Reducing the Memory and Disk Space Consumption of Windows 11 to Benefit Budget Laptops Microsoft is working on reducing RAM consumption by up to 20% and the space taken up by Windows 11, a development that is expected to directly benefit the most modest laptops in a context of rising prices and downgraded configurations.
The information was shared by Mustafa Suleyman Parakhin (Microsoft), who mentions a new optimization project aimed at significantly lightening Windows, both in RAM and disk space.
For laptops, the challenge is far from trivial, as Windows 11 is currently relatively demanding, directly penalizing machines with lower RAM or storage capacity.
With laptop prices rising and expected to continue in 2026, users will face a paradoxical trend: more expensive machines, but sometimes less well-equipped.
In this context, a lighter Windows could partially offset this trend.
A 20% reduction in memory footprint – while idle – as well as disk would better leverage modest configurations, improving startup speed and relieving storage, which can quickly become saturated.
However, Microsoft had already explored this type of optimization, but without major transformation so far, which calls for caution regarding the timeline and the actual gains in practice.
Nevertheless, in a tight market where components are more expensive and configurations are evolving downwards, software optimization could once again become a lever to maintain a good user experience on laptops.
Source: Mustafa Suleyman Parakhin and Windows Latest
