⚙️ Microsoft is rolling out a new round of Windows 11 performance work improvements, in order to fix

⚙️ Microsoft is rolling out a new round of Windows 11 performance work improvements, in order to fix PCs that feel sluggish when you open Start, switch apps, or jump back into a browser tab you left open earlier. Now, 8 GB PCs are now up to 20 percent more responsive, and multitasking is up to 40 percent faster in its lab testing. Microsoft also says the changes help keep more memory available for the tasks people are actually doing, whether that means work, school, or home use.

To reduce those slowdowns, Microsoft says it has tuned memory compression for 8 GB PCs. Compression lets Windows shrink less active data so it can stay in memory instead of being pushed to slower storage/paging. This change can keep up to 2 GB more active data in memory, which should reduce reloads when you return to an app or tab.

Opening Start, searching, right clicking, launching Settings, opening File Explorer, and starting Snipping Tool now respond up to 20 percent faster than they did in the January 2026 update, the company says. Apps are part of the story too. Teams can enable Efficiency Mode by default on 8 GB PCs. That can help the app launch up to 20 percent faster and use fewer system resources while running. During meetings, Teams can also adjust camera resolution to leave more processing power for audio.

Multitasking remains the toughest test for lower memory PCs. In one lab scenario, the company opened 20 Microsoft Edge tabs, a 4K video, large Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files, Outlook, and File Explorer, while keeping everything open. The updated Windows build completed that workload up to 40 percent faster than the January 2026 version.

Microsoft is also trimming memory use across Windows, Edge, and Microsoft 365 apps. In multitasking tests on 8 GB PCs, committed memory growth dropped by up to 900 MB. The platform changes can also benefit third party developers. WhatsApp, for example, is seeing a double digit memory improvement in its Windows app. On PCs with 8 GB of memory or less, Widgets now loads only when you open it, which cuts its memory use by about 200 MB while closed. In Microsoft Edge, inactive tabs now go to sleep after 15 minutes by default, down from two hours.

However, keep in mind that, according to Microsoft’s own recommendations, 16 GB of RAM or more is still a better option for the system to run smoothly in many tasks.