10 Hidden Browser Settings That Can Instantly Boost Your Privacy and Speed

Even in the age of high-speed internet, many users (especially in regions like Nigeria and across Africa) face slow or unstable connections . At the same time, online tracking and data collection are pervasive global issues. Modern browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge include powerful but often overlooked settings to make browsing both faster and more private. Below are 10 under-the-radar tips – with practical steps and links – for tuning your browser’s privacy and performance. Many of these settings have direct relevance to countries like Nigeria, where data is expensive and privacy protections (e.g. Nigeria’s NDPR) are increasingly important. Follow these steps to secure your browsing and speed up page loads immediately.

1. Enable HTTPS-Only Mode (Always Use Secure Connections)

Browsers can force an encrypted HTTPS connection for every website by default. In Chrome, toggle “Always use secure connections” under Settings > Privacy and security > Security. This ensures Chrome will try to upgrade all http:// links to https:// . In Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security and enable “HTTPS-Only Mode in all windows” . (This adds an exception list so you can still load a site if absolutely needed.) Edge doesn’t yet expose HTTPS-only mode in a menu, but you can enable the experimental “Automatic HTTPS” flag: visit edge://flags/#edge-automatic-https, enable it and relaunch Edge . For example, on Nigerian public Wi-Fi or mobile data networks (which are common in Lagos or Abuja), this forces encrypted DNS lookups and prevents local ISPs or attackers from snooping on your site visits . (Browsers will warn you before visiting a site that doesn’t support HTTPS, giving you the choice to proceed or not.)

2. Block Third-Party Cookies and Trackers

Modern browsers let you reject cookies and trackers you didn’t explicitly allow. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data and choose “Block third-party cookies.” Alternatively, enter chrome://settings/cookies and select Block third-party cookies . This prevents most cross-site tracking and ad-serving cookies. In Firefox, open Settings > Privacy & Security, set Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) to Custom, and check “Cookies” to block cross-site or all cookies as desired . (Blocking all cookies may break some sites, so “Cross-site and social media trackers” is a safer middle ground.) In Edge, open Settings > Privacy, search, and services and set Tracking Prevention to “Strict.” Edge’s strict mode blocks the most trackers and ads, maximizing privacy . Blocking third-party cookies and trackers not only defends your privacy, it can also speed up page loads by preventing extra ad scripts from loading.

3. Use Secure DNS (DNS-over-HTTPS) for Faster, Private Lookups

By default DNS lookups are unencrypted, allowing ISPs or Wi-Fi providers to log your browsing. All three browsers support DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), which sends DNS queries over HTTPS for encryption and often faster resolution. In Chrome and Edge (Chromium-based), go to Settings > Privacy and security > Security and turn on “Use secure DNS.” You can select a provider like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google, or let Chrome choose. In Firefox, scroll to Settings > General > Network Settings and check “Enable DNS over HTTPS,” choosing a trusted provider (like Cloudflare or NextDNS) . Secure DNS hides your domain lookups from local eavesdroppers on public networks , and in practice it can also speed up browsing if your chosen DoH server is faster than your ISP’s DNS . For Nigerians on mobile connections, using DoH with a global provider can avoid slow local DNS servers and improve page load times .

4. Turn On Enhanced Tracking/Fingerprinting Protection

Firefox has built-in defenses against advanced tracking. By default, Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) in Strict mode blocks known “fingerprinters” (scripts that uniquely identify your browser based on fonts, canvas rendering, etc.) . To double-down, you can enable “resist fingerprinting” in about:config (set privacy.resistFingerprinting to true). This blends or spoofs aspects like your timezone, fonts, and hardware details . Keep in mind aggressive fingerprinting protection can sometimes break site features, so ETP strict mode is a good middle ground . Chrome and Edge lack built-in fingerprint-blocking, so for those browsers we recommend using privacy extensions (see next tip). In all browsers, regularly clearing cookies and site data also helps reset any tracking across sites.

5. Install Ad/Tracker Blockers (uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, etc.)

Beyond built-in features, use lightweight extensions to block ads and trackers globally. uBlock Origin is a free, open-source content blocker that works on Chrome, Firefox, Edge and others . It can block ads, trackers, malware domains and even fingerprinting scripts, all with minimal CPU/memory overhead. Another tool, Privacy Badger (by the EFF), automatically learns to block trackers it observes across sites . For example, Privacy Badger “stops advertisers and trackers from secretly tracking where you go” . Installing these tools is straightforward: visit the browser’s extension store or the extension’s site  and add them to your browser. One-click toggles in each extension let you whitelist trusted sites (like your bank). Blocking ads and trackers not only preserves privacy, but also reduces the amount of data your browser downloads – a boon when on metered mobile networks.

