Microsoft says Windows 11 is now up to 20% more responsive on PCs with 8GB of RAM and up to 40% faster at multitasking in a lab test, according to figures published by Pavan Davuluri, the company’s executive vice president for Windows and devices. To get the changes, Microsoft says users need Windows 11 version 26H2, build 26300.9818 or later, plus updated versions of Edge, Microsoft 365 and Teams.
The 40% result comes from one demanding test on a single HP OmniBook 3 with a Snapdragon X Plus processor. Microsoft opened 20 Edge tabs, a 4K video, large Word, PowerPoint and Excel files, Outlook and File Explorer one after another, keeping everything open, and compared the completion time with January 2026 software on the same laptop. Its footnote says the result applies only to that scenario and configuration and is not a benchmark.
That footnote also compares two version 25H2 builds, 26200.7623 and 26200.9445, rather than the 26H2 build Microsoft now tells people to install. The 20% figure uses a different method. It draws on telemetry from 8GB PCs, timing Start, Search, right-click menus, Settings, Snipping Tool and File Explorer on build 26300.9550 against build 26200.7628. Microsoft first used the 20% number on 15 October, when it was presented as a general Windows 11 improvement.
How Windows 11 Frees Up Memory On 8GB PCs
The main change is to memory compression, which shrinks less-active data so it can stay in RAM instead of moving to the much slower drive. Microsoft has returned how much Windows compresses when it writes data to storage and when it brings that data back on 8GB machines. The company says Windows can now keep up to 2GB more active data in RAM, making an open app or browser tab less likely to reload when a user returns to it.
Davuluri also played down the alarm a nearly full Task Manager can cause, since Windows deliberately uses spare memory to keep apps and data ready. The real measure, he wrote, is “whether your PC stays responsive, not how much memory remains unused.” Windows now briefly prioritizes what the user asks for and holds back background work such as search indexing while they are active, including during the first minutes after an update restart.
Across Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365, Microsoft says multitasking tests in September showed committed-memory growth reduced by up to 900MB. Committed memory is the amount Windows has promised to back with RAM or the page file, its overflow space on the drive, so the figure measures growth during a workload rather than a 900MB drop in Task Manager. Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook account for 360MB of the savings.
Smaller changes target software that is sitting idle. On PCs with 8GB or less, Widgets now loads only when opened, cutting memory commitment by roughly 200MB while it is closed.
Edge puts inactive tabs to sleep after 15 minutes by default, down from two hours. Edge 150 and later also opens up to 33% faster because Windows contacts the already-running browser directly, although the Edge team says most users will see about 15%, with the higher figure reserved for heavy multitasking. Teams can turn on Efficiency Mode by default on 8GB PCs, which Microsoft says speeds launches by up to 20% and can lower camera resolution during meetings to protect audio.
What Early Tests On 8GB Laptops Show
Results outside Microsoft’s labs are limited so far. Windows Latest editor Abhijith M B tested an 8GB laptop with a SATA SSD and a heavy software load in October, moving it from build 26200.9550 to 26300.9550. Memory in use after a restart fell from 5GB to 3.3GB. The same report cited one 8GB owner on Reddit who still saw 96% of memory in use after updating.
Those are readings taken after a restart, not during the kind of heavy session Microsoft measured. “A smaller number in Task Manager is only half the job,” Abhijith wrote, noting that an 8GB PC still has to feel quick with a browser, Teams and work apps open. He also found that opening the Discover feed in Widgets gradually pushed its memory use back up.
Microsoft’s post also leans on new hardware. In testing it commissioned from Principled Technologies, a 2026 Dell XPS 13 with 8GB delivered up to 94% faster multi-core CPU performance in Cinebench than a 2021 8GB model and performed about as well as a 2021 16GB configuration in CPU, browsing, AI web tasks and 4K video export.
That comparison reflects the newer processor, not a Windows update. In May, Windows Latest reported that another Microsoft-commissioned report had called the 8GB MacBook Neo’s memory a bottleneck.
Microsoft still recommends 16GB or more for 3D modeling, advanced video editing and large-scale data processing. The timing also follows a sharp rise in memory costs, which Davuluri has linked to the company’s focus on RAM use. Tuesday’s post closes with a holiday pitch for 8GB Windows 11 PCs starting at $429 at Walmart.
How To Get The Windows 11 8GB Improvements
Build 26300.9818 arrives through KB5127936, an optional preview update released in late October. Go to Settings > Windows Update, turn on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available,” and select Check for updates. After restarting, type winver in Start to confirm the build number, then update Edge, Microsoft 365 and Teams, since some improvements arrive through app updates or the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft warns that rollout timing can vary by device and region. PCs that skip the optional update should expect these fixes through the regular security update on 10 November 2026, the next scheduled Patch Tuesday.
What Microsoft Plans Next
Davuluri said work over the next few months will make memory compression more efficient and let Windows features share components. Search and Widgets will use one web engine, and OneDrive and Photos will share another.
File Explorer, Notepad, Paint and the new Windows search, all built on the WinUI 3 interface framework, are being designed to open faster and use less memory. Microsoft is also working with PC makers and chip partners to reduce the memory reserved for hardware.
Several questions remain open. Microsoft’s post does not say whether PCs staying on version 25H2 receive the same compression tuning, even though its 40% test ran on 25H2 builds and the Edge launch change works there. It has also published no multitasking result for Intel or AMD 8GB laptops, leaving that headline number tied to one Arm-based machine.
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