ChromeDriver high memory / CPU usage and random hanging usually happens because of:

Too many Chrome processes/tabs
Selenium waiting incorrectly (Thread.Sleep)
DevTools/Console open
Images/CSS/extensions loading
Driver objects not disposed
Infinite AJAX/network calls
Running non-headless UI rendering
Memory leak from repeatedly creating drivers

Your screenshot shows:

Chrome paused in debugger
DevTools open
7 Chrome processes using ~1.5 GB RAM

That itself can cause freezing.

Best Ways to Reduce ChromeDriver Memory + Avoid Stuck

1. Use Optimized ChromeOptions


var options = new ChromeOptions();

options.AddArgument("--disable-gpu");
options.AddArgument("--disable-dev-shm-usage");
options.AddArgument("--no-sandbox");
options.AddArgument("--disable-extensions");
options.AddArgument("--disable-popup-blocking");
options.AddArgument("--disable-notifications");
options.AddArgument("--disable-background-networking");
options.AddArgument("--disable-sync");
options.AddArgument("--disable-translate");
options.AddArgument("--metrics-recording-only");
options.AddArgument("--mute-audio");
options.AddArgument("--no-first-run");
options.AddArgument("--disable-default-apps");
options.AddArgument("--disable-background-timer-throttling");
options.AddArgument("--disable-renderer-backgrounding");
options.AddArgument("--disable-backgrounding-occluded-windows");

options.PageLoadStrategy = PageLoadStrategy.Eager;

2. Disable Images and CSS (Huge Performance Gain)


options.AddUserProfilePreference("profile.managed_default_content_settings.images", 2);
options.AddUserProfilePreference("profile.default_content_setting_values.notifications", 2);

For heavy sites this alone reduces:

CPU by 40–60%
Memory by 30–50%

3. Use Headless Mode

UI rendering consumes huge RAM.


options.AddArgument("--headless=new");

If automation does not require visible browser, always use headless.

4. NEVER Use Large Thread.Sleep

Bad:


Thread.Sleep(10000);

Use explicit waits:


WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));

wait.Until(d =>
    d.FindElement(By.Id("txtUser")).Displayed);

Thread.Sleep causes:

freezes
stuck UI
unnecessary CPU wait

5. Properly Dispose Driver

Very important.


driver.Quit();
driver.Dispose();

Otherwise Chrome processes remain in background.

6. Reuse Single Driver Instead of Creating Many

BAD:


for(int i=0;i<100;i++)
{
    new ChromeDriver();
}

GOOD:


ChromeDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);

for(int i=0;i<100;i++)
{
    // reuse
}

7. Kill Zombie Chrome Processes

Sometimes Selenium crashes leaving Chrome alive.

Before start:


foreach (var process in Process.GetProcessesByName("chrome"))
{
    process.Kill();
}

Or only kill chromedriver:


foreach (var process in Process.GetProcessesByName("chromedriver"))
{
    process.Kill();
}

8. Reduce Logging

Logging increases memory.


options.SetLoggingPreference(LogType.Browser, LogLevel.Off);

9. Disable Automation Banner


options.AddExcludedArgument("enable-automation");
options.AddAdditionalOption("useAutomationExtension", false);

10. Use Correct ChromeDriver Version

Mismatch between:

Chrome version
ChromeDriver version

causes:

hangs
crashes
memory spikes

Use matching versions.

11. Avoid Opening DevTools

Your screenshot has DevTools open.

This increases:

RAM
CPU
JS debugging overhead

Avoid:


options.AddArgument("--auto-open-devtools-for-tabs");

12. Set Timeouts Properly


driver.Manage().Timeouts().PageLoad = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30);
driver.Manage().Timeouts().ImplicitWait = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5);

13. Use CDP to Block Unwanted Resources

Very powerful optimization.


driver.ExecuteCdpCommand("Network.enable", new Dictionary<string, object>());

driver.ExecuteCdpCommand("Network.setBlockedURLs",
new Dictionary<string, object>
{
    ["urls"] = new string[]
    {
        "*.png",
        "*.jpg",
        "*.gif",
        "*.mp4",
        "*.woff"
    }
});

Huge improvement for heavy websites.

14. Best Production Setup


var service = ChromeDriverService.CreateDefaultService();

service.HideCommandPromptWindow = true;

var options = new ChromeOptions();

options.AddArgument("--headless=new");
options.AddArgument("--disable-gpu");
options.AddArgument("--no-sandbox");
options.AddArgument("--disable-dev-shm-usage");
options.AddArgument("--disable-extensions");
options.AddArgument("--disable-popup-blocking");
options.AddArgument("--blink-settings=imagesEnabled=false");

options.PageLoadStrategy = PageLoadStrategy.Eager;

using (IWebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(service, options))
{
    driver.Manage().Timeouts().PageLoad = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30);

    driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("https://example.com");

    WebDriverWait wait =
        new WebDriverWait(driver, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));

    wait.Until(d => d.FindElement(By.TagName("body")));

    Console.WriteLine("Loaded");
}

15. If Site Still Freezes

Possible causes:

Infinite JS rendering
Anti-bot detection
Huge DOM tables
Memory leak in repeated scraping

Then use:


options.PageLoadStrategy = PageLoadStrategy.None;

And manually wait only for required elements.

Most Important Fixes For Your Case

Based on your screenshot:

Close DevTools
Use headless mode
Disable images
Replace Thread.Sleep
Reuse single driver
Kill zombie chrome processes
Use PageLoadStrategy.Eager
Dispose driver properly

These usually reduce RAM from:

1.5 GB → 250–400 MB

and remove most hanging issues.

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Aoivd ChromeDriver high memory / CPU usage and random hanging