Monday, March 23rd 2026

Microsoft Plans Better Windows 11 RAM Management and a Smoother User Experience

Mar 23rd, 2026 04:49 Discuss (62 Comments)

Microsoft recently announced a plethora of changes coming to Windows 11 to reshape the operating system into a completely stable and enjoyable experience. Today we learn that Microsoft plans a major background usage overhaul with future updates, focusing on RAM usage and overall memory management, so even configurations with less RAM can enjoy the benefits of a smooth operating system. For example, the minimum requirement for Windows 11 is a system with 4 GB of memory, while Copilot+ PCs require a minimum of 16 GB. When a PC has 8 GB of RAM installed, standard Windows 11 versions like Home or Pro will take up a majority of that, leaving only about 2 GB free. Even with 16 GB installed, regular Windows allocation goes beyond 10 GB.

However, Microsoft plans to change this with better background memory management. For example, OS overhead is a significant performance and memory hog, which impacts the user's overall experience on the PC. Apple recently launched a MacBook Neo with 8 GB of memory, and reviews confirmed that users will be able to get a relatively smooth user experience with only 8 GB, while a comparable Windows-based machine would struggle. This has pushed Microsoft to think about memory management more, and the company now promises that the entire operating system will implement new background policies that will help with resource management. While the exact implementation is unknown, we suspect that doing something like Xbox Full Screen Experience, which is proven to increase performance and lower RAM usage, will be implemented on a wider scale. When the numerous background tasks disappear, memory is freed for other things like excessive Chrome browser tabs.

Next, Microsoft plans to improve the software animations, transitions, and UI to look better and feel smoother by reducing latency. For now, Windows 11 is a mixture of legacy Microsoft frameworks for the user interface, which include web-based WebView2, React, and others. Microsoft plans to transition its entire user experience to the desktop-only WinUI 3 framework, which will reduce application latency, improve user experience, and feel noticeably smoother. Core Windows 11 applications like File Explorer, which is now being preloaded, are also getting additional optimizations so that application launch is instantaneous, file search is much faster, and the overall experience is improved. Windows Search is also becoming much faster and more accurate, so your start search doesn't lead to a web search first but performs an application and file search first.

Source: Windows Latest

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62 Comments on Microsoft Plans Better Windows 11 RAM Management and a Smoother User Experience

AleksandarK

News Editor

I am running LTSC anyway, so don't know about that bad memory management ;)

Onasi

Yo, MicroSlop, I’m really happy for you and Imma let you finish, but you think that maybe your OS higher and higher memory footprint has less to do with management and more with you forcing heavy web code into every part of UI, your security obsession sandboxing everything, applying heavy app controls to each executable and just overall your current OS being a mess architecturally?

AleksandarKI am running LTSC anyway, so don't know about that bad memory management ;)

You can strip down the regular channel version to LTSC levels too. It doesn’t change the issues I mentioned.

FR3D1

Ninja Cat

AleksandarKI am running LTSC anyway, so don't know about that bad memory management ;)

As you can see from the screenshot, this system has already been loaded with bloatware. Two browsers? 😅 I already know why Windows 11 is supposedly “RAM-hungry.” In my opinion, that’s not the case. It’s on par with Windows 10. Of course, I don’t need an (IoT) LTSC to work miracles.

Microsoft plans to transition its entire user experience to the desktop-only WinUI 3 framework

In my opinion, this has been overdue for a while now, and with the #OrderIsHalfTheBattle hashtag, it was necessary even retroactively. Does anyone know when the LTSC re-release is scheduled? Don't look so surprised—it felt like a madhouse with version 10, too.

Best regards,
Fred.

wNotyarD

Nice, freeing up RAM so their AI and snooping services can gobble it up.

_JP_

In summary: Stiff competition from a $500 laptop made a billion-dollar-valuated company admit that it didn't give jack shit about OS optimizations in their consumer products, and would rather feature creep for two major versions in a row, now feeling the heat from userbase migration to a better overall package from the competition, that provides a viable long-term alternative instead of migrating to their current main product (Windows 11).

All it took was for Apple to convert a previous flagship phone into a laptop and pair it with it's highly customized BSD/UNIX-based OS, sold for less than the phone actually cost.

EDIT: Grammar.

svan71

_JP_In summary: Stiff competition from a $500 laptop made a billion-dollar-valuated company admit that it didn't give jack shit about OS optimizations in their consumer products, and would rather feature creep for two major versions in a row, now feeling the heat from userbase migration to a better overall package from the competition, that provides a viable long-term alternative instead of migrating to their current main product (Windows 11).

