Microsoft says Windows 11 is up to 20% more responsive

Microsoft says recent Windows 11 updates have made the operating system up to 20% more responsive, with memory changes intended to help computers with 8GB of RAM or less run more smoothly. The company attributes the improvements to changes in how Windows manages memory and background resources; the claimed gains have not been independently established across a broad range of computers. Microsoft says Windows can now keep up to 2GB more active data in memory rather than shifting it to slower storage. It also says that on computers with 8GB of RAM or less, Widgets load only when opened, freeing more than 200 megabytes for other applications and work. The responsiveness figure is based on timings for six actions: Search, Start, right-click menus, Settings, Snipping Tool and File Explorer. The comparison is between Windows builds 26300.9550 and 26200.7628. That benchmark measures the speed of those interface actions, not memory use, and does not by itself establish that all users will see the same improvement. One reported hands-on test found different results on two computers: a 16GB laptop used about 2GB less RAM, while an 8GB PC showed no change. The test covers only those...