Microsoft reports Windows 11 gains on 8GB PCs

Microsoft says recent Windows 11 updates improve responsiveness and multitasking on PCs with 8GB of memory, with company testing showing gains of up to 20% and 40%, respectively. The figures are Microsoft’s laboratory results, not independent measurements, and the company says the experience depends on the workload. The changes are included in Windows 11 version 26H2, build 26300.9818 or later, according to Microsoft. Executive Vice President for Windows Devices Pavan Davuluri said the work focuses on using memory more efficiently, keeping key interactions responsive under load and reducing the resources required by Windows and apps. Microsoft says the system can now keep up to 2GB more active data in memory instead of moving it to slower storage. That may reduce the need to reload an app or browser tab when a user returns to it. Windows also adjusts how it handles less-active data, using compression to keep more of it readily available. Some changes target software running in the background. On PCs with 8GB of memory or less, Widgets load only when opened, reducing their memory commitment by roughly 200MB while closed. Microsoft Edge’s inactive tabs are set to sleep after 15...