Microsoft has announced that Windows 11 now runs up to 20% faster following a major overhaul of its memory management system. The update reduces background RAM usage, allowing lower-spec PCs with just 8GB of RAM or older HDDs to operate more smoothly. The optimizations cover everyday operations like system startup, the Start Menu, File Explorer, Windows Search, and applications such as Microsoft 365 and Edge.
The core of the upgrade is a refined memory allocation system that keeps up to 2GB of active data in RAM instead of paging it to an SSD or HDD when memory runs low. This reduces system lag when multitasking or switching between programs. The change is particularly beneficial for computers with legacy hard drives, which are significantly slower than solid-state drives.
Microsoft has also tweaked the Widgets feature for systems with 8GB of RAM or less, ensuring it only consumes memory when actively opened rather than running continuously in the background. This adjustment alone saves over 200MB of RAM. However, freeing up to 2GB of memory space does not directly reduce overall RAM consumption by that exact figure but reflects a more efficient allocation of available resources.
The company clarified that these memory optimizations are not exclusive to Windows 11 26H2 and will be rolled out to supported versions via standard Windows Updates. Despite the speed enhancements, Microsoft noted that the update does not increase framerates (FPS) in games.