Windows 11 will use less RAM for searching in Explorer

Microsoft has announced improvements to the search engine in Windows 11 File Explorer, aimed at improving performance and reducing RAM consumption. This is reported by Windows Latest. The update appeared in the test version of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7523, which is available in the Dev and Beta channels and is gradually being deployed in the manual inclusion format.

The key changes concern the file indexing process. Previously, the system could index the same paths several times, which led to an unnecessary load on resources and slowing down the explorer. Now Windows uses a single consolidated index that ignores duplicates. This approach should provide faster file searches and at the same time reduce RAM usage when working with the file system.

In the release notes, Microsoft also notes that a number of reliability issues with the explorer have been fixed and interaction with both system and additional drives has been optimized. According to the developers, these changes will positively affect the overall stability and responsiveness of Explorer, especially in scenarios with frequent searches in different folders or on multiple drives.

The updated search is now being rolled out in a controlled mode and requires manual activation, but users may notice improvements in Explorer. After the testing phase is complete, the feature is planned to be enabled by default and gradually integrated into stable builds of Windows 11.