Microsoft Shares Progress on Windows 11 Performance and Memory Efficiency Improvements
In response to widespread user dissatisfaction with the Windows experience, Microsoft announced in March 2026 a renewed focus on delivering smoother navigation and more reliable performance for everyday tasks. Now, over four months later, Pavan Davaluri, President of Windows + Devices, has provided an update on the company’s progress through a recent post on X (formerly Twitter).
Key Enhancements in Windows 11: Memory Efficiency and Performance
Among the most significant updates highlighted by Davaluri are improvements to memory efficiency within Windows 11. Microsoft has implemented substantial enhancements in both memory efficiency and latency, aiming to accelerate the modernization of the operating system. These changes include reducing memory overhead across various apps and system components, as well as optimizing WinUI 3 to ensure that built-in apps consume less memory by default.
The Windows team has also outlined future plans to further optimize memory usage, particularly for devices equipped with 8 GB of RAM or more. The goal is to minimize the Windows memory footprint, delivering a faster and more responsive experience across a wide range of PCs used daily by consumers and professionals alike.
Additional improvements involve leveraging a more efficient memory allocator to decrease overhead, ongoing tuning of WinUI 3 for better memory management, and driving efficiencies across Chromium and WebView2 components integrated into the operating system. These efforts are designed to ensure that both native and web-based applications run more efficiently on Windows 11.
User Feedback Remains Mixed
Despite Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to enhance Windows 11 performance and memory efficiency, user sentiment remains divided. According to a recent TechPowerUp reader poll with over 24,000 participants, only 6% reported that Windows had become “noticeably improved,” while 12% observed “minor improvements.” A significant 46% of respondents felt that Windows “feels the same,” and 36% stated that Windows 11 is “actually getting worse” since Microsoft’s improvement plan was announced.
These results highlight the challenges Microsoft faces in meeting user expectations and underscore the importance of continued investment in performance optimization and user experience enhancements for Windows 11.
