With the release of Windows 11 in 2021, Microsoft made some under-the-hood changes that affect system resource usage, including RAM (random access memory). There has been some speculation that Windows 11 is more efficient with memory and uses less RAM than Windows 10. In this article, we’ll look at whether Windows 11 actually uses less memory and if the difference is significant enough to notice.
What changes affect RAM usage in Windows 11?
There are a couple key architectural changes in Windows 11 that can potentially affect RAM usage:
- The adoption of Virtualization-based Security (VBS). VBS uses hypervisor technology to create a secure region of memory that is isolated from the regular OS. This adds a slight memory overhead but improves security.
- Memory integrity checks with HVCI. Windows 11 enables Hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI) by default which prevents unwarranted changes to the kernel memory and improves security. This requires reserving a small portion of RAM.
Additionally, the default suspension of unused apps instead of closing them completely can reduce the memory footprint. Overall these changes point towards the potential for better memory management in Windows 11.
Comparing idle RAM usage
One of the easiest ways to compare the RAM usage is to look at how much RAM is being used at idle – when the system is freshly booted and nothing else is actively running. Here are some rough estimates:
| OS Version | RAM Used at Idle |
|---|---|
| Windows 10 | 1.5 – 2 GB |
| Windows 11 | 1.3 – 1.8 GB |
As you can see, Windows 11 uses 100-300 MB less RAM at idle. The savings are not massive, but it’s a move in the right direction. The exact amount will vary based on hardware specs.
Why does Windows 11 use less RAM at idle?
This improvement is likely due to the architectural changes mentioned earlier. Virtualization-based security and HVCI require a bit of overhead RAM, but Microsoft seems to have optimized the memory footprint in other areas to compensate.
Additionally, the switch to hybrid apps instead of Win32 apps by default reduces the number of background processes and services loaded at startup. This streamlining contributes to the lighter memory footprint.
Comparing RAM usage with applications open
The idle RAM usage is just one part of the picture. The real test is how Windows 11 holds up when you start opening apps and browsers. To test this, we measured memory usage on a system with 8 GB RAM after opening 5 Chromium browser tabs plus a few common applications like Slack, Spotify, Zoom.
| OS Version | RAM Used |
|---|---|
| Windows 10 | 4.1 GB |
| Windows 11 | 3.9 GB |
With apps running, Windows 11 used about 200 MB less RAM compared to a similar Windows 10 setup. The more apps you open, the wider this gap becomes. Overall, Windows 11 appears slightly more efficient at juggling multiple apps and data in memory.
Factors that influence RAM usage
While Windows 11 generally uses a bit less memory, the exact RAM usage will vary based on:
- Hardware specs like amount of RAM, CPU generation, etc.
- The specific apps and number of apps running
- Background processes and services
- Tuning options like Virtual Memory size
On systems with copious amounts of RAM, the differences may be negligible. But on low-end machines, every bit of RAM savings counts.
Does less RAM usage actually improve real-world performance?
The proof is in the pudding – does the modest RAM savings with Windows 11 translate into noticeable performance improvements? Here are some observations:
- Boot times are slightly faster on Windows 11, by a few seconds on HDDs and a bit quicker on SSDs.
- App launch times are similar between Windows 10 and 11.
- Games performance is on par between the two operating systems.
- Switching between open apps feels snappier on Windows 11 thanks to the optimized memory management.
- Low memory machines suffer fewer slowdowns and stutters on Windows 11.
Overall, while not revolutionary, the RAM optimizations in Windows 11 result in a smoother experience especially when multitasking and using browser tabs. The performance gains are more apparent on budget laptops and PCs.
When does the lower RAM usage matter?
The RAM usage differences between Windows 10 and 11 really start to matter in these situations:
- Using an older or low RAM machine – 4 GB RAM or less
- Running many apps and browser tabs simultaneously
- Gaming while streaming/recording gameplay
- Using memory-intensive creative apps like photo/video editors
If you only do light computing with a few apps, you may not notice the benefits as much on modern high RAM systems. But it allows supporting more use cases on modest hardware.
Conclusion
To summarize, Windows 11 does use slightly less memory thanks to architectural improvements for security and efficiency. At idle, Windows 11 uses 100-300 MB less RAM depending on your specs.
When loading apps and games, Windows 11 continues to maintain a lower memory footprint – around 200 MB less in our test case. This leads to small but meaningful performance improvements, especially for low RAM PCs.
While not as drastic a change as from Windows 7 to 10, Windows 11 does mark an incremental improvement in memory management. And every little bit counts when trying to wring out extra performance on affordable laptops and PCs.