Windows 11 26H2: 3 GB Less RAM at Idle and Faster App Launches

⚡ The Gist in 5 Seconds - After installing the Windows 11 26H2 feature update, users are reporting a noticeable drop in idle RAM usage: hands-on tests show around 7 GB instead of the previous 10 GB. - The update ships as part of Windows 11 26H2 and also introduces a low-latency mode that briefly boosts CPU frequency to speed up app launches. - The main caveat: Microsoft hasn't yet disclosed in official documentation which changes made this possible. There are no stated figures or list of optimizations, so it's hard to gauge the full extent of the gains. ### 🔍 What Was Found A telling test was run on a laptop with 16 GB of memory. Right after a reboot, Task Manager showed 7 GB of RAM in use out of 15.7 GB available — about 45%. Another 4 GB went to cache, leaving 8.8 GB free. Before the update, the same machine could consume over 10 GB of memory before the user launched any apps. That works out to savings of roughly 3 GB. Notably, in the new configuration, some RAM is still taken up by auto-starting apps like Lenovo Smart Connect, Plex, Quick Share, PowerToys, WhatsApp, and Teams. On top of that, Windows 11 26H2 introduces a low-latency mode: the technology briefly raises CPU frequency to speed up app launches. Microsoft doesn't specify which system changes enabled the reduced memory usage. ### 💡 Why It Matters The optimization is especially noticeable on laptops with 8 and 16 GB of RAM, where a few extra gigabytes of free memory can directly affect everyday comfort. The system gets more free RAM, and the low-latency mode cuts the pause when starting programs. The practical takeaway is simple: users can install the Windows 11 26H2 update and see for themselves how much memory the system uses at idle and how quickly apps open. Official details are still scarce: Microsoft hasn't revealed which changes led to the lower RAM consumption. So we have to rely on hands-on measurements, which show a substantial reduction of about 3 GB and faster app launches. ### 🧩 Context The improvements were noticed only after the Windows 11 26H2 feature update shipped — there were no big announcements from Microsoft. The company's official documentation doesn't yet explain how the RAM reduction was achieved, nor does it cite any numbers. In essence, the update rolled out quietly, and the effect surfaced through hands-on tests and user observations. For now, measurements are all we have: at idle, the system uses about 7 GB instead of the previous 10 GB, and the low-latency mode helps apps start faster.

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