Microsoft says Windows 11 will get faster as it scales back Copilot

For years, Windows critics have described the operating system as unnecessarily big and bloated. Microsoft might not be able to slim down Windows 11 overnight, but it’s still putting it on a diet.

The goal is to make Windows more responsive, and those grand plans include making long-awaited tweaks to the Taskbar and easing the pace of updates, among other things. But making Windows speedier and less resource-intensive is a major priority, even if many of those updates will take place under the hood and out of sight.

One key reduction: AI. Microsoft isn’t saying much about this, but the intent is to be “more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows.”

Microsoft outlined its plans in a major policy memo authored by Pavan Davuluri, head of Windows + Devices at Microsoft. Davuluri’s memory identified a number of different targets for Windows over the coming year, which we’ve broken down into topics of interest.

Inside Windows 11’s big reset

• Windows 11 reset: Microsoft pledges more speed, stability, and control
• Windows 11 is finally fixing two of its most hated design choices
• Microsoft tells Windows Update to chill after years of complaints

Can Windows 11 become a lean mean computing machine?

Microsoft’s plans aren’t just policy statements. Davuluri’s memo names specifics such as improved performance in Start and File Explorer, fluid and responsive app interactions, and even an overhaul for the Windows Subsystem for Linux experience that developers use. The problem is that you’ll have to take Microsoft’s word for it. These are the “it feels faster” improvements that will become apparent (or not) only after you use Windows as Microsoft begins issuing changes.

“We are focusing on making Windows 11 more responsive and consistent, so performance feels smooth and reliable,” Davuluri wrote.

That’s the key. The goal, Davuluri explained, is to “free up more performance for what you’re doing” and make Windows experiences faster to launch, instead of the slight delay that can occur when you open an app or window. This is way more important than most realize, as it’s a strength of Apple Macs and MacOS. Even subjective experiences matter.

Microsoft sounds like it also wants to reduce the actual memory footprint Windows requires. Today, Windows 11 technically requires just 4GB of memory to run, though PC vendors typically include at least eight. But Microsoft’s memo is pretty plain: the company’s plans include “lowering the baseline memory footprint for Windows and freeing up more capacity for the apps you run.”

I don’t think it’s likely that Microsoft could slice off gigabyte-sized chunks, but maybe the company can make Windows feel like it has more available memory than it does. Remember, Windows 11 tends to gobble up a good chunk of the PC’s available memory just to make performance smoother. That means less memory for apps to run.

Over time, all those little apps and processes add up, which is why sometimes the best way to make your PC feel faster is to simply reboot it. One goal that Microsoft has is to make Windows’ performance more consistent under load, throughout the day. Speaking of reboots: Microsoft is working to minimize the time your device wakes from sleep, reboots, or docks to a laptop dock or to other devices.

Microsoft is reining in Copilot

Microsoft’s concession to reduce AI comes at a time when the technology is literally taking over people’s lives. Microsoft holds about a 27 percent stake in OpenAI, investing over $10 billion in the company. Users on Reddit have lamented how Copilot has ben injected into Edge, the Microsoft 365 apps, and as a standalone application. And yet it just keeps coming: into Notepad, for example, and even the screenshot-saving Snipping Tool.

“You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well‑crafted,” Davuluri wrote. “As part of this, we are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad.”

I just hope that Microsoft doesn’t eliminate the AI functionality in Photos, which includes Super Resolution upscaling and background removal. (Otherwise, Copilot doesn’t explicitly appear.)

Speed can mean many things

Microsoft is also turning its eye to File Explorer, where it wants to improve the speed of how the application launches and “common” file tasks. As I noted in another story, Microsoft is also trying to increase the speed of Windows Search. File Explorer and Search are two separate things, when they don’t have to be. And searching in File Explorer is slow! Microsoft is trying to improve the speed in which Windows 11 moves and copies large files, however. Let’s just hope that Microsoft is learning something from available alternatives to File Explorer, too — otherwise that tip will be still valid.

One of the things I’m rather excited about is a renewed focus on connecting peripherals. Microsoft actually labels this a “reliability” feature, but I’d disagree. One of the improvements that Microsoft executives have told me about is simply speeding up the time in which Apple iPods connect, as well as other Bluetooth devices. In some extreme cases, they can apparently take half a minute or more. Another is reducing the time in which a Windows PC will connect to a printer, and discover new devices on the network.

The same goes for discovering and connecting with cameras: both webcams and Windows Hello webcams and fingerprint readers. My beard makes consistent connections to Windows Hello webcams difficult as I trim it and then it grows. But Microsoft is identifying Windows Hello webcams and fingerprint readers as a target for improved performance, and is working toward bringing easier secure sign-in to gaming handhelds via gamepad support for PIN creation.

Under the hood tweaks

So how can Microsoft make Windows 11 faster?

Part of the way Microsoft will improve the efficiency of Windows is by the use of WinUI3, and moving core Windows experiences to the framework. Microsoft implied that the Start menu will be a target here.

Why care about WinUI3? For one, it’s a modern framework, and should be more efficient on modern GPUs. Aesthetically, it’s based on Fluent design, and should provide some more aesthetic cohesion across Windows. It’s also believed that this will be the framework for a future version of Windows, though that’s not confirmed. Finally, Microsoft is making it open source, which will give app developers more freedom to tinker.

Finally, Microsoft is trying to increase the performance of the Windows Subsystem for Linux, which it added GUI capabilities to in 2020 and released to open source last year. WSL may not be as quick as a “bare metal” deployment, but Microsoft is trying to speed up the performance of files shared between the two operating systems, improve the network compatibility, and make the setup experience easier for newcomers.

Microsoft also said that it is working on”reducing OS level crashes, improving driver quality and app stability across our ecosystem so PCs run smoothly and reliably every day.” But, really, isn’t it always?

Cynics will say that Microsoft will never regain the snappier feel of earlier versions of Windows, especially after stuffing Windows 11 full of AI over the past few years. But you have to acknowledge that Microsoft is trying to fix it, finally.