Instead of obsessing over the "Memory Usage" percentage in Task Manager, look at "Hard Faults/sec" in the Resource Monitor. If that number is high, you need more RAM, not optimization software. If it's low, your computer is running fine, regardless of what the usage percentage says.
Windows 11, her sleek new operating system, was eating her alive. She had 16 GB of RAM, but it felt like 2.
Next, she opened Settings > System > Notifications. "Tips and suggestions" was on. So were "Show me the Windows welcome experience" and "Get me occasional fun facts." She turned them off. Fun facts aren't fun at 90% RAM.
Right-click non-essential third-party apps (like extra browser instances or unused background tools) and select End task . 2. Manage Startup Applications
Windows 11 is RAM hungry by design , but it is also smarter with memory than any previous Windows version. While the "reduce RAM usage" guides flooding the internet offer some benefits, users often misunderstand how modern memory management works, leading to unnecessary optimization that can actually degrade system performance.
Microsoft's RAMMap tool allows you to manually "Empty Standby List," which can instantly free up gigabytes of cached RAM. Microsoft Learn +2 Summary Table: Quick RAM Wins Method Impact Difficulty Disable Startup Apps High Easy Use PC Manager "Boost" Immediate Very Easy Manage Browser Tabs Medium Easy Adjust Visual Effects Low Easy Disable Background Services Medium Advanced Would you like a more detailed guide on using
She checked her Task Manager on Windows 11 and was shocked to see that her RAM usage was consistently high, often exceeding 90%. She knew she needed to find a way to reduce it, or risk losing valuable work time.
Finally, she opened Edge (yes, Edge) and turned on "Efficiency mode" and "Sleeping tabs." Chrome was a memory vampire.
