Yesterday, Microsoft rolled out the latest Windows 11 updates for all users across version 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1. For users running version 24H2 and 25H2, this latest patch includes a number of nice to see quality of life improvements in the way of performance and reliability upgrades in a number of key areas.
According to the changelog, which includes improvements that began rolling out as part of last month's optional feature update, the KB5101684 update includes reliability upgrades for explorer.exe, which will make opening things like Jump Lists and recent files faster. Additionally, Microsoft says this update will also make sharing files and switching between desktops with Task View faster too.
The reliability improvements don't end there, either. This update also includes reliability upgrades for the Windows lock screen and sign-in screen, which will be most noticeable on PCs with low amounts of RAM available. There are also startup reliability upgrades for the Start menu and Taskbar, which should make those interfaces appear quicker when powering up.
Furthermore, Microsoft says that this update also makes the post-update process less resource intensive, meaning your PC will feel faster to use immediately after an update is installed. Previously, Windows Updates required a clean-up phase after install which could be quite resource intensive on certain PCs.
The good news is all of these performance and reliability upgrades apply regardless of the amount of RAM your system has. You should notice a more responsive system if you have 8GB or 128GB of RAM.
Here's a rundown of the reliability-focused improvements in the latest update:
- This update improves explorer.exe reliability, including when opening Jump Lists and recent files, when sharing files and folders, and when using Task View and multiple desktops.
- This update improves the reliability of the Windows sign-in and lock screens, especially when system memory is low. It also improves the reliability of the Start menu and taskbar during startup.
- This update improves reliability of loading the system tray area of the taskbar when using the taskbar on touch devices in a tablet posture.
- The update improves the reliability of Start menu view preferences, ensuring your selected view is retained.
- This update includes changes to update clean-up logic to improve system performance immediately following an update.
- This update improves app search to better handle typos and partial app names when finding installed apps.
These reliability and performance upgrades are in addition to the many other quality of life improvements shipping as part of the KB5101684 update, including improvements to File Explorer, Windows Hello, Windows Search, system sounds, and more.
Microsoft recently announced a renewed commitment to making Windows 11 better on PCs with 8GB RAM, and it appears we're already seeing the fruits of that labor. While there's plenty of more optimizations to come, it's good to see Microsoft already moving to address this weak point on Windows.
Microsoft has been delivering genuinely nice improvements to Windows 11 over the last few months, all of which have been addressing issues with the OS around performance and reliability. This latest update continues that crusade, meaning your PC will feel better to use as of the latest updates.
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