Microsoft Boosts Windows 11 Speed, Cuts RAM Use as Seattle Halts Copilot Over Privacy

Microsoft’s upcoming “Performance Boost” update promises to shave up to 30 percent off Windows 11’s launch‑time latency and trim the operating system’s memory footprint, according to a detailed blog post the company posted on its developer site. The post, which Tom’s Hardware highlights, lists a suite of under‑the‑hood changes – a revamped scheduler that prioritises foreground apps, tighter integration of the new “Dynamic Memory Manager,” and a leaner background‑service stack that collectively reduce RAM usage by roughly 15 percent on typical consumer machines. The same announcement notes that the update will also curb the frequency of Copilot prompts, a move aimed at addressing the “annoyance factor” many users have complained about since the AI assistant’s rollout.

The performance tweaks come at a critical moment for Microsoft, as the city of Seattle has put a temporary halt on the public‑sector deployment of Copilot over privacy concerns. Hoodline reports that Seattle officials cited insufficient safeguards around data retention and the potential for employee monitoring, prompting the municipality to suspend the rollout pending a formal review. The pause underscores the growing tension between the push for AI‑enhanced productivity and the need for transparent data‑handling policies, a balance Microsoft is now forced to reckon with while it fine‑tunes the OS.

In parallel, Windows 11’s reliability roadmap includes a series of “update‑streamlining” measures designed to reduce the notorious “update fatigue” that has plagued recent releases. ZDNet’s guide to fixing common Windows 11 issues points to four settings – including the new “Smart Update Scheduler” and an optional “Deferred Driver Installation” flag – that will be enabled by default in the upcoming patch, according to the same Microsoft blog. By deferring non‑critical driver updates until after a user’s active session, the OS aims to minimise unexpected restarts and the performance hiccups that often accompany background installations.

The Verge adds that Microsoft is also reworking the File Explorer experience to make it less intrusive, a change that dovetails with the reduced Copilot prompts. The redesign will hide the AI‑suggestion pane by default and only surface it when a user explicitly invokes the assistant, a decision the outlet says reflects “a more respectful approach to user attention.” This shift, combined with the lower RAM consumption, is expected to free up resources for core productivity tasks, especially on lower‑end hardware that has historically struggled with Windows 11’s baseline demands.

Collectively, these updates signal a broader strategic pivot: Microsoft is betting that a faster, leaner Windows 11 will restore confidence among both enterprise customers and municipal partners like Seattle. By coupling performance gains with a more restrained AI experience, the company hopes to address the “trust deficit” highlighted by The Verge while still capitalising on Copilot’s long‑term value proposition. If the promised 30 percent speed boost and RAM reductions materialise as advertised, the move could re‑establish Windows 11 as a viable platform for organisations wary of the overhead introduced by AI‑centric features.