All it took was for Apple to convert a previous flagship phone into a laptop with a highly customized BSD, for less than the phone actually cost.

Microsoft spent two OS generations adding Start Menu ads, mandatory Microsoft accounts, Recall spyware, and Copilot bloat nobody asked for — while Apple quietly made 8GB feel like 16GB through actual engineering discipline. Now they want a gold star for promising to fix the mess they deliberately created? The Xbox Full Screen trick they're floating as a solution has existed for years. They just never cared enough to apply it broadly because the real priority was monetizing the OS, not optimizing it. Linux is starting to look less like a hobbyist choice and more like the sane one.

FreedomEclipse

~Technological Technocrat~

Will be interesting to see what else they break when this update rolls out

lightning70

They still haven't made the taskbar smaller, and it's really bad that some updates are risking damaging SSDs. In my opinion, it's the worst Windows version ever. Because it's never been stable.

Chrisy

FreedomEclipseWill be interesting to see what else they break when this update rolls out

Exactly my thoughts when I read: "a plethora of changes coming"

Probably CoPilot mistakenly puts 'quantity' over 'quality' just to please the MS person who prompted it to solve the current crisis :rolleyes:

#10

Lucifer Mornignstar

First off believe when we actually have it out in the wild and actually working, secondly only now. Whats the thinking there, we can make our os good, but lets make it the biggest and most unstable pos there has ever been, show ai down everyone's throats, brake shit with every update, and now years later pretend you give a shit about us or their trash of a os and act like you going to make it good, for a product that launched 2021 your now thingking of making it work decent...

#11

CornyOC

I am honestly surprised nobody wants to roll out Windows alternative officially as replacement. At this point it seems an easy choice for any bigger corporations, as everybory hates Microslop.

#12

_roman_

I just cold booted in windows 11 pro than rebooted. 6.4GB of DRAM proper units are not used, so if it is GIB or GB, who knows.

543M with a bloated desktop

--

one windows browser tab in vivaldi
better situation: one browser tab, hardly any plugins, less plugins less dram usage

i consider 8.1GB in use - the gnu world also cashes in dram

--

more tabs open as i am unwilling to open those again
more plugins

some files in dram, more plugins

too much bloat, as the core os was 150mb in the past.

8.1GB / 1.3GB = ~4 to 5 times without using a calculator. it is unfair as i preload stuff in dram, modules etc. a heavy bloated, 20 year old gnu gentoo linux ~amd64 installation. 64 bit installatin for ages while windows did hardly knew about 64 bit operating systems.
It was for sure a windows 11 pro reinstall when i switched to am5 ~3 years ago.

--

I read that topic before on my tablet. yes apple sells new hardware with only 8gib dram for the graphic card and the processor and the operating system and the user.

--

the naked windows desktop after cold boot should not be more than 500mb. In my point of view this topic lacks cold boot memory footprint of different operating systems and memory footprint with e.g. www-client/vivaldi opening a single tab and active network connection.

I expected more 800mb memory footprint after bootup for windows 11 pro.

Well roman, you have for sure a polluted windows wiht a million logitech mouseware running, norton antivirus etc. nope. nothing

-- back to my first pictures

7% dram usage according to windows taskmanager vs ~0.813% (assuming we can trust bing.com to divide 543mb/62.2gib)
The point is to show a bigger picture how bloated it is. nitpicking here or there won't change the fact it is factor 5x, 7x choose whateer you prefer bloated.

the same can be done with the single browser window vs my 20-30 open vivaldi tabs. with a margin of error, choose whatever you prefer, it is around factor 3 to factor 4 bloatness of windows 11 pro

#13

Darmok N Jalad

Our sole Windows machine at home is my wife's laptop, which only has 8GB. Memory use is indeed about 80% of that just sitting at the idle desktop (and I've disabled everything useless that I can). I do think that some of this MS response is due to the MBN, but we are also in the middle of a big memory shortage. Somehow MS's OEM partners are supposed to compete against a well-built, low-bloat Apple machine that can actually run okay with 8GB RAM. The memory shortages hurt Windows the most, because MS allowed the OS to wastefully sprawl out during a time when 16GB wasn't a big cost adder to the BOM. We see it often, where developers have been wasteful with PC resources, and now the chicks have come home to roost. Now MS has to peel back the bloat so they don't lose at the $499/599 price point to a phone SOC dropped into a nice laptop shell.

