Have you ever noticed your computer misbehaving? Maybe you joined a video call where people can see you but not hear you. Maybe a website says you’re logged out when you’re logged in, or vice versa. Maybe you’re looking for a specific file and can’t find it, but when you refresh your screen it suddenly appears.
These are all signs that you need to “re-re-up” – shorthand for relaunch, reboot, and update. Before we get into what that means, you’re using the Google Chrome browser, right? We use Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) – which includes Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Drive, Meet, Sheets, and Slides – and all of those apps run best in the Chrome browser.
Tip #1 – Relaunch
Any time you notice your computer misbehaving, your first instinct should be to relaunch Chrome (quit and start again). Note I did not say close and reopen the tab or window. This rarely works because the problem is rarely confined to a specific tab or window.
Browsers optimize performance by storing cookies, media files, history, etc. in cache. What’s cache? Think of it as a table sitting right next to you with all of your most frequently used items. When you need something, you can generally grab it from the table rather than get up, walk to another part of the house to get it, and walk back.
Problems arise when the browser cache gets too full in much the same way a table can only hold so many things. This happens when we open several tabs within several windows, sometimes for days at a time. I just counted and I’m using 43 tabs across four windows – needless to say, I relaunch Chrome daily!
Tip #2 – Reboot
In much the same way that your browser has a cache, your computer also has a cache. This is true across all operating systems – Windows, MacOS, and ChromeOS. And your computer cache can get overrun just like your browser cache. Note that I did not say log out and log back in. It rarely works because while it resets certain user settings, it doesn’t completely empty your computer cache.
Problems that can be traced to computer cache generally manifest themselves outside of the browser. For example, maybe your computer just seems to be doing things slower. If you’re connected to an external monitor, maybe the display looks odd or is blank. Maybe your mouse cursor is jumping around the screen or you can’t connect to wi-fi.
In these cases, the solution is to reboot, particularly if you already tried relaunching Chrome. This is doubly true for Windows machines because Windows has to accommodate many more hardware drivers. I recommend Windows users reboot at the end of each workday; Mac and Chromebook users should reboot at least once every three workdays.
Tip #3 – Update
I know, it’s annoying when you get a notification that an update needs to be installed. You can temporarily ignore these notifications if you’re in the middle of a meeting or task, but you should run the update within 24 hours. Not only will it help keep your computer running smoothly, it will also help prevent viruses, malware, and other evil things from corrupting your computer.
The image here is for Chrome running on a Mac, but the process is the same for Chrome running on Windows or ChromeOS. In the Chrome browser menu, select Chrome > About Google Chrome. It will take you to a settings page that tells you whether you are running the current version of Chrome. If not, run the update and turn on automatic updates.
Your computer also needs to be regularly updated. Sometimes, updates happen automatically in the background – this is more often the case with Mac and ChromeOS. Other times, you get an update notification. It’s common to ignore the notifications because they often take 30 minutes or more to run. The longer you ignore the notifications, the longer the update process will take when you finally get around to it. It’s best to start updates at the end of the your workday.
So there it is, re-re-up! And if these tips don’t work, just let me know! Or if I’m not around, John is pretty good with Windows.