Microsoft wants to curb Windows 11's memory hunger
Windows 11 PCs are to require less RAM by the end of the year. At the same time, Microsoft wants to increase responsiveness.
(Image: Curt Bauer / Shutterstock.com)
Microsoft is addressing the performance of Windows 11. Over the course of the year, the company plans updates that are intended to reduce memory requirements and increase perceived speed ("Schwuppdizität"). "Over the course of the year, we will improve system performance, app responsiveness, File Explorer, and the Windows Subsystem for Linux," promises Executive Vice President Pavan Davuluri in a blog post.
This is an initial reaction to the current memory crisis and Apple's MacBook Neo, which gets by with 8 GB of RAM. While Windows 11 already runs with 4 GB of RAM, it then uses up most of it itself. On desktop PCs and notebooks with 8 GB, the operating system often claims more than half. This makes systems feel potentially slow; apps stutter.
Memory usage under Windows 11 increases with the available RAM because the operating system then holds more data. macOS is more frugal, so 8 GB systems in particular feel smoother. Notebook manufacturers want to counter the MacBook Neo and therefore need memory optimizations from Microsoft. More than 8 GB of RAM is not economically feasible in a 700-euro notebook. While Microsoft has no influence on app memory optimization, it can reduce Windows' memory requirements to free up more memory for apps.
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More responsiveness
Framework adjustments are also intended to improve perceived speed. Microsoft wants to transfer more interfaces to the WinUI 3 framework. The current version is intended to operate faster than WinUI 2. Furthermore, Microsoft promises less latency and overhead due to jumps between different user interfaces. Specifically, the Start menu is intended to respond faster to clicks in the future.
Microsoft also promises lower latencies and higher reliability for File Explorer, for example, when searching and navigating folders. Windows 11 is intended to open files faster in the future. The operating system will be able to move and copy files faster in the future. General improvements are also promised for the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
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