is actually the same thing as configuring email to load images only when users click a “load images” link. Any embedded Flash, Java, DivX, or Silverlight content on a webpage will appear as a grayed-out space until users click on it to load the player and the content.
One huge advantage of destroying the Google Chrome Helper? It will keep Flash ads from auto-loading without having to install an ad-blocker.
Moreover, other than PC users, Mac users have also complained about Google Chrome Helper eating up their CPU memory. If the Mac is making a lot of noise and is running slower than usual, users should check their Activity Monitor. Chances are that users will have at least an instance or two of a program called Google Chrome Helper that is going to be consuming more than half of the CPU’s memory
It is pertinent to mention that Google Chrome Helper manages plugins and extensions not supposed by Chrome Browser. It can also be described as a name for embedded content running outside of the browser. Each time a plug-in interconnects with an external server, Google Chrome Helper creates a process on the Mac. It also runs automatically, so this is why the user’s Activity Monitor can have two or more instances of the same process running simultaneously.
In essence, Google Chrome Helper is not that bad. But despite this, it can eat up a lot of CPU memory and slow down MAC. This is because disabling Google Chrome Helper will not stop users from using plug-ins, when users see it eating upMac’s CPU memory and making the fans operate at full blast, it is time to discard it! Not only it is loud, but it also makes the computer run at its strongest and drains the battery faster.
FAQs
[wps_faq style=”classic” question=”Q: How to remove Google Chrome Helper?”]A: Previously, users could easily remove the Helper by going into Chrome > Preferences > Settings > Show advanced settings > Content settings. However, this is no longer the option in 2019, and Chrome’s Content Settings are now hidden deeper into the settings. There are two ways to do this now, the short fast way, and the long way.[/wps_faq][wps_faq style=”classic” question=”Q: What is the shorter way to remove Helper?”]A: To save time, if users don’t want to spend time searching for options, just copychrome://settings/content/unsandboxedPluginsinto Chrome’s Omnibox, and the plugin settings will appear immediately. By default, Ask when a site wants to use a plug-in to access the user’s computer will be turned on. Users should turn this off, so it says Do not allow any site to use a plug-in to access the computer instead. [/wps_faq][wps_faq style=”classic” question=”Q: What is the longer way to remove Helper?”]A: If the short way didn’t work, users should try reaching the same settings Open Chrome go to Settings > Advanced > Privacy and Security> Site Settings. Scroll down until they see Unsandboxed plug-in access at the bottom and open that. Now they just press Unsandboxed plug-in access and turn off the Ask when a site wants to use a plug-in to access the computer settings. [/wps_faq]
Conclusion:
To conclude, it would be safe to say that one of the reasons Chrome is so popular is because of the many plug-ins it has. However, it comes with a cost and can become a huge burden on the user’s CPU usage with time. Users need to make sure that they remove any unwanted extensions occasionally to keep their Chrome clean and reduce the memory that Google Chrome Helper takes on their computer.