First look: Microsoft's latest Windows 11 update targets the small delays that make a PC feel slow, with changes to memory management and everyday tools such as Start, Search and File Explorer. The company says Windows is now up to 20% more responsive in tests of selected tasks. The operating system can also keep up to 2GB more active data in RAM rather than moving it to slower storage.
The changes follow Microsoft's earlier commitment to improve Windows 11's performance, reliability and overall experience.
On PCs with 8GB of RAM or less, Windows will also wait to load Widgets until users open them. Microsoft says that leaves more than 200 MB of memory available for applications and other tasks.
With this change, Microsoft is adjusting how Windows uses the memory already available, giving active tasks more room while limiting what loads in the background. The work targets software efficiency rather than requiring a hardware upgrade.
The Redmond giant says the improvements make a meaningful difference on 8GB systems, although the additional data retained in RAM is an "up to" figure, not a fixed gain for every PC.
Microsoft measured responsiveness by comparing Windows 11 build 26300.9550 with build 26200.7628. Its tests covered Search, Start, Settings, Snipping Tool, File Explorer, Microsoft 365 and right-click interactions. The results concern response times for those actions; they don't mean every application or workload runs 20% faster.
Microsoft has also improved Edge and other Windows features through the broader effort.
Beyond the improvements to the existing Search experience, Microsoft is testing a redesigned version with Windows Insiders. The company says it will be faster and more capable, with a wider rollout planned for later this year.
Other improvements target sign-in and device connections. Windows Hello is faster, while Bluetooth changes are intended to make pairing more reliable. Microsoft says pairing AirPods can now be up to 15 seconds faster.
The company has also made Windows Update less disruptive, cleaned up Widgets and restored the option to move the taskbar to the top or sides of a display.
The changes are rolling out gradually, so users will not receive every improvement at once.