Microsoft says Windows 11 now runs noticeably better on laptops with 8GB of memory. In a Windows Experience blog post published on 3 November, Windows chief Pavan Davuluri said that "on 8 GB PCs, Windows is now up to 20 percent more responsive, and multitasking is up to 40 percent faster in our lab test."
The improvements come with Windows 11 version 26H2, build 26300.9818 or later. The Verge reports that Microsoft is releasing the update today, building on memory work the company described last month.
What changed
The main change is memory compression. Microsoft says it retuned how much Windows compresses, when it moves data to storage and when it pulls it back, specifically for 8GB machines. As a result, the company says, Windows can keep up to 2GB more of a user's active data in memory instead of moving it to slower storage.
Windows also now briefly gives priority to whatever the user is doing and pauses background work such as search indexing while they are active. Microsoft says Start, search, right-click menus, Settings, Snipping Tool and File Explorer respond up to 20% faster than in the January 2026 update.
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- Microsoft Edge launches up to 33% faster when it is already running in the background, and inactive tabs now go to sleep after 15 minutes instead of two hours.
- Teams turns on Efficiency Mode by default on 8GB PCs and launches up to 20% faster, Microsoft says.
- Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook use about 360MB less memory, and closing Widgets frees roughly 200MB on PCs with 8GB or less.
- Microsoft says WhatsApp reports double-digit memory improvements in its Windows app.
Microsoft's figures come from its own telemetry and lab tests. The 40% multitasking figure was measured on an HP OmniBook 3 with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, comparing an older build with the new one, so results on other machines will differ. The company says rollout timing and availability may vary by device and region.
To get the update, Microsoft says users should open Settings, go to Windows Update, turn on "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" and check for updates, and keep Edge, Microsoft 365 and Teams up to date, since some of the gains come through app updates.
