MacOS Sonoma - Chrome freezing/memory issue

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Level 1

18 points

MacOS Sonoma - Chrome freezing/memory issue

This one is complex, and I have now spent HOURS and days researching and troubleshooting with experts. Please respond if you are VERY knowledgeable in this type of issue.

I have spent hours troubleshooting with Squarespace support (escalated to their developer team), a Google volunteer through Google's support forums (bc Google is impossible to reach a real person), and now I'm trying Apple, now that we've narrowed down a few things.

Reaching out to the community because my Apple Care coverage is expired, and I want to try here first.

Here's the details:

In short, Chrome completely freezes every time I use the site editor (which is often, as I am creating content weekly). All Chrome windows crash (indicated by the ever-spinning rainbow wheel), to the extent I have to "force quit" and restart Chrome.

BEFORE YOU RESPOND, PLEASE READ FURTHER:

I own and operate a web-based business out of my home office, and my Mac is my primary workhorse. I use Chrome for everything, and Squarespace is who hosts my website, which I update often as I write new copy/blogs every week. I also use Typeform to create questionnaires and signups for lead magnets, which I embed into my Squarespace site, both as pop-ups, and within the page code.

All of the above has been the case, with no changes, for the last 3 years (Typeform for about 1 year). Nothing has changed. I've had this computer for over a year, nearly 2 years. My issue started occurring only a few weeks ago, after the Sonoma update. Chrome also, consequently, had updates during that time. Those are the only factors that changed, and prior to that, Squarespace/Chrome worked fine.

I'm not a computer expert, but I'm also not an idiot.

Here's what I've tried so far (I am likely forgetting some things - it has been a long road):

clearing cache/cookies for "all time" within Chrome
restarting modem/router
restarting computer (and varying combinations of all of the above)
completely uninstalling and re-installing Chrome
deleting Chrome profiles, and recreating them
software updates for Chrome and MacOS
disabling, and then completely REMOVING all Chrome Extensions

Here's what has been found so far:

Issue ONLY occurs in Chrome - does not occur in Firefox or Safari
Issue DOES NOT occur on my ancient (2015) Macbook Pro, which is incapable of updating past Monterey (another reason I suspect it has something to do with the Sonoma update)
Only occurs with Squarespace IN Chrome (more on this in a moment)
The problem STOPS occurring when Typeform code is removed (yay! except I NEED those Typeforms)

In summary, two experts I've spoken to agree that this is a memory issue - whether it is a hardware/bad memory issue, or if the MacOS/Chrome updates changed the way memory is distributed is not clear yet (Squarespace is already a dense platform, and adding Typeform to it seems to put it over the edge).

The important thing to remember is, this did not used to occur before the Sonoma update. That has to be part of it. It worked fine for over a YEAR prior to that. It seems to be the one common thing at the root of it all.

And because I know you'll ask, yes, I do understand I can use other browsers as a workaround (and I am doing that for now). But please remember, Chrome is what I use primarily for everything business and personal, and it USED to work fine. Getting this issue fixed would be ideal long-term.

Does anyone have any insight as to how I might determine whether it's a bad memory issue (like is there an app that stress tests the memory?), or a way to find a bug and report it to Apple??

iMac 24″, macOS 14.2

Posted on Jan 3, 2024 12:10 PM

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Answer 1

Mal-S

Level 5

5,062 points

Jan 4, 2024 11:06 AM in response to wifeypoo

For a longtime now Chrome has been recognised as a memory hog going back through several earlier macOS versions, and the best option posted was to not use Chrome but use Firefox or Sierra. If you are still keen on the Chrome system have a look at other browsers based on Chromium (see below)

https://alvarotrigo.com/blog/best-chromium-browsers/

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Answer 2

Mal-S

Level 5

5,062 points

Jan 4, 2024 11:24 AM in response to wifeypoo

I can't give you a technical answer but you need to allow for the fact that Chrome is built by Google for macOS and not the other way round, Sonoma has had some updates over the last few months and it is possible that Google hasn't kept pace with the changes. One question which must be asked when looking at app issues is whether any anti-virus or cleanup apps have bee installed (this may not be the case with your system) they are not required by macOS and are notorious for causing a variety of issues. Sorry I can help further. You next step should be to approach Chrome support.

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Answer 3

Feb 3, 2024 2:01 PM in response to wifeypoo

I did find this post on Google's forums, which might be helpful. Scroll to Fred McCord's responses:

https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/206464307/chrome-keep-crashing-and-i-have-to-force-quit-on-my-mac?hl=en

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Answer 4

dialabrain

Level 10

135,827 points

Jan 4, 2024 11:30 AM in response to wifeypoo

FWIW, since Chrome is only an issue for one thing you use it for in Sonoma, you can simply use a browser that works for that purpose, and use Chrome for everything else. Certainly Apple is not going to troubleshoot Chrome running in Sonoma. That would be up to Google.

