Microsoft has been facing criticism for months regarding Windows 11's high memory consumption, and it seems they've finally decided to address the issue. The company has confirmed it's working on a series of optimizations that will reach all users this fall, aiming to make the system run more smoothly on computers with 8GB and 16GB of RAM. This move comes after the company quietly removed an official document recommending 32GB of RAM for trouble-free gaming, a figure many considered excessive and which has now disappeared without explanation.
The context couldn't be more complicated. The global semiconductor crisis and the rampant demand for memory in artificial intelligence data centers have driven DDR5 RAM prices to record highs. In this scenario, Microsoft's reversal of its recommendations and its commitment to a lighter system is not simply a matter of image, but an absolute necessity to avoid being left behind in a market where every gigabyte counts.
The RAM problem: from the recommended 32 GB to real optimization
The minimum requirement for Windows 11 has always been 4 GB of RAM , but with that amount the system barely runs. Stuttering is constant, multitasking is practically nonexistent, and any modern application turns the computer into a nightmare. Windows 10 only needed 2 GB and worked reasonably well with 4 GB, so the jump in RAM consumption of the new operating system has been a major headache for users who don't want to (or can't) upgrade their hardware.
The curious thing is that Microsoft, in various promotional materials and on its official website, even mentioned that the recommended RAM for Windows 11 was 32 GB. A figure that, frankly, isn't even necessary to run the most demanding current games. The company has acknowledged that memory consumption is too high, especially when compared to other Linux distributions or macOS, and has committed to resolving this through optimizations that will make the system run better on computers with 8 GB and 16 GB of RAM.
The disappearance of the support document recommending 32GB of RAM for gaming PCs has not gone unnoticed. Microsoft removed it without prior notice, and although it hasn't offered an official explanation, everything suggests the company is fully aware that this recommendation was unsustainable amidst the current price crisis. DDR5 memory reached its all-time high in July, and the situation, far from improving, is only going to worsen. Correcting course in time demonstrates that the company is perfectly aware of the true state of the industry.
But it's not all about deleting documents. The real solution lies in slimming down Windows 11, eliminating bloatware, and reducing the resource consumption of services and applications that run in the background without the user's consent. Microsoft has already promised to optimize system performance with 8 GB of RAM, which is currently the absolute minimum for any decent PC. The question is whether they will deliver on their promise this time, or if we'll just get another cosmetic fix.
What has changed in Microsoft's strategy
The platform's lead developer, Pavan Davuluri, has confirmed that the widespread rollout of the optimizations will begin this fall . The team has worked on speeding up boot times, login times, and the opening speed of essential applications such as File Explorer, the Snipping Tool, the built-in search, and the Start menu itself. They have also reduced the impact on RAM by optimizing Chromium-based components and WebView2, which are among the most resource-intensive.
The work plan for the coming months includes four additional priorities. The first is optimizing memory usage on computers with 8 GB of RAM or more, reducing the system footprint to maintain smooth performance on entry-level hardware. The second focuses on the initial setup process, providing a quick boot experience from the very first use. The third will simplify the management of Family Environment and parental control tools. And the fourth is dedicated to voice, with more natural interactions in everyday applications.
In terms of the interface, the system will include options to customize the Start menu and modify the position of the taskbar . The internal search will remove promotional content from web results to display a cleaner screen. The company has also introduced improvements to the update system, allowing users to pause patches for longer periods or skip downloads during initial setup. The Driver Quality Initiative has resolved common connectivity issues, with improved compatibility with USB4 docking stations, greater stability with Bluetooth headphones such as AirPods, and fixes for network printer detection.
A clear example of the problem Microsoft wants to address can be found in the weather app. According to Windows Latest, the MSN Weather app consumes more than 1 GB of RAM on its own, even without interacting with it. If you also navigate through the app, consumption can reach up to 1,2 GB. In comparison, the weather app on macOS consumes only a fifth of the memory. This demonstrates that relying on inefficient web applications takes its toll, especially on computers with 8 GB of RAM, where a single application can consume an eighth of the available memory.
Windows 11 26H2: The update that will change everything
The next major Windows 11 update, 26H2, is expected to arrive between late September and early October 2026 , following the release pattern of recent years. 23H2 was released in October 2023, 24H2 in October 2024, and 25H2 in late September 2025. With that track record, the release window is fairly clear, although Microsoft has yet to confirm an official date.
The most interesting aspect of this version isn't so much what it contains, but rather how it will be delivered to computers. Windows 11 26H2 will be distributed as an enablement package, a mechanism that allows users to activate the new version without a complete clean installation. For those already using Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, this will translate into an update that requires only a simple restart, much more like a monthly patch than a traditional version upgrade.
This approach reduces the risk of failures after installation and limits downtime, something both home users and IT departments appreciate. It also aligns with Microsoft's trend in recent cycles: bringing the most visible changes to monthly updates and reserving annual releases primarily to maintain the support cycle. The hardware requirements will remain the same as those for versions 24H2 and 25H2, so if your computer meets those requirements today, you won't need any new components to upgrade.
Microsoft is also working on modernizing legacy interfaces, a process that Marcus Ash, Head of Design and Research for Windows and Devices, explained in an interview with Windows Central. Ash noted that the slowness of this process is related to active software and drivers, something the company considers a cornerstone of its platform identity. He cited the Control Panel as an example, a component Microsoft has been trying to eliminate for over a decade. Although the company began modernizing it with Windows 8, it has yet to completely replace it or integrate all its features into the Windows 11 settings.
The company also unveiled two new AI-powered tools to help developers analyze and optimize Windows 11. The main innovation is ETW MCP, a server based on the Model Context Protocol that allows developers to use AI assistants, such as GitHub Copilot, to analyze Windows performance logs much more easily. Previously, investigating this data required advanced knowledge and specialized tools like Windows Performance Analyzer. With ETW MCP, developers can run queries using natural language and ask the AI ​​to find potential problems within the logs.
With all this in mind, Microsoft's roadmap for the coming months is quite clear. The company wants Windows 11 to be lighter, faster, and less intrusive, and to achieve this, it's prepared to revise previous recommendations, optimize memory consumption, and modernize legacy interfaces. The road ahead won't be easy, and users have seen broken promises in the past, but at least this time there seems to be a concrete plan and defined deadlines. We'll have to wait until autumn to see if the optimizations live up to expectations or if, on the contrary, we're left with another half-baked attempt. What is clear is that Microsoft knows it can't continue selling an operating system that devours memory uncontrollably, especially at a time when hardware is more expensive than ever and users aren't willing to pay more for something that should work well from the start.
