The official Windows 11 rollout will start in less than a month. That’s when the new operating system will exit beta, and eligible users will be able to upgrade their devices. Aside from all the novel features built into the new Windows release, Microsoft says Windows 11 should make your PC feel even faster. Microsoft developed several performance optimizations to speed up instant-on, reduce resource consumption, and even improve battery life.
Windows 11 comes with specific hardware requirements that have been quite controversial. Microsoft explained time and again that the requirements have a clear purpose. It’s all about improving the security of Windows, which is a core feature of Windows 11. But restricting the new operating system to devices that feature relatively new Intel (8th-gen or later) and AMD (Ryzen 2000 series or later) chips should ensure a fast Windows 11 performance.
Microsoft’s VP of Enterprise Management at Microsoft Steve Dispensa explained in a new video that’s the hardware requirements aren’t the only thing that will improve performance. Microsoft made several fundamental changes to the way Windows 11 operates to improve the overall experience.
Windows 11 performance improvements
For example, Microsoft prioritizes the performance of the app in the foreground. That’s the active app you’re working on, and it’ll get appropriate memory and CPU resources. But opening new apps will feel equally fast, even if the CPU is already under heavy load from other apps. That’s because the system will prioritize the apps you’re opening, which are apps that you probably want to use immediately.
Furthermore, Microsoft lets you send Microsoft Edge tabs to sleep automatically. The tabs you’re not using will stop requiring CPU and memory resources. Edge will mark them accordingly, as tabs that are asleep. Dispensa says in the video that Edge’s tab sleep feature will save an average of 32% of memory and 37% of CPU usage. As a result, battery life might increase on laptops and tablets, and resources will be available to other apps.
All these optimizations might sound trivial at first. But they could save precious seconds. In turn, these seconds will add up. The result is a faster overall Windows 11 experience.
Another aspect that Microsoft improved is the instant-on Windows 11 experience. Microsoft wants Windows 11 PCs to turn on as fast as a smartphone. To achieve that, Windows 11 will continue powering the RAM while the computer is asleep. The CPU, SSD, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth will be powered when you wake the PC, and the Windows 11 laptop or desktop should turn on almost instantaneously.
Finally, Microsoft says it reduced the disk footprint for apps, including the browser cache and the entire operating system.
The video below also notes that Windows Hello, the face authentication login, will feel faster on Windows 11 — check the full video below:
