Microsoft Support
support.microsoft.com › en-us › windows › windows-11-system-requirements-86c11283-ea52-4782-9efd-7674389a7ba3
Windows 11 System Requirements - Microsoft Support
The clock speed (the 1 Ghz or faster requirement) and number of cores (2 or more) are inherent to the processor design as it was manufactured and are not considered upgradable components. 4 GB. If your PC has less than 4GB of memory, there are sometimes options for upgrading ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows › how much ram does windows 11 take, because this is absurd
r/windows on Reddit: How much RAM does windows 11 take, because this is absurd
July 19, 2024 -
EDIT: This post has been resolved! I thank everyone who answered in the comments.
It's always at like 80%. Without running anything it's still at like 65%. How much ram does Windows 11 take? It runs smooth, just asking.
EDIT: here are the programs I'm running:
Top answer 1 of 5
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Windows 11 takes the same approach as Android and Linux. The memory has something there just in case you use it again. But it is marked as volatile so it can be used by something else. TLDR; don't look at it. It makes no sense to users that think used memory is actually unavailable.
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!RAM
Question - Windows 11 minimum RAM requirements ? | Tom's Hardware Forum
Am I the only one finding people that say Windows 11 has got to a point where 16GB is kind of the minimum now, even for basic tasks? This is just.... not true at all. Even if you only have a dual core CPU and 4GB of RAM, you can still do basic tasks: check your email, watch youtube, read news... More on forums.tomshardware.com
Is 16GB RAM still a good standard what with Windows 11 needing 4GB of it?
Depends on what you play and how much other stuff you want running, use task manager to answer that question yourself. More on reddit.com
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March 17, 2023Windows 11 is using too much ram
Windows 11 is very resource hungry, it is normal for Windows 11 to use 3.5GB+ of RAM for the operating system alone with no apps running, 8GB of RAM is the minimum requirements for Windows 11, and 16GB of RAM is preferred if you perform intensive tasks or game on your system. More on learn.microsoft.com
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July 7, 2025Windows 11 uses 5GB RAM on idle
Oh, a RAM usage fetishist. The RAM is there, should it not be used? More on reddit.com
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August 2, 2021Can Windows 11 run on 2GB RAM?
You can't install Windows 11 on a system with 2GB of RAM because it runs a system compatibility check before attempting an installation, and if it doesn't see 4GB of RAM, it will abandon the installation.And this is a good thing. Also: What graphics card do I have? How to check your GPU and driversThis doesn't mean you can't run Windows 11 on a system with 2GB of RAM. The easiest way around the restriction is to have 4GB of RAM fitted while Windows 11 is installing, then fit 2GB after it's done. But that will lead to a laggy, sluggish, painful experience.Back in the Windows 10 days, you could
zdnet.com
zdnet.com › home › tech › computing › pcs
Windows 11 RAM requirements: What you need to know | ZDNET
What's the maximum amount of RAM that Windows 11 supports?
Each version of Windows 11 has a maximum amount of RAM that it can support.Windows 11 Enterprise: 6 TBWindows 11 Education: 2 TBWindows 11 Pro for Workstations: 6 TBWindows 11 Pro: 2 TBWindows 11 Home: 128 GBIn reality, you're going to hit a hardware limit long before you hit these operating system limits.
zdnet.com
zdnet.com › home › tech › computing › pcs
Windows 11 RAM requirements: What you need to know | ZDNET
How much RAM does Windows 11 need to run smoothly?
Well, you can get away with the 4GB minimum. Things start to get a bit sluggish once you have Google Chrome running with a few tabs open, or you try to do something like serious photo editing.Forget about things like video editing or serious gaming.It's just going to end in frustration.The more you expect from your PC, the more RAM you'll need.Also: How to pick a computer for your kidIf you're a light user, browsing the web, emailing, and editing documents, then 4GB may suffice. But it will definitely feel laggy. Increasing this to 6 or 8GB of RAM will not only give you a much better experienc
zdnet.com
zdnet.com › home › tech › computing › pcs
Windows 11 RAM requirements: What you need to know | ZDNET
Videos
06:03
Windows 11, But the RAM gets Lower and Lower - YouTube
06:54
The Truth About Windows 11's System Requirements - YouTube
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Windows 11 Requirements | Dell US
03:44
Windows 11 24H2 can run with as little as 184 MB of RAM memory ...
06:54
The Truth About Windows 11's System Requirements
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Windows 10 End of Life - Windows 11 System Requirements Explained ...
Microsoft
microsoft.com › en-us › windows › windows-11-specifications
Windows 11 Specs and System Requirements | Microsoft Windows
November 10, 2025 - Certain features require specific hardware. System requirements to run some apps will exceed the Windows 11 minimum device specifications. Check device compatibility information specific to the apps you want to install. Available storage on your device will vary based on installed apps and updates.
Digital Trends
digitaltrends.com › home › computing › evergreens
Here's how much RAM Windows 11 actually uses - Digital Trends
October 22, 2024 - Microsoft’s official hardware requirements for Windows 11 call for a minimum of 4GB RAM. While you can technically ignore these guidelines and install the operating system on a PC with less RAM, we don’t recommend it.
Tom's Hardware
tomshardware.com › software › operating systems › windows
How to Bypass Windows 11's TPM, CPU and RAM Requirements | Tom's Hardware
September 30, 2025 - If you don't want to have to modify the registry mid-install, you can create a Windows 11 USB install disk that will bypass Windows 11's TPM requirement, and its need for 8GB of RAM and a supported CPU.
IT Pro
itpro.com › home › software › microsoft › windows
Windows 11 minimum requirements: How to check your system | IT Pro
1 month ago - Microsoft has set out what it believes are the most basic requirements to run Windows 11 properly. These are: A CPU of at least 1GHz, with two cores · At least 4GB of RAM · 64GB of free hard drive space · Support for Secure Boot · Support ...
