Did you recently upgrade to Windows 11 and your computer or specific computing processes have slowed down tremendously?
You might start to experience problems with Windows 11’s high memory usage after upgrading to this new version of Windows.
If Windows 11’s high memory usage affects the performance of your computer, you need to know why Windows 11 uses more RAM than its predecessors.
You also need to understand why RAM is important for your OS (Operating System) and how its size or processing speed affects your system’s performance.
In This Article
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- In order to perform optimally, if you are using Windows 11, your system will require more RAM, since RAM offers faster access to temporary storage.
- In most cases your system with Windows 11 as operating system faces this problem with RAM or data storage and processing speeds due to comprehensive features of Windows 11.
- You do not need to avail services of professionals in order to rectify most of these problems as they can be resolved by performing some tasks daily and not letting too many tasks stay active when they are not needed.
Reasons Why Windows 11 Use More RAM
Due to a number of factors, Windows 11 is probably going to use more RAM. The main one is that it is a substantial upgrade from Windows 10.
It is an extremely feature-rich and powerful operating system that places a heavy burden on the hardware of your system.
Slow performance, lagging, unresponsive applications, and other related issues can be brought on by high CPU or RAM consumption.
So, why does Windows 11 use more RAM?
Following are some potential reasons why Windows 11 uses more RAM
- Unnecessary apps or programs – On occasion, your RAM can be quickly consumed by background operations of unneeded apps or programs. You must find out which programs or apps are currently running and end them in order to fix this issue.
Those apps that you hardly ever use can also be removed. Your RAM will be freed up as a result, speeding up your computer.
- Too many tabs open in your browser – It is true that doing so can use up a lot of memory, but this is not a specific Windows 11 issue. If you open multiple tabs with resource-intensive websites like YouTube or Facebook, all contemporary browsers are capable of consuming GBs of RAM.
- Too many background apps – The number of background apps is high because it includes all active applications as well as those that are running in your system’s background but not actively using resources on your computer.
You can shut down any running apps in this case if you notice a lot of background apps and you believe it is affecting the performance of your computer.
- Virus – Infection with a virus is the most frequent cause of Windows operating systems using a lot of CPU power. Your processor may become overloaded by a highly contagious virus, making it unusable for other tasks.
Because of this, it is crucial to regularly scan your computer with an antivirus program.
Do not worry if you experience any of these issues; there are ways to prevent your OS from using too much RAM.
Methods to Reduce RAM Usage in Windows 11
Windows 11 memory usage can be decreased by closing unused programs and services, disabling unused startup applications, removing malware or viruses, and performing other actions.
If you do not do this you will have to increase or upgrade your RAM as only then your computer will be able to process all necessary information at optimal speeds.
You can try these following strategies:
Method 1: Stop Using Extra Apps and Services
You are opening too many apps or services, which is one of the main causes of Windows 11’s high memory usage. You can simply close them if you will not be using them for a while.
To end these unnecessary apps and services, use Task Manager.
- To open Task Manager, perform a right-click on Start and choose that option.
- Locate unused programs or services that are consuming excessive amounts of memory.
- Next, select End task by right-clicking on a particular task or application. To terminate an app or service, you can also select it and click End task button in the bottom-right corner.
- Repetition of this action will help you reduce memory usage on your Windows 11 device by shutting down all unnecessary apps and services.
Your Windows 11 computer should use less memory as a result of this technique.
To continue freeing up more memory, try these following methods.
Method 2: Disable Unnecessary Startup Apps
You might also think about turning off any unused startup apps when trying to clear RAM on Windows 11. Startup applications are those that can run immediately after your computer boots up.
The programs you need to run right away can be made startup items. Too many startup programs not only increase memory usage but also time it takes for your computer to start up.
You can disable pointless startup apps in Windows 11 to maximize RAM.
- Start by selecting Task Manager from the context menu by right-clicking Start.
- To proceed, click More details.
- Go to the section titled Startup. Applications and services that are set as startup items are visible here.
For instance, if Cortana is enabled according to its status, this indicates that it will start as soon as your system is powered on.
It is possible that you allowed it to start running at Start Up or it might have received this permission when getting installed.
If you do not remember allowing it to run at Startup, you might have unknowingly given permission during installation.
- Select Disable after choosing an app or service you want to disable this startup feature for.
- To disable every pointless app, repeat this procedure. You can then proceed to see if memory usage has decreased.
Method 3: Defragmenting Your Hard Drive
By performing a hard drive defragmentation, you can also allow Windows 11 to use less RAM.
You can achieve this by following these steps mentioned below
- First, search for “Defragment and Optimize Drives” using your taskbar search icon.
- Click on the search result for Defragment and Optimize Drives to open it.
- Choose a drive you want to defragment, then click Optimize to start this defragmentation process.
- Restart your computer after this process completes to see if any additional memory is released.
Method 4: Disable SysMain Service
Disabling SysMain Service will solve this problem if Windows 11 performance is significantly decreased as a result of high memory usage.
On Windows 10, SysMain is referred to as SuperFetch. It helps you start frequently used apps faster by identifying them. Press Win R to launch Run.
To open Services, enter service.msc into Run and press Enter.
Locate SysMain service in the right panel by scrolling down. Then, double-click it to reveal its Properties window.
For Startup type, choose Disabled and press Stop button and wait for this procedure to finish. Now, click on Apply and follow it up by clicking on OK to complete this process.
Method 5: Modify for Best Performance
On Windows 11, you can make these following adjustments for optimum performance.
Step 1: From Taskbar, click the search icon and type “sysdm” into this box.cpl.
Step 2: Choose sysdm. Open System Properties by selecting cpl from the search outcome.
Step 3: Change to Advanced tab.
Step 4: Under Performance, click on Settings button.
Step 5: Tick the box next to Adjust for best performance under Visual Effects.
Step 6: Click on “Apply.” And then Click “OK.”
Method 6: Boost Virtual Memory
Some users find that increasing virtual memory helps to reduce Windows 11’s high memory usage.
- Open System Properties using the method described above.
- Go to Advanced, then select Performance, and then select Settings.
- Select the Change option for Virtual Memory.
- Uncheck option to automatically manage paging file size for all drives.
- Choose Custom size.
- Depending on your needs, specify paging file’s initial and maximum sizes in megabytes.
- Click on the Set button followed by selecting “OK.”
- Click OK once more and restart your computer to implement these changes.
Method 7: Alter Registry Key
To lower Windows 11’s memory consumption, you can also change its registry key. You should make a backup of your registry key before doing this to safeguard your system.
- Press Win R to launch Run
- To launch Registry Editor, enter regedit and press Enter.
- Visit. ComputerCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory ManagementHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM.
- Double-click ClearPageFileAtShutDown to open it by locating it in the right panel.
- Type 1 for its value information.
- Click OK to save this modification. Restart your computer.
Method 8: Scan and Remove Malware and Viruses from Your System
High memory usage can easily occur if your computer is being attacked by malware or viruses. This circumstance carries risk. Viruses and malware must be scanned for and eliminated as soon as possible.
Windows Security feature can be used to check your computer for malware and viruses.
Step 1: Use Windows search to look up Windows Security, then click the first result to open this file.
Step 2: Click Virus
Step 3: To check for malware and viruses on your device, click the Quick scan button on its right panel.
Step 4: In the event that nothing is discovered, you can click Scan options, choose Full scan, and then click Scan now to run a full scan on your device.
Conclusion
Now that you know what is wrong with your system after the Windows 11 system upgrade, and why does Windows 11 use more RAM.
You can either choose to upgrade your RAM or other internal components accordingly or perform these temporary fixes to optimize your system for better performance.