Microsoft Says Windows 11 Is About to Boot Faster and Windows Hello Too
Microsoft is once again promising to fix what’s been bugging Windows 11 users for years: sluggish performance. At IFA 2026, the Redmond-based tech giant confirmed it’s cooking up updates aimed at cutting down boot times and making Windows Hello’s face and fingerprint scanning snappier.
Mark Linton, Corporate Vice President of Windows & Devices at Microsoft, said the improvements come from a deep overhaul of the OS’s core foundation. He also doubled down on Microsoft’s claim that Windows 11 is built to run smoothly even on machines with just 8GB of RAM.
“We keep improving the fundamentals. We listen to user feedback and consistently make Windows better through the updates we ship,” Linton said.
Part of a Bigger 2026 Overhaul
This IFA announcement isn’t a standalone promise it’s an extension of the major Windows 11 revamp Microsoft kicked off back in March 2026. Back then, the company vowed to trim memory usage, speed up File Explorer navigation, and make the Start menu and Search feel more responsive.
To tackle complaints about Windows feeling slow, Microsoft even put together a dedicated team whose job is to replace resource-hungry web-wrapper apps with proper native Windows 11 apps.
Some of these changes are already rolling out, including customizable taskbar and Start menu options, the ability to turn off web search integration, and a Low Latency Profile feature designed to make apps launch faster.
Not Everyone’s Buying the 8GB RAM Claim
As nice as this all sounds, Microsoft’s insistence that 8GB of RAM is enough has raised eyebrows in the tech community. Why? Because real-world tests back in July showed Microsoft’s own 8GB Surface devices struggling to keep up choking during Microsoft Teams video calls and even freezing up while using Google Docs.
Reliability of regular updates is also still a sore spot. The August 2026 Windows 11 update, for instance, caused a mess that made several games crash and triggered random reboots.
Internally, Microsoft’s own guidelines say laptops should reach the Start screen in under 15 seconds (not counting BIOS boot time). Linton hasn’t shared exact numbers on how much faster booting will get this time around, but with millions of Windows 11 users worldwide still waiting for a smoother experience, any real improvement will be welcome news.
