My RAM was maxed out on Windows 11 until I did these 7 things

Disabled startup programs eating memory

Windows 11 often loads unnecessary apps at startup, many of which silently run in the background and eat up RAM. Opening Task Manager and turning off non-essential startup apps under the “Startup” tab immediately freed up memory on my system.

Programs like Spotify, Teams, and even OneDrive were set to launch by default. Disabling them doesn’t delete anything but prevents them from starting automatically. This alone significantly reduced idle RAM usage and sped up boot times without affecting day-to-day tasks.

Closed background apps with high RAM use

I checked the “Processes” tab in Task Manager and sorted by memory usage. What I found surprising was that apps like Chrome, Discord, and Adobe Creative Cloud consumed gigabytes even while minimized.

I right-clicked and ended tasks I wasn’t actively using. Some apps also had helper services running that I hadn’t opened myself. Closing these apps from Task Manager instantly freed up system memory and stopped unnecessary background processes from hogging RAM while I was working on something else.

Switched to a lighter web browser

After noticing Chrome was consuming over a gigabyte of RAM just with a few tabs open, I decided to switch to a lighter browser. I tried Brave and Firefox and saw a notable improvement in memory usage.

Both browsers let me limit background processes and use fewer system resources, especially when multiple tabs were open. Brave, in particular, also reduced ad-heavy site loads, which helped bring down RAM consumption further. This small change made multitasking smoother and more responsive.

Turned off visual effects and animations

Windows 11’s sleek animations and transparency effects may look modern but consume memory and GPU resources. I went to System > About > Advanced System Settings> Performance Settings and selected “Adjust for best performance.”

This turns off unnecessary visual effects like fade-in menus and animated window transitions. The system interface felt snappier, and more importantly, my RAM usage dropped. While it makes the UI a bit plainer, the performance trade-off was worth it for day-to-day use.

Uninstalled bloatware I never used

My Windows 11 PC came with pre-installed apps that I never opened, notably apps like Xbox Game Bar, 3D Viewer, and Candy Crush. Even if unused, some of these run background services. I went to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and removed anything I didn’t recognize or need.

This freed up RAM, cleaned up storage, and reduced background processes. After removing bloatware, my system became less cluttered and more responsive during heavy multitasking sessions.

Disabled unnecessary services manually

Some services keep running even if you’re not using the associated feature. I pressed Win + R, typed “services.msc,” and reviewed what was set to run automatically. Services like Bluetooth Support and Print Spooler weren’t needed for my daily work.

I right-clicked and changed their startup type to “Manual.” This doesn’t stop functionality but prevents them from auto-starting every time. Turning off just a few of these unused services immediately gave back a noticeable chunk of RAM.

Cleared memory-hogging cache files

Windows keeps cache files to help speed up specific processes, but these can grow extensive and hog system memory over time. I opened Disk Cleanup (type “cleanmgr” in Start) and checked memory-heavy options like “Temporary files” and “System created Windows Error Reporting.”

Cleaning these up didn’t just save storage, it also reduced background RAM use linked to indexing and error logging. Doing this every few weeks has helped keep my RAM usage more consistent and manageable.

Disabled background apps in privacy settings

I went to Settings > Privacy & security > Background apps and found dozens of apps that can run even when not used. Disabling background permissions for apps like Mail, Calendar, Xbox, and Microsoft Store helped reduce ongoing memory usage.

These apps constantly check for updates or sync in the background, eating up RAM silently. Since I didn’t need real-time syncing for most of them, turning this off made my system much leaner and improved performance noticeably.

Enabled memory compression properly

Memory compression is a Windows feature that compresses infrequently used memory instead of swapping it to disk. This helps reduce pressure on RAM without hurting performance.

I opened Task Manager > Performance > Memory to check if it was working and confirmed “Compressed” memory was active.

If it’s not enabled, turning on Virtual Memory and letting Windows manage it automatically helps. This feature alone allowed me to keep more apps open without hitting RAM limits as quickly.

Reduced multitasking with heavy apps

I changed my workflow habits to avoid running multiple RAM-intensive programs at once. For example, editing videos in Premiere Pro while having dozens of Chrome tabs open used to spike memory usage fast.

Now, I close apps that are not needed for the current task. Even music streaming apps like Spotify can add up over time. This conscious multitasking discipline made a massive difference in performance, especially when juggling creative tools, browsers, and chat apps.

Stopped widgets and live tile updates

Windows 11 includes widgets like weather, news, and calendar that constantly refresh in the background. I right-clicked the taskbar and disabled Widgets completely. I also removed any live tiles from the Start menu that showed updates.

These seem small but eat up memory with background network activity and rendering. After turning these off, my system ran quieter and faster. The RAM savings aren’t massive alone, but combined with other changes, they make a measurable impact on performance.

Installed a lightweight antivirus

Some antivirus suites like Norton or McAfee use a significant amount of RAM due to real-time scanning, browser extensions, and auto-updates.

I replaced my default antivirus with Microsoft Defender and supplemented it with a lightweight scanner like Malwarebytes for occasional checks.

Defender is integrated into Windows and uses fewer system resources. Since making the switch, my system runs smoother with no constant high RAM spikes caused by background scanning or bloated security dashboards running constantly.

Updated drivers and BIOS

Outdated drivers, especially for graphics or memory management, can cause memory leaks or inefficient RAM handling. I used Windows Update and my PC manufacturer’s website to check for the latest drivers.

I also checked for BIOS updates using the tool provided by my laptop maker. One of the updates addressed memory performance directly. After applying all updates, the RAM usage stabilized, and my system handled multitasking better. Keeping drivers up to date is a simple but often overlooked fix.

Monitored RAM usage with Resource Monitor

I started using Resource Monitor (type it in the Start menu) to dig deeper into what was consuming RAM. It showed more detail than Task Manager, including how much RAM was being held by system processes, standby memory, and cached data.

This helped me identify which apps and services were the worst offenders and whether RAM was truly being maxed or reserved. It gave me insight into what needed attention beyond just guessing from basic metrics.

Also check out how Microsoft’s new AI agent is transforming how Windows 11 manages performance.

Upgraded physical RAM as a last resort

After exhausting software tweaks, I upgraded my RAM from 8GB to 16GB. My system supported it, and installation was straightforward after checking compatibility online. The upgrade cost was reasonable and provided immediate benefits.

Multitasking became seamless, and I stopped seeing 100 percent RAM usage in Task Manager altogether. This isn’t the first thing to try, but if you’re consistently maxing out memory with typical usage, upgrading RAM can significantly improve performance.

If upgraded physical RAM feels like your only option, Windows 11’s smarter Copilot-powered search might just save you the trouble.

Think smarter search can ease your system struggles? Tap the link and let us know if Copilot’s boost is enough for you.

Read More From This Brand:

• Windows 11 Upgrade Push Backfires Hard
• Windows 12 pushed back as Microsoft announces Windows 11 25H2 instead
• Microsoft Rolls Out Recall for Windows 11

Don’t forget to follow us for more exclusive content right here on MSN.

If you like this story, you’ll LOVE our Free email newsletter. Join today and be the first to receive stories like these.

This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.