Although Microsoft (MS) has been working hard to improve Windows 11 performance, it was revealed that its pre-installed weather app consumes over 1GB (gigabyte) of memory. Critics point out that on entry-level PCs equipped with 8GB of RAM, a single weather app can occupy nearly 20% of the total memory.
According to recent reports from overseas media such as NotebookCheck on the 11th, measurements of the Windows 11 default weather app's memory usage showed that it consumed more than 1.2GB of RAM even when simply displaying a weather forecast without any additional tasks.
In another test, the weather app used approximately 1GB of memory immediately after launch, dropping to around 500–600MB (megabytes) in idle mode. However, performing simple tasks such as zooming maps or scrolling the screen caused usage to surge to 1.5–1.6GB. On PCs with 8GB of RAM, this means a single weather app consumes about 20% of the total memory.
The difference is significant when compared to Apple's weather app for macOS. In the same test, the Apple weather app used less than 250MB of memory—about one-fifth the amount consumed by the Windows 11 weather app.
The high memory usage has been attributed to the app's development approach. The Windows 11 weather app is not a fully native application developed specifically for Windows but instead relies on Microsoft's "WebView2" technology, which executes web content as if it were an app. Since WebView2 utilizes the Chromium-based Edge engine, launching the app can trigger multiple subprocesses to run simultaneously, thereby increasing memory consumption.
While this may not pose a major issue on high-end PCs equipped with 32GB or more of RAM, it could become burdensome on PCs with only 8GB or 16GB of RAM. As available RAM becomes scarce, Windows may increasingly rely on part of the storage device as virtual memory, potentially slowing down system responsiveness.
Another factor fueling user dissatisfaction is the inclusion of advertisements within the weather app. Critics argue that a basic app designed for simple weather checks not only consumes excessive memory but also exposes users to ad and sponsored content.
These findings stand in contrast to Microsoft's recent optimization efforts for Windows 11. MS has been improving the performance of File Explorer and default apps, with particular focus on ensuring smooth operation even on low-spec PCs with 8GB of RAM. As Microsoft has announced plans to expand development of native Windows applications, it remains to be seen whether weather apps and other MSN-based apps will also be included in the overhaul.
in TECH
