Microsoft has implemented several optimizations designed to make Windows 11 significantly faster on computers with as little as 8GB of RAM. According to the company’s own tests, responsiveness has already improved by up to 20%, while multitasking is now up to 40% faster.
To achieve this, Microsoft has developed a more efficient memory compression technique that allows up to 2GB of active data to remain in RAM instead of being moved to slower storage. Microsoft has also optimized features such as the Start menu, the search function, Settings, and File Explorer. These are now up to 20% faster compared to January 2026, the company said in a blog post.
Microsoft’s own applications have also been improved. Edge can now launch up to 33% faster, while Teams can open up to 20% faster. At the same time, memory usage in Windows, Edge, and Microsoft 365 has been reduced by up to 900MB. The improvements in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook alone account for about 360MB in savings.
This story originally appeared on Computerworld