#14

kondamin

Darmok N JaladOur sole Windows machine at home is my wife's laptop, which only has 8GB. Memory use is indeed about 80% of that just sitting at the idle desktop (and I've disabled everything useless that I can). I do think that some of this MS response is due to the MBN, but we are also in the middle of a big memory shortage. Somehow MS's OEM partners are supposed to compete against a well-built, low-bloat Apple machine that can actually run okay with 8GB RAM. The memory shortages hurt Windows the most, because MS allowed the OS to wastefully sprawl out during a time when 16GB wasn't a big cost adder to the BOM. We see it often, where developers have been wasteful with PC resources, and now the chicks have come home to roost. Now MS has to peel back the bloat so they don't lose at the $499/599 price point to a phone SOC dropped into a nice laptop shell.

They are also carrying a lot of legacy, something Apple has ridden itself of twice when switching architectures.

its good memory management is being placed higher on the agenda at microsoft.
but I doubt much is going to come out of it

#15

Chaitanya

"Plans" so just another round of empty promises.

#16

Lycanwolfen

Ya windows 11 kinda sucks The more memory you have the less it uses and the less memory you have the more it uses.
I have Windows 11 Pro with 64 GB ram and booted up only using about 2.5 GB ram. But I have another with 16 GB ram booted up uses 5.6 GB ram. Same config on both. WHy?

#17

piloponth

Oh noo, they will stop pre-loading explorer.exe 😱 It will be slow again.

#18

AGlezB

I'd prefer if they instead removed the bloatware. For a normal user I expect 1/4th of the RAM usage comes from crap they don't even know is running or why.

#19

halcyon

Believe it when I see it. MS has been run via press releases and narrative control for stock price for decades, not by engineering. So again, believe it when I see it first hand.

#20

GeoffreyA

"Microsoft plans to transition its entire user experience to the desktop-only WinUI 3 framework, which will reduce application latency, improve user experience, and feel noticeably smoother."

The solution is to throw all the post-2012 rubbish out of the window, and go back to bare Win32 code, which would run like lightning.

#21

noel_fs

good intentions but what bothers me is that they are a few years late

#22

Essaudio

Windows 10 is a massive memory hog. I used to run sysinteenals tools like Rammap and even with 64 gb on my workstation (running a VM) I would regularly struggle with bad performance related to overloading ram with preload and speculative memory allocation by the OS. Microsoft needs to focus on core engineering improvements like scheduler, memory management, search reliability and file system capabilities. Use those AI coding tools to accelerate those improvements instead on low effort “bung copilot buttons in every app” features. This is a step in the right direction.

#23

kondamin

noel_fsgood intentions but what bothers me is that they are a few years late

yeah they only have 66% of the computer market, how will they ever return to being the prominent OS it once was...

#24

EsaT

kondaminThey are also carrying a lot of legacy, something Apple has ridden itself of twice when switching architectures.

Yes, there are legacy components in there.
But how could those explain hogging GBs of memory when that legacy code is from time when amount of memory was counted in MBs?

OnasiYou can strip down the regular channel version to LTSC levels too. It doesn’t change the issues I mentioned.

User indeed shouldn't need to do anything to have reasonable memory usage at desktop.
While I'm all for freedom of users to be able to install what ever bloated software/asslets/crapplets they choose to bog down the PC with, by default operating system itself and included basic software should simply install and stay out of the way of usage of PC.

GeoffreyA"Microsoft plans to transition its entire user experience to the desktop-only WinUI 3 framework, which will reduce application latency, improve user experience, and feel noticeably smoother."

The solution is to throw all the post-2012 rubbish out of the window, and go back to bare Win32 code, which would run like lightning.

This "modern" flat Earth retarded UI crap definitely isn't even low on memory consumption.

#25

maxli86

Finally Microslop, good for you to finally realize Windows 11 is a memory hog.
Compare with previous Windows 10 for PC with 8GB RAM it is still manageable.
But on Windows 11 if your PC only have 8GB RAM the PC will be laggy as hell.
16GB is bare minimum on Windows 11 since half of the RAM will be utilized.
32GB will be more comfortable when running Windows 11 especially with
its AI and security features hogging even more resources.
So Microslop take a good look at previous Windows like Windows 7
which uses 1 - 2GB when the PC is booted.
That is not hogging memory back than and most Windows 7 PC either come
with 4GB or 8GB of DDR2/DDR3 RAM.

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Microsoft Plans Better Windows 11 RAM Management and a Smoother User Experience

62 Comments on Microsoft Plans Better Windows 11 RAM Management and a Smoother User Experience

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62 Comments on Microsoft Plans Better Windows 11 RAM Management and a Smoother User Experience

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