Startup Boost is one of the features that make the browser from Microsoft feel incredibly snappy and fast. Of course, it comes with a downside of having a couple of Edge processes in the background, but in return, you get a browser that launches in an instant.
Unfortunately, Startup Boost in Microsoft Edge does not work in Edge 97. A bug causes the browser to disable Startup Boost if the user has one or more third-party extensions. Edge Bar is another victim of this pesky bug.
Microsoft recently confirmed the problem and promised to fix the issue in future updates. Now, with Edge 98 out, Startup Boost and Edge Bar are working as they should.
To update Microsoft Edge to version 98, open the browser and go to edge://settings/help. Wait for the system to download and install the latest version. After updating to Edge 98, you can navigate to edge://settings/system to enable Startup Boost. Also, Edge Bar should work as expected. You can read about other changes and new features in Edge 98 here.
Although Startup Boost is here to make Microsoft Edge faster and snappier, users with less powerful or old computers may want to turn off this feature.
When Startup Boost is on, Microsoft keeps several processes always running in the background (they also autostart when you turn on the computer) to make the browse launch instantly.
The idea behind this feature is to make Edge ready to jump into action right when you need it, but the problem is that background processes consume RAM when the browser is not in use. That becomes a problem on budget devices with little RAM.
If you use Windows 11, you may also want to unpin the Microsoft Teams icon from the taskbar. It also strains your computer's resources, even if you do not use Teams and never launched the app.
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