Steps to reproduce the problem

1.Launch Google Chrome on a system running the updated version of Windows 11. 2.Open several additional tabs in the browser to increase resource usage. 3.Open Task Manager on Windows and observe the running processes. 4.Notice that the chrome.exe processes are automatically switched to "Efficiency Mode" when switching between tabs in the browser, even while the application is actively being used.

Problem Description

Issue Description: After the latest update to Windows 11, we have identified that the chrome.exe processes are automatically forced to run in "Efficiency Mode" by the operating system. This occurs without any explicit configuration or policies applied by the user that would trigger this behavior. As a result, the BasePriority of the process is reduced to Idle (4), instead of the expected Normal (8) priority for actively used applications. This change significantly impacts the overall performance of the browser, as processes running in the background are assigned lower priority than they should be.

We have conducted a series of tests and verifications to ensure that this issue is not caused by any specific settings or policies applied to the system. Even though we have not configured any settings that would explicitly direct chrome.exe into Efficiency Mode, the process continues to be affected. This issue raises concern as there is no clear method or reliable documentation available to prevent this behavior, which seems to have been introduced by the recent update to Windows 11.

A similar issue has also been observed with other browsers, such as Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox. However, we have noted a difference in how Firefox handles this. Mozilla Firefox does not appear to be forced into Efficiency Mode if specific settings related to process priority management are adjusted. In contrast, chrome.exe is still impacted by the new settings in Windows 11, leading to the automatic reduction of the process priority.

Impact: The inclusion of chrome.exe processes in Efficiency Mode can affect the overall performance of the browser. In some cases, it results in slower processing, reduced responsiveness when opening tabs or navigating, and lower power consumption, but at the cost of user experience. Users may experience noticeable performance degradation, particularly on systems with lower specifications or when running many tabs and applications simultaneously.

Issue Summary: The chrome.exe processes on Windows 11 are automatically switched to Efficiency Mode, causing a reduction in process priority to Idle, even though no specific settings have been applied to trigger this change. While the system aims to optimize power consumption, this behavior results in an undesirable decrease in performance when the application is actively in use. A similar issue is observed in other browsers, such as Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox, although the handling differs across these browsers.

There is an inconsistency in process priority management for Google Chrome after the latest Windows 11 update. The chrome.exe processes are being forced into Efficiency Mode, resulting in significant and undesirable performance degradation.

Summary

Bug Report: Chrome.exe Processes Forced into "Efficiency Mode" on Windows 11, Impacting Performance

Custom Questions

Type of crash:

The issue does not result in a crash but instead causes performance degradation. chrome.exe processes are automatically switched to a lower priority mode, resulting in slower performance while navigating between tabs and interacting with the browser.

Crash state:

No crash occurs in this case, but the process priority is lowered to Idle rather than Normal, affecting the responsiveness and overall performance of the browser. No specific crash state is observed.

Reporter credit:

This issue does not seem related to a security vulnerability but rather to performance management behavior introduced by Windows 11 updates. Therefore, credit is not necessary, as it pertains to system behavior rather than a security bug.

Additional Data

Category: Security
Chrome Channel: Not sure
Regression: N/A