I disabled these 4 Microsoft apps, and Windows 11 felt noticeably faster than before

Windows 11 users often grumble about performance problems and fear that the next update might cause more issues. One of the culprits is the preinstalled Microsoft apps, which many users consider a form of forced bloatware. While Microsoft justifies these apps for enhancing user experience, they can actually degrade system performance. Despite sympathizing with the company, it's essential not to overlook the impact these apps have on the operating system.

Four Microsoft apps stand out as particularly problematic: Copilot, Widgets Board, OneDrive, and Microsoft Edge. Each of these apps quietly works to undermine Windows 11 performance.

Copilot, initially an AI experiment, has become a hidden process in various system tools, consuming nearly 500MB of memory. Despite being a web app initially, Microsoft integrated Copilot into File Explorer and Notepad, making it a persistent background process. It's best to uninstall Copilot for a noticeable performance boost.

Widgets Board, another Microsoft innovation, is a web wrapper that pulls feeds from MSN and adds widgets. Though it can't be removed completely without a PowerShell script, disabling it in the Taskbar settings significantly reduces memory usage. On systems with 8GB or less RAM, the Widgets Board can severely impact performance.

OneDrive, a backup component of Microsoft's ecosystem, may seem harmless. However, it can consume 100-300MB of memory during the silent operation state. While disabling the startup behavior and unlinking your account can help, the background processes still consume about 100-150MB of memory. Uninstalling OneDrive entirely is a more permanent solution.

Lastly, Microsoft Edge, deeply integrated into Windows, uses a significant amount of memory even when not actively used. With features like Startup Boost and persistent processes, Edge can negatively affect system performance. Turning off specific features and considering alternative browsers can reduce Edge's impact on your system.