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Answer 5

wifeypoo Author

Level 1

18 points

Jan 4, 2024 11:53 AM in response to Mal-S

No antivirus (or similar) software has been installed.

Have you ever tried to reach Google support? It's impossible. First off, they do not have a chat or phone line for Chrome specifically. So when I tried calling their general number, I was on hold for over 3 hours before my call was randomly disconnected.

I understand your point, but to refer people to "approach chrome support" is obsolete, in any case.

One of the first things I did in troubleshooting (after approaching Squarespace first, initially thinking it was their issue), was 1) try to contact google, and 2) posted on their community forums. They do not have google professionals working in those forums, so I thankfully I received an ongoing correspondence from a volunteer who seemed to be very knowledgeable. He provided suggestions I had not tried, none of which worked.

[Edited by Moderator]

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Answer 6

Va6o

Level 1

9 points

Feb 1, 2024 3:21 AM in response to wifeypoo

I'm having the same issues you've described.

For me, the freeze happens almost instantly when using SFDC, but not necessarily.

I've removed plugins, uninstalled completely, and reinstalled, but it worked for a week and started acting up again.

The main issue is when using two profiles - I use one for work and one for personal.

Since the freeze issue came back, I'm not using profiles for now and either open my links in Chrome or work with Safari in parallel. It isn't very pleasant, but hopefully, there's a fix soon.

Let me know if you or someone uncovers a fix.

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Answer 7

Feb 2, 2024 8:25 AM in response to wifeypoo

I am a single dad working on finishing my degree online while working full time using an M2 Macbook Air. I use Safari for everything and never have issues. Well, my school requires me to use Chrome for some of the systems they use. Whaddya know, 2 or 3 times a week it just completely locks up. Nothing else on this machine ever freezes. Just Chrome. And it is frequent.

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Answer 8

wifeypoo Author

Level 1

18 points

Feb 2, 2024 12:15 PM in response to bigeagle65

@bigeagle65 and @Va6o

Out of curiosity I tried again today (2/2/2024), the issue is still occurring. Google is in no hurry to fix it, and I don't know of any ways to report an issue with them. As I mentioned contacting them is useless, and I have no idea how to run reports like that.

If any of you are well-versed at that, I hope you try it. The problem sounds to me like an overloaded memory issue when using specific platforms in Chrome (why this issue is probably not widely posted throughout the internet - seems like it has to be a perfect storm situation.

For me, that's Squarespace and Typeform in Chrome, on Sonoma. For bigeagle it's your school's software used in Chrome, in (what I assume is) Sonoma. And for Va6o, it is SFDC (not sure what that is, or what the other details are). That's the sucky part about all this, there's not really any consistency, so my guess is it's not a priority to Google OR Apple.

Maybe someone more knowledgeable than me can share how to get Chrome reports that reflect this issue, and report them to Chrome. My guess is if people start reporting it, they might perk up (doubtful, but worth a try?).

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Answer 9

Feb 3, 2024 11:24 AM in response to wifeypoo

Chrome freezes in gmail when attaching files and when uploading files to different platforms. I can work for awhile then Chrome freezes and has to be shut down and restarted. And then, the process repeats itself.

I updated to the most recent Chrome v. 121.0.6167.139 (Official Build) (x86_64) and Mac Sonoma OS 14.2.1; 27-inch iMac, 3.8 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i7, 32 GB 2667 MHz DDR4. This is the most recent Chrome update for that Intel. I have never had this problem with previous Mac OS's. Just bought a MBP 14 2023: Chrome v121.0.6167.139 (Official Build) (arm64) and Sonoma 14.3. Will report back once I migrate some items over and start using it.

Additionally, I have a Windows 11 Pro PC and there are no issues with Chrome, though with the recent Microsoft update I found that when I opened Chrome and selected it as the default browser using its tab, Edge continued to open instead of Chrome. Had to go into settings and change all the edge defaults to Chrome. There is no freezing using Chrome on the PC.

As to the argument that Google is a memory hog, yes, but I do not believe that's what is causing this disruption.

Google Workspace (currently $6/month) offers upgraded support with a real human depending on the case. We got it because it support small business with one central streamlined location and a .com address that can be used with Gmail which is impervious to the whims of ISPs and third-party apps, which included set-up and loss of mail. If you own stock in Apple or Google, contact investor relations. Read and post in online forums. For now, it is having to being a squeaky wheel and hope that someone listens.

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