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Why would a Firefox process, current version - no addons or extensions, be opening over 20 Firefox processes (windows task manager), consuming over 2.0 Gig of memory all for only 5 open tabs on some pretty simple web sites (ie not streaming) like e-trade, walmart, oilprice.com and those sorts of tabs.

Firefox’s multi-process architecture, called Electrolysis or e10s, is designed to improve stability and performance by running each tab, web content, and certain browser functions in separate processes. This can lead to a higher number of processes and increased memory usage, even with a small number of tabs and no add-ons. Let’s break down why you’re seeing over 20 Firefox processes and consuming over 2.0 GB of memory with just five tabs on simple websites like E-Trade, Walmart, and Oilprice.com.
Key Reasons for Multiple Processes and High Memory Usage
Multi-Process Architecture (Electrolysis):
Firefox isolates tabs, extensions, and other components into separate processes to prevent a single tab crash from taking down the entire browser. Each tab typically runs in its own "Web Content" process, but additional processes handle the browser’s core functions (e.g., UI, networking, graphics rendering) and subtasks like trackers or service workers.

Even simple websites can spawn additional processes for subframes (e.g., iframes for ads or embedded content), JavaScript execution, or cross-origin isolated resources. For example, sites like E-Trade or Walmart often include dynamic elements (e.g., stock tickers, product carousels) that may trigger additional processes.

The default number of content processes is typically set to 8, but Firefox can create more depending on system resources and workload. With five tabs, you might see 5–10 content processes, plus additional ones for the main browser, GPU rendering, network operations, and other internal tasks, easily exceeding 20 processes.

Memory Usage Per Process:
Each process requires its own memory allocation, even if the website is lightweight. Firefox’s baseline memory usage, even with no tabs open, can be 1–2 GB due to the browser’s core components (e.g., JavaScript engine, rendering engine).

Simple websites like E-Trade, Walmart, or Oilprice.com often include JavaScript-heavy features (e.g., real-time price updates, interactive menus, or tracking scripts) that consume more memory than expected. For instance, E-Trade may run scripts for live stock data, and Walmart may load large product images or recommendation algorithms. Oilprice.com might include dynamic charts or ads, which can also increase memory usage.

Firefox’s memory management may not release resources immediately after closing tabs, leading to higher-than-expected memory usage.

System Resource Allocation:
Firefox pre-allocates memory to improve performance, especially on systems with ample RAM. If your system has 16 GB or more, Firefox may use more memory to cache data and speed up browsing, rather than minimizing usage.

The absence of add-ons reduces the likelihood of extension-related memory leaks, but Firefox’s default configuration still allocates memory for features like session history (up to 50 pages per tab by default) and hardware acceleration.

Potential Background Processes:
Even without add-ons, websites can run background scripts, service workers, or trackers that continue processing after the tab is loaded. For example, Walmart’s site might use service workers for offline caching, and Oilprice.com could have real-time data feeds. These can create additional processes visible in Task Manager.

Firefox may also run maintenance tasks (e.g., cache management, telemetry) in separate processes, contributing to the process count.

Comparison to Other Browsers:
Users often report Firefox using more memory than Chrome or Edge for similar workloads. For example, with 5–10 tabs, Firefox may consume 1–2 GB more than Chromium-based browsers due to differences in memory management and process isolation.

Chrome’s architecture is similar, but it may optimize memory differently, such as more aggressive tab discarding or lighter process overhead for simple sites.

Why 20+ Processes for 5 Tabs?
Per-Tab Processes: Each of your five tabs (E-Trade, Walmart, Oilprice.com, etc.) likely runs in its own Web Content process, accounting for 5 processes.

Subtasks and Frames: Each tab may spawn additional processes for iframes (e.g., ads, embedded widgets) or cross-origin content. For example, Walmart’s product pages often include third-party scripts for analytics or ads, each potentially requiring a separate process.

Browser Overhead: Firefox runs separate processes for the main browser (UI), GPU rendering, networking, and other tasks like session storage or crash reporting. These can easily add 5–10 processes.

