Overview
- Microsoft announced Tuesday that work across the kernel, scheduler and core apps has reduced idle and multitasking memory use on Windows 11, with the company reporting lab gains of up to 20% better responsiveness and up to 40% faster multitasking on 8GB machines.
- The company says smarter memory compression now keeps up to 2GB more active data in RAM to avoid paging to slower storage and that changes to preload behavior and shared web engines reclaimed roughly 900MB of committed memory across Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365.
- Independent testing on an 8GB laptop confirmed sizable idle and workload RAM drops after upgrading to the October 26H2 package, but reviewers and Microsoft both warn real-world results vary by CPU, drivers, storage speed and device configuration.
- The improvements are available in Windows 11 version 26H2 (build 26300.9818 or later) but are rolling out by device and region, so users and IT teams are advised to update and validate performance on their specific hardware.
- The change shifts Microsoft’s messaging toward 8GB as a viable baseline for everyday tasks and could let OEMs offer lower‑RAM entry models at lower prices, though Microsoft still recommends 16GB or more for demanding workflows and on‑device AI.