How much RAM should Windows 11 use at idle?

8-16 GB systems typically idle at 2-4 GB. 32 GB+ systems at 4-6 GB. Anything higher with nothing open is a leak.

Will disabling SuperFetch / SysMain free RAM?

SysMain uses idle RAM by design, which looks like high usage but isn't. It releases instantly when apps need it. Don't disable it for 'RAM usage'.

△ Performance

High RAM usage on Windows 11 — How to free up memory

High RAM usage on Windows 11 is usually a runaway process, a memory leak in a driver, or too many startup apps. The trick is to find the leak before you start disabling things blindly.

Time: 15 min
Difficulty: easy
Applies to: Windows 11, Windows 10
Updated: May 25, 2026

Symptoms

▸Task Manager shows RAM usage > 80% with few apps open
▸PC becomes slow after running for a few hours
▸Restart fixes it temporarily
▸Apps freeze with 'Not responding'

Likely causes

▸Memory leak in a third-party app (Chrome, Discord, Spotify)
▸Buggy driver leaking non-paged pool
▸Too many startup apps loaded at sign-in
▸Page file too small or disabled

How to fix it — step by step

01
Sort by memory in Task Manager
Task Manager → Processes → click Memory column. The top entry is your leak — restart that app first.
02
Check non-paged pool
Open Resource Monitor → Memory tab. Look at Non-paged pool. If it's > 1 GB, a driver is leaking. Use poolmon from the Windows SDK to identify the driver tag.
03
Disable startup apps
Task Manager → Startup apps. Disable anything you don't actively use — especially launchers, update helpers and toolbar apps.
04
Reset the page file
System → About → Advanced system settings → Advanced → Performance Settings → Advanced → Virtual memory → Change → System managed size. Reboot.
05
Reset Windows memory compression
Windows compresses idle RAM. If the compressor is broken, enable it explicitly:
```
Enable-MMAgent -mc
```