6. Enable Hardware Acceleration for Faster Rendering 

Modern browsers can offload graphics and video tasks to your GPU. In each browser’s settings, ensure “Use hardware acceleration when available” is turned on. In Chrome, open Settings > System and toggle this option . In Firefox, go to Settings > General > Performance, uncheck “Use recommended performance settings,” then check “Use hardware acceleration” . Edge users can find the same toggle under Settings > System and performance . Hardware acceleration typically improves playback of high-definition video and graphics, smooths page rendering, and frees up CPU cycles for other tasks . In practice, leaving acceleration on almost always helps speed – only disable it if you notice instability or crashes (common in older hardware). Once enabled, you can verify in Chrome by visiting chrome://gpu to see that most graphics features are “Hardware accelerated.”

7. Enable Memory Saver / Automatic Tab Discarding 

Keeping many tabs open can eat RAM and slow down your computer. Google Chrome has a built-in Memory Saver (formerly “Automatic tab discarding”) feature that hibernates idle tabs. In Chrome Settings > Performance (Windows/ChromeOS) or Settings > System (macOS), enable Memory Saver. This will automatically freeze tabs you haven’t used in a while, freeing memory and CPU . When you click a sleeping tab, Chrome reloads it from cache (taking a moment, but you save resources in the interim). The GeeksforGeeks guide notes that automatic discarding can greatly reduce memory usage and improve overall performance . You can also manually discard specific tabs by visiting chrome://discards and clicking the “Discard” or “Sleep” buttons. For Firefox, there isn’t a native tab hibernation yet, but you can approximate it by reducing the Content Process Limit under Settings > General > Performance. Fewer content processes means fewer simultaneous tabs loaded, cutting memory use.

8. Use Sleeping Tabs and Efficiency Mode in Edge

Microsoft Edge has its own power-saving features. In Settings > System and performance, turn on “Save resources with sleeping tabs.” Edge will pause inactive tabs (similar to Chrome’s Memory Saver). Microsoft’s data shows each sleeping tab saves on average 85% of its memory and 99% of its CPU  – a huge win if you juggle many tabs or run other heavy apps. You can also adjust the timeout (e.g. sleep after 5 minutes of inactivity). On the same page, enable Efficiency mode (formerly “Power saver”). In Efficiency mode, Edge may throttle background activity and animations to save battery/CPU; the “Balanced” option is good for everyday use, or pick “Maximum savings” when on a weak laptop battery. These modes trade a bit of responsiveness for much lower resource use and battery drain – ideal for longer browsing on the go. Together, Sleeping Tabs and Efficiency mode make Edge noticeably snappier on low-powered machines or slow networks.

9. Tweak Firefox’s Performance Settings

Firefox lets you fine-tune its performance in Settings. Go to Settings > General > Performance and uncheck “Use recommended performance settings”. Then you can adjust “Content process limit” (default 8) . More processes can improve speed on multi-core machines (especially with many tabs), but use more RAM. If your system is low on memory, try reducing it to 4 or 2 and see if Firefox feels faster/stabler. Below that, you can also disable the “use hardware acceleration” checkbox here (if your GPU is weak). Additionally, in Firefox Privacy & Security, you can enable “Strict” ETP (Enhanced Tracking Protection) or switch to the Custom level and specifically enable Fingerprinting and Cryptomining protections. These will block ads and trackers aggressively, making pages lighter and more privacy-friendly (though some site features might break). Finally, consider enabling the “HTTPS-Only Mode” here as in Tip 1 (Firefox calls it “HTTPS-Only Mode (all windows)”).

10. Disable Background Apps and Unneeded Features

Many browsers run processes even when you think they’re closed. In Chrome, open Settings > System and turn off “Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed.” This prevents Chrome apps/extensions from lingering after you exit, freeing RAM and CPU. Likewise in Edge, disable “Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed” under Settings > System. Also turn off “Startup Boost” (in Edge’s System settings) if it’s on – it keeps Edge resident in memory to launch faster, but costs background resources. Finally, disable any sync services or prefetch features you don’t need: for example, Chrome’s Privacy and security settings include options like “Use prediction services to load pages” (prefetch DNS) – disabling these reduces data leaks to Google and slightly cuts background use. By trimming these background and predictive features, your browser frees up memory and network bandwidth. In slow or costly-network environments (common in parts of Africa), every bit of saved data or CPU helps keep browsing smooth and efficient.

By applying these 10 tweaks, you lock down your browser against trackers and make it run leaner. Each tip above includes steps or links so you can try it right away (with sources cited from official docs and experts). In practice, users worldwide – from Accra to Abuja to Cape Town – report much snappier browsing and fewer surprises after enabling HTTPS, DoH, and content blocking. And because these are all free, built-in (or easy-to-install) features, you can turn them on today and start protecting your data and speeding up your web for Nigeria, Africa, and beyond.