ZDNET
zdnet.com › home › tech › computing › pcs
Windows 11 RAM requirements: What you need to know | ZDNET
February 10, 2023 - This doesn't mean you can't run Windows 11 on a system with 2GB of RAM. The easiest way around the restriction is to have 4GB of RAM fitted while Windows 11 is installing, then fit 2GB after it's done.
Tom's Hardware Forum
forums.tomshardware.com › home › software › windows 11
Question - Windows 11 minimum RAM requirements ? | Tom's Hardware Forum
June 27, 2025 - Click to expand... 16GB is minimum for gaming. There are games, that will not even run with less ram. If no gaming, then yes. You can manage with less ram. But SSD is a must for windows 11.
Quora
quora.com › Will-16GB-of-RAM-be-enough-for-Windows-11-I-use-my-PC-for-browsing-and-gaming
Will 16GB of RAM be enough for Windows 11? I use my PC for browsing and gaming. - Quora
Answer (1 of 10): 16GB of RAM is a lot (relatively). Windows 11 requires only 4GB of RAM. You can do normal browsing which will only take up to 4 GB of RAM. And it depends on the games you are playing.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Windows_11
Windows 11 - Wikipedia
4 days ago - Thus, Windows 11 is the first consumer ... RAM and storage requirements were also increased; Windows 11 now requires at least 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage....
Kingston
kingston.com › en › blog › pc-performance › memory-assessor
How much memory do you need to run Windows, macOS, or Linux apps? - Kingston Technology
November 28, 2020 - When assessing your memory needs, consider three things: the minimum memory capacity requirements of your operating system, the motherboard channel architecture requirements (do modules need to be installed in groups of 2 or 4?) and the memory demands of the applications you typically use. ... In need of a PC upgrade but don’t know where to start? How do you know if a RAM upgrade is right for you?
Notebookcheck
notebookcheck.net › Windows-11-File-Explorer-update-aims-to-reduce-RAM-usage-and-deliver-faster-search-performance.1193385.0.html
Windows 11 File Explorer update aims to reduce RAM usage and deliver faster search performance - NotebookCheck.net News
2 weeks ago - Coming in at a time when Microsoft's new Copilot+ PCs have an official RAM requirement of a minimum of 16 GB DDR5 or LPDDR5 memory in play, it could indicate that the Redmond-based giant is increasingly looking to optimize core Windows functionality ...
Ozzu
ozzu.com › home › wiki
Realistic Windows 11 System Requirements - Ozzu
October 17, 2025 - Let's also discuss RAM (Random Access Memory). 4 GB is just roughly enough to handle the operating system for Windows 11. If you do any kind of gaming or graphics work 4 GB RAM just won't cut it. You need at least 32 GB of RAM. Otherwise, you will be tremendously frustrated with your computer's ...
TechSpot
techspot.com › news › 110817-windows-11-performs-worse-than-older-windows-versions.html
Windows 11 performs worse than older Windows versions in nearly every benchmark | TechSpot
1 week ago - In case you're wondering, all six laptops used in the tests were the exact same model: Lenovo ThinkPad X220 equipped with an Intel Core i5-2520M CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB mechanical hard disk.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows11 › is 16gb ram still a good standard what with windows 11 needing 4gb of it?
r/Windows11 on Reddit: Is 16GB RAM still a good standard what with Windows 11 needing 4GB of it?
March 17, 2023 -
Also with games recommending 16GB. Also say if I were to plan on streaming and gaming in windows 11. Will upgrading to 32GB be necessary?
Top answer 1 of 12
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How much RAM is used depends on how much of it you have. The more RAM you have the more it is in use. So, get as much RAM as you can afford and at the performance level you want.
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Depends on what you play and how much other stuff you want running, use task manager to answer that question yourself.
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › 2339356 › windows-11-is-using-too-much-ram
Windows 11 is using too much ram - Microsoft Q&A
July 7, 2025 - Windows 11 is very resource hungry, ... with no apps running, 8GB of RAM is the minimum requirements for Windows 11, and 16GB of RAM is preferred if you perform intensive tasks or game on your system....
Utoronto
medit.med.utoronto.ca › minimum-pc-requirements-windows-11
Minimum PC Requirements for Windows 11 | MedIT | Temerty Medicine
Our recommended Windows PC requirements for acceptable Windows 11 performance are: RAM - 16 Gb or higher · CPU - i5 8th generation or higher · Disk storage - at least 256 Gb, but with at least 75 Gb available for Windows 11 upgrade · Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 ·
PCMAG
pcmag.com › home › explainers › windows 11
Can My PC Run Windows 11? | PCMag
June 7, 2024 - As with any new piece of software, ... a minimum—for memory, storage, main processor, and graphics processor: At least 4GB of system memory (RAM......
How-To Geek
howtogeek.com › home › windows › windows 11: how much ram can your pc have?
Windows 11: How Much RAM Can Your PC Have?
March 3, 2023 - While you may be able to get by with just that, we don't recommend it · We recommend at least 8GB of RAM for comfortable normal usage of the desktop and other basic applications like a web browser and office suite.
Hackaday
hackaday.com › 2026 › 01 › 02 › benchmarking-windows-against-itself-from-windows-xp-to-windows-11
Benchmarking Windows Against Itself, From Windows XP To Windows 11 | Hackaday
2 weeks ago - It features an Intel i5 2520M CPU, 8 GB of RAM, built-in Intel HD Graphics 3000 and a 256 GB HDD. For start-up, Windows 8.1 won the race, probably due to having the Fast Boot feature, while Windows 11 came in dead last as it showed the desktop, ...