Windows 11 26H2 gave my laptop nearly 2GB of RAM back, but there’s a catch for low-RAM PCs

Windows 11 version 26H2 has arrived, bringing a variety of enhancements and minor modifications to Microsoft's desktop client operating system. While many updates may appear unremarkable, one change has drawn attention to online Windows communities. After installing 26H2, users are observing a reduction in their system's RAM usage, sometimes by nearly two gigabytes.

This finding has sparked discussions about the potential for a more optimized operating system. However, there is a catch that most headlines have overlooked. According to reports, the most significant controversy surrounding 26H2 is a phenomenon that has not been highlighted in Microsoft's documentation. A Reddit user with 48GB of RAM observed that their on-boot memory usage dropped from 6.9GB to approximately 4.8GB following the update, and similar experiences have been reported by numerous other users.

Some users have observed a decrease ranging from 1GB to 3GB. Microsoft has not explicitly claimed these enhancements, but the company has been actively discussing reducing the operating system's memory footprint. Pavan Davuluri, a Microsoft representative, confirmed earlier this year that his team is working on improving memory utilization, memory compression, and overall platform efficiency.

This update appears to align with Microsoft's priority of reducing memory usage, particularly in response to the ongoing memory crisis. However, the benefits of the update seem to be primarily benefiting systems with 16GB of RAM or more, while users with 8GB of RAM are experiencing minimal or no improvements.