Microsoft says Windows 11 is up to 20% more responsive on 8GB RAM PCs, and up to 40% faster in one multitasking test. Windows boss Pavan Davuluri published the figures on 3 November, and Windows Latest has the detail.
On 8GB machines, Windows moved open apps to slower storage, so a tab or document you came back to often had to reload. Windows can now keep up to 2GB more of your active data in RAM. To get it, you’ll need Windows 11 version 26H2, build 26300.9818 or later, with updated Edge, Microsoft 365 and Teams apps.
Davuluri explains it with a desk and a drawer: RAM is the desk, the drive is the drawer. Microsoft retuned how much Windows compresses data, when it uses the page file, and when it fetches data back. While you’re active, Windows also briefly prioritises what you ask for and backs off background jobs like search indexing.
The real test is whether your PC stays responsive, not how much memory remains unused.
Pavan Davuluri, head of Windows
What the numbers measure
Each of Microsoft’s figures measures something narrower than the headline.
| Claim | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Up to 20% more responsive | Telemetry from 8GB PCs timing Start, Search, right-click menus, Settings, Snipping Tool and File Explorer, against the January 2026 update |
| Up to 40% faster | One lab run on an 8GB HP OmniBook 3 (Snapdragon X Plus), comparing 25H2 builds from January and September |
| Up to 900MB less | Growth in committed memory during September tests with Edge, Office, Outlook and Teams |
| Up to 2GB more | Active data kept in RAM instead of moved to storage |
The 40% test opened 20 Edge tabs, a 4K video, large Word, PowerPoint and Excel files, Outlook, and File Explorer one after another, keeping everything open. Automated UI checks confirmed each step. Microsoft calls the result scenario-specific and says it isn’t a benchmark. Because both compared builds are 25H2, some of these gains shipped before 26H2. The 900MB figure also measures growth during a workload, so Task Manager won’t show 900MB less.
Microsoft’s own apps also got slimmer. Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook save 360MB through more efficient memory allocation. On PCs with 8GB or less, Widgets loads only when you open it, saving roughly 200MB while it’s closed. Edge 150 and later opens up to 33% faster when it’s already running in the background, though the Edge team says most people will see about 15%. Inactive tabs now sleep after 15 minutes by default, down from two hours.
Teams turns on Efficiency Mode by default on 8GB PCs, launching up to 20% faster and lowering camera resolution in meetings. WhatsApp’s Windows app is already using the same work to cut its memory use.
One laptop, before and after
Windows Latest tested 26H2 on a single 8GB laptop with DDR4 memory and a SATA SSD. After a restart, RAM in use fell from 5GB to 3.3GB and committed memory from 4.8GB to 2.9GB. Opening the Widgets Discover feed pushed RAM back up. Those are restart readings on one PC, not workloads, but they point the same way as Microsoft’s numbers. TNW said earlier that the one published test of an 8GB machine found no change after Microsoft’s first claim.
Why 8GB, and why now
Memory makers shifted supply to AI data centres, pushing RAM prices up. TNW says Samsung doesn’t expect relief until 2028. Gartner expects the sub-$500 PC to all but disappear by then, with the average American machine already selling for more than $1,000. In August, Microsoft promised to slim Windows 11 for 8GB PCs. In its 15 October post, it first quoted the 20% and 2GB figures, without tying them to 8GB. The 26H2 update started rolling out on 29 September.
Next up is WinUI 3 in more of Windows, including File Explorer, Notepad, Paint, and Search, along with more compression work and a single web engine for Search and Widgets.
How do I get the 8GB improvements?
Update to Windows 11 version 26H2, build 26300.9818 or later, and make sure Edge, Microsoft 365 and Teams are up to date.
