Microsoft says Windows 11 will be optimized for 8 GB RAM devices

Microsoft’s Windows and Devices division confirmed that the company is working to reduce the operating system’s memory footprint for devices equipped with 8 GB of RAM or more. The effort aims to make Windows 11 run faster and more responsively on lower-memory laptops, which have become more common as AI-driven applications increase overall RAM demand.

Pavan Davuluri, president of Windows and Devices, said the company is focusing on memory optimization and will continue to tune WinUI 3 so that apps built on the framework use less RAM by design. He added that efficiencies are also being introduced in the Chromium and WebView2 components that appear in the OS.

"Memory optimization for 8GB and above. Reducing Windows memory footprint to deliver a fast and responsive Windows experience across the PCs customers use every day."

"Alongside all of these areas, we’ve steadily been introducing several improvements to the memory efficiency of Windows, from taking advantage of a more efficient memory allocator to reduce overhead across apps and components, continued tuning of WinUI 3 so that apps built on it use less memory by design, as well as driving efficiencies across Chromium and WebView2 components when they appear in the operating system."

The announcement comes as laptop manufacturers have shifted back toward 8 GB RAM configurations amid a global memory shortage that analysts expect to persist for several years. Microsoft’s stated goal is to address the high baseline memory usage observed on some Windows 11 devices, which can consume a large portion of available RAM even before applications are launched.