Dynamic Content: Sites like E-Trade and Oilprice.com may use real-time updates (e.g., stock prices, oil market data), which involve JavaScript loops or WebSocket connections that increase process count and memory usage.

System-Specific Factors: On a system with sufficient resources, Firefox may spawn more processes to leverage available CPU cores, especially if dom.ipc.processCount is set to a high value (default is 8, but can scale with system capabilities).

Why Over 2.0 GB of Memory?
Baseline Usage: Firefox’s core processes (without tabs) can use 1–2 GB due to its rendering engine, JavaScript runtime, and session management.

Per-Tab Overhead: Each tab, even on simple sites, may consume 100–500 MB depending on content. For five tabs, this could add 0.5–2.5 GB. Dynamic elements like JavaScript for real-time updates (E-Trade’s stock tickers, Oilprice.com’s charts) or large images (Walmart’s product pages) push this higher.

Memory Fragmentation: Firefox’s memory allocation can become fragmented, leading to higher-than-expected usage. Restarting the browser periodically can help defragment memory.

No Add-Ons, But Site Scripts: Without extensions, the memory usage comes from the websites’ scripts and Firefox’s handling of them. For example, Oilprice.com may load third-party ads or trackers that consume memory even on a “simple� site.

Steps to Diagnose and Mitigate
Check Firefox Task Manager:
Open about:processes (or Shift + Esc) to see which tabs or processes are consuming the most memory and CPU. Look for high “Energy Impact� or memory usage. Close or unload tabs with excessive resource use.

Minimize Memory Usage:
Open about:memory and click “Minimize memory usage� to trigger garbage collection and reduce memory footprint. This can temporarily lower usage.

Reduce Content Process Limit:
Go to about:config, search for dom.ipc.processCount, and lower it from the default ( to 4 or 2. This reduces the number of content processes, potentially lowering memory usage, but may impact performance with many tabs. Restart Firefox after changing.

Enable Hardware Acceleration:
Go to Settings > General > Performance, uncheck “Use recommended performance settings,� and ensure “Use hardware acceleration when available� is checked. This offloads some tasks to the GPU, potentially reducing CPU and memory strain. Ensure your graphics drivers are updated.

Limit Session History:
In about:config, search for browser.sessionhistory.max_entries (default is 50). Reduce it to 10–20 to lower memory used for storing tab history.

Restart Firefox Periodically:
Closing and reopening Firefox can release memory held by lingering processes or fragmented allocations. Configure Firefox to restore tabs on startup (Settings > General > Restore previous session).

Test in Troubleshoot Mode:
Start Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode (about:support > Restart with Add-ons Disabled) to confirm no hidden add-ons or themes are contributing. If memory usage drops significantly, a configuration issue may be at play.

Compare with Another Browser:
Open the same five tabs in Chrome or Edge to compare process count and memory usage. If Firefox uses significantly more, it may indicate a browser-specific issue. Report it to Mozilla via Bugzilla with about:support details.

Check for Memory Leaks:
If memory usage grows over time (e.g., 2 GB to 5 GB after hours), it could indicate a leak. Use about:memory?verbose to generate a detailed report and file a bug at bugzilla.mozilla.org.

System-Level Checks:
Use Windows Task Manager or Process Explorer to monitor which Firefox processes (firefox.exe) are consuming the most memory. Check if any are unrelated to tabs (e.g., background tasks). Ensure your system isn’t low on RAM, as this can exacerbate issues.

Is This Normal?
Process Count: Over 20 processes for 5 tabs is higher than expected but plausible due to Firefox’s architecture and the dynamic nature of the websites. Typically, you’d expect 10–15 processes for 5 tabs, so 20+ suggests additional subtasks or system-specific behavior.

Memory Usage: Over 2.0 GB for 5 tabs is on the high side but not unusual, especially if the sites include dynamic content. Firefox’s memory usage is often higher than Chrome’s for similar workloads (e.g., 960 MB for 10 tabs vs. Chrome’s 950 MB).

Comparison: If the same tabs in Chrome or Edge use significantly less memory (e.g.,