Microsoft is working to slim down how much memory Windows 11 consumes, according to a report from Tom's Hardware, which says the company has vowed to make the operating system "fly" on machines with just 8GB of RAM. Tom's Hardware reports that optimizations to reduce the OS memory footprint have already begun.
The context is a gap between what Microsoft says Windows 11 needs and what it actually needs to feel fast. As Tom's Hardware notes, the official minimum specification is 4GB of RAM, but most PC builders treat 16GB as the real floor for a smooth experience.
RAM is the short-term workspace your computer uses for whatever is open right now — browser tabs, apps, background services. When there isn't enough, the system shuffles data to slower storage, and everything starts to feel sluggish. An operating system that reserves a large share of that workspace for itself leaves less for the things you actually opened.
What's driving the change, per Tom's Hardware, is economics rather than engineering ambition: a memory chip shortage and the resurgence of 8GB laptops are likely forcing Microsoft's hand. When memory gets scarce and expensive, manufacturers build cheaper machines with less of it — and those machines still have to run Windows acceptably.
The report does not detail which specific optimizations are underway, how much memory Microsoft expects to reclaim, or when the changes will reach users.
Why it matters: if budget laptops are shipping with less RAM because chips are scarce, the software has to get leaner or millions of new PCs will feel slow out of the box.