Over the past several days, users across Firefox, Chrome, Edge and Brave have reported YouTube high RAM usage and other unusual system resource demands. Some viewers say individual tabs are using several gigabytes of RAM. Others report CPU and GPU usage running unusually high.
The issue surfaced in late April. Early reports landed on Reddit and browser support forums before spreading across social media.
Many users initially blamed browser updates or ad-blocking software. But with reports coming in across multiple browsers, suspicion has shifted toward YouTube itself.
What’s causing YouTube’s high RAM usage
Reports referencing Mozilla’s Bugzilla tracker point to YouTube’s interface layout, specifically the row of buttons beneath videos that includes options like Like, Share and Subscribe.
Developers investigating the issue believe the interface may be repeatedly recalculating how those buttons fit within the page layout. When the buttons appear and disappear due to spacing changes, browsers can get stuck in what developers describe as a layout recalculation loop.
As the process repeats, memory and CPU usage climb. That can lead to lag, stuttering or full browser freezes.
Reports across multiple browsers
YouTube high RAM usage doesn’t appear limited to a single browser. Users running Firefox, Chrome, Edge and Brave have all reported similar behavior. That points to YouTube’s frontend code as the likely culprit rather than a browser-specific bug.
Some users say the slowdown becomes more noticeable when YouTube is left open in the background or on a secondary monitor during gaming or streaming sessions. So far, YouTube has not publicly confirmed the source of the bug. No timeline for a fix has been announced.
For users dealing with the issue, the problem appears temporary and software-related, not a sign of failing hardware. That said, performance impact may vary depending on system specs and browser setup.
Featured image asset courtesy: YouTube