Hey folks, I'm reaching out for some advice regarding my laptop running Windows 11 Pro 24H2. I recently did a fresh install and made sure that all drivers are up-to-date. Currently, no apps are running, there are no startup programs enabled, and I've disabled all background apps in the Privacy settings. I can confidently say that there are no viruses affecting the system. However, I'm seeing that even when the laptop is idle on the desktop, it's using around 50-60% of my RAM, which is about 4-5 GB. For comparison, when I was using Windows 10 LTSC 2021 under the same conditions, the RAM usage was only around 2.1-2.8 GB. My laptop specs are as follows: Intel Core i7 1165G7, NVIDIA MX450 graphics, 8GB DDR4 RAM, and a combination of a 128 GB NVMe SSD along with a 1 TB HDD. Is this behavior normal for Windows 11 Pro 24H2? Why is there such a notable difference compared to Windows 10 LTSC? And is there any way to lower the memory usage without reverting back to LTSC? I really appreciate any help or suggestions! Thanks!
3 Answers
What you're experiencing is actually pretty normal for Windows 11. The system is designed to utilize as much RAM as it can for caching to improve performance. If it needs more memory for active tasks, it can release some of that cached memory. With 8GB being the new bare minimum for most tasks, it's not uncommon for RAM usage to be higher than what you might have seen on previous versions like Windows 10 LTSC.
You're actually seeing a feature, not a flaw. Windows 11 uses resources effectively for caching purposes to speed things up. Don't stress about keeping RAM usage low during idle times; the OS will manage resources as needed.
Honestly, that’s just Windows 11 doing its thing. It’s optimized to use resources efficiently, and as long as your system feels responsive, you shouldn’t have to worry about it.
Haha, very enlightening! Thanks for keeping it simple.
Thanks for clarifying! I wasn't aware that Windows 11 had this caching mechanism. Knowing that it’s normal definitely takes some worry off my mind!