Windows 11 Weather App Uses Up to 1.6 GB of RAM as Microsoft Pushes for Better 8 GB PC Support

Microsoft is trying to make Windows 11 more efficient on PCs with 8 GB of RAM, but its built in Weather app shows how much work remains.

Testing found that the Weather app can consume around 500 MB to 600 MB of memory while sitting mostly idle. When actively used, memory consumption can climb to roughly 1.5 GB, with brief spikes reaching around 1.6 GB.

On a PC with 8 GB of RAM, that means a single basic application can consume close to one fifth of the available memory. This can become a problem when Windows itself, a web browser and other background applications are already competing for the same limited capacity.

Windows Weather app memory usage

The difference becomes more noticeable when compared with the built in Weather application on macOS, which reportedly uses less than 250 MB of memory under similar basic conditions.

That comparison does not prove that both applications perform exactly the same work behind the scenes, but it does show that Microsoft's implementation has considerable room for optimization.

High memory use matters more on 8 GB systems

A computer with 32 GB of RAM can usually absorb a 1.5 GB application without creating an obvious performance problem.

The situation changes significantly on an 8 GB machine.

Once physical memory becomes limited, Windows can move less frequently used information into virtual memory on the SSD. This keeps applications running, but storage is much slower than system RAM. Frequent swapping can therefore make a computer feel less responsive.

That is especially important because 8 GB remains common in entry level Windows laptops and desktops.

Microsoft has recently emphasized improving Windows 11 efficiency for systems with this amount of memory. Reducing the operating system's memory footprint and optimizing built in applications would make those machines more usable without requiring buyers to move immediately to 16 GB configurations.

The Weather app currently works against that objective.

The app also includes advertising

Memory consumption is not the only criticism surrounding the Windows 11 Weather experience.

The application integrates content from Microsoft's online services and can display advertisements alongside forecasts and other information. That makes the resource usage harder to justify for people who simply want to check basic weather conditions.

The app's design also means that opening different views and interacting with elements such as the map can cause memory consumption to rise further.

For people who rarely use Weather, preventing it from operating in the background can reduce unnecessary resource consumption. Removing the application entirely is another option if you prefer to get forecasts elsewhere.

Microsoft still has time to improve the situation. Its wider Windows 11 optimization effort is ongoing, and individual applications can be updated separately from major operating system releases.

However, efficient built in software will be important if Microsoft wants 8 GB PCs to remain practical. A basic application consuming more than 1 GB of memory shows why improving Windows itself is only part of the job. The applications that ship with the operating system also need to use limited hardware resources more carefully.