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If you're using a budget-friendly Windows 11 PC, Microsoft is treating you to a free performance boost.
Microsoft has just rolled out its latest update, dubbed KB5101684, to Windows 11 users worldwide, and it's packed with improvements aimed at making your PC feel snappier and more dependable.
The software changes are ideal if you own a PC with 8GB of RAM or less. RAM is your computer's short-term memory. It makes it snappier for your PC to quickly load — or reload — applications or files that you've recently accessed. The more you have, the faster your Windows 11 device will be at certain everyday tasks.
However, with KB5101684, Microsoft wants to ensure Windows 11 performs better on machines with limited RAM, and this patch is meant to deliver on that promise. From speedier logins to faster jumping between browser tabs, it's designed to feel like it's running as well as it did on its first day out of the box.
A major standout fix targets explorer.exe, which is the core process behind your desktop, file browser, and taskbar. After installing the update, you should find that opening Jump Lists — handy menus that pop up when you right-click an app on your taskbar — and accessing recent files feels noticeably quicker.
Sharing documents and folders with others has also been made more reliable.
And if you're someone who uses Task View to juggle multiple virtual desktops, switching between them should now feel smoother too. It's perfect if you're balacing persona and work desktops.
The lock screen and sign-in experience has also been given a boost, and this is where you might really notice the difference. Previously, logging into your PC could feel painfully slow when system memory was stretched thin, but now it should run much more quickly, regardless of how much memory you have left.
On top of that, the Start menu and taskbar are meant to load faster when you power up your computer. It's a small change, but it can make a real difference to how responsive your PC feels from the moment you switch it on.
Microsoft has also reworked how Windows tidies up after installing updates. This same process used to take up memory resources, leaving your PC feeling sluggish right after updating. Now, it's supposed to be far lighter on your system.
Beyond that, Microsoft has also made app search smarter — it now handles typos and partial names much better when you're hunting for installed apps. If you have a touchscreen, the system tray is meant to load more reliably when using a tablet-style setup.
If you want to take advantage of Microsoft's updates, you'll need to make sure your PC is already updated to Windows 11.
If you missed the memo, the US tech firm pulled the plug on its immensely popular Windows 10 operating system late last year, marking the end of a decade of support.
For those who haven't taken action to update their devices, you're leaving yourself vulnerable to an increased risk of malware, ransomware, cyberattacks, and worse. That's because, without regular security updates and bug fixes from Microsoft, there's nothing to stop criminals from exploiting vulnerabilities unearthed within the operating system.
If you're looking to ensure you get vital security updates, Microsoft has quietly given Windows 10 users a welcome lifeline, stretching its Extended Security Update (ESU) programme by an extra year. The new deadline is now October 12, 2027, rather than the original October 2026 cutoff.
However, this won't give you access to system updates and new features as mentioned above.
