Speed up your LG TV in seconds with this simple trick

Getting a new TV is always exciting — taking it out of the box, setting it up, and powering it on for the first time to see that bright, beautiful screen light up. I experienced this myself last year when I picked up an LG C5 on sale to finally replace my aging Samsung LCD. It’s my first OLED TV, and so far, the experience has been breathtaking, with movies, shows, and games popping off the screen like I’ve never seen before.

However, after testing a bunch of different apps on the TV over the past few months using LG’s webOS (the operating system that runs on LG TVs), I noticed it was starting to feel a bit slower and less responsive than when I first took it out of the box.

Usually, when a smart TV starts slowing down, the first thing I do, and many others, is try clearing the cache. For those who aren’t familiar, cache is basically temporary data that apps store so they can load things faster the next time you use them. Cache data is a good thing, but over time, if too much of it builds up, it can slow things down. That said, when I started digging through the settings menu on my LG TV to clear the cache, I couldn’t find any option with “cache” in the name. That’s when I stumbled across a setting called Memory Optimizer instead.

On LG smart TVs, Memory Optimizer is an extraordinarily handy setting that not only clears the TV’s cache but also closes any apps or processes you’re not using and clears your TV’s RAM, all with the goal of refreshing the TV’s operating system and improving performance. I tried it out myself, and lo and behold, it worked perfectly, and my TV felt snappy again. If you’re in the same boat and have been using your LG TV for a while, using Memory Optimizer could make it feel brand-new again.

How to use Memory Optimizer on your LG TV

Luckily, if you have an LG TV, finding and using Memory Optimizer is extremely easy, and it only takes a few seconds to work its magic. Here’s how to use it:

1. Press the Settings button on your remote (the gear icon).

2. A side menu will pop up on the left of your screen. Select Settings.

3. Then go to Support.

4. Select Memory Optimizer.

5. Click Start.

Once you click start, Memory Optimizer will begin running on your TV. It should take only about 10 seconds to complete, but if you have a bunch of apps and processes running on your TV, it could take a bit longer. You’ll know when it’s done when the bar on your screen is completely filled, and you see an option to “Restart.” This option doesn’t actually restart your TV, it just restarts the Memory Optimizer feature and runs it again.

This is how I found Memory Optimizer running the latest version of webOS (version 33.30.80). If you’re on an older version, it’s possible the setting could be found elsewhere in the settings menu, such as under General > Device Self Care.

In the Settings menu on its TVs, LG says Memory Optimizer “optimizes TV status by deleting unused apps or unnecessary memories.” LG recommends running it periodically, so depending on how much you use your TV, I’d say every couple of weeks or once a month is probably plenty.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that running Memory Optimizer will only make LG’s webOS and your TV’s input and settings menu feel noticeably faster. If you’re using a third-party streaming device — like a Fire TV Stick, Roku, or Apple TV — you’ll need to clear the cache on that particular device to try and speed it up, not your TV.

Overall, when I set out to clear the cache on my LG TV, I was just expecting to find a simple setting to do so, as most smart TVs have, but when I came across LG’s Memory Optimizer, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a far more useful feature than I could’ve imagined, as it clears not only temporary cache data but also the TV’s RAM and other unnecessary processes with a single convenient click.

If you’re looking for other settings to check out on your LG TV, you can check out my other Pocket-lint story here, where I share some of my favorites to improve the experience even further.