How to fix the Windows 11 memory leak bug – Guide
Windows 11 Insiders detected a memory leak in the new operating system’s File Explorer. For some users, this seems to have been carried over to the final edition of the newest operating system from Microsoft, which means that many users are stuck with their RAM refusing to give up the memory allocated to File Explorer, even after all instances have been stopped. This can become a significant issue for users who don’t turn off their PCs at night, especially those with minimal memory kits, causing system slowdowns and unresponsiveness until memory is finally freed up. Users will have to figure out their own solutions until Microsoft releases an official patch for the memory leak. The leak is still visible in the latest version of the Windows 11 Dev channel Insider Preview, which is version 22471.1000. how to check for a memory leak from Windows 11 File Explorer and what to do about it so your PC doesn’t turn into a huge RGB-laden potato overnight.
Check your system for a memory leak
To check if the memory leak is affecting your Windows 11 system, press Win+R, paste resmon in the box that pops up, and press Enter. This will open the Resource Monitor, which will help you determine how much of your PC’s RAM (or physical memory) is being used by certain processes at any given time. Go to the Memory tab and sort by largest Commit (KB); there you will see which processes are taking up the most physical memory. Before doing anything else, confirm that the correct total amount of physical memory is displayed at the bottom. It should equal the total system RAM you have installed – otherwise you may be examining a hardware issue. If your totals are correct, spamming Win+E should now bring explorer.exe to the top of the list, depending on how many other memory intensive processes you are running. Mark it under Processes so you don’t lose it and note how much memory was committed to it before the next step. If it crashes and restarts the process itself, you will have to restart this step. Otherwise, close all instances of File Explorer you’ve opened (just right-click the folder icon on the taskbar and select Close all windows). The commit number should decrease as memory automatically frees up for other programs to use. If the cache memory doesn’t free up or shrinks just a little before stopping for an extended period of time, your system has likely fallen victim to a Windows 11 File Explorer memory leak. Be sure to record the issue in the Feedback Center to bring it to Microsoft’s attention. Fortunately, there are a few options to help you until Microsoft releases an official fix, though. The first one you can do now.
Revert to Windows 10
If you just updated, you can always revert back to Windows 10. This will remain an option on the Windows Update tab in the settings for 10 days after the change, before your previous OS version is removed for free up disk space. If moving forward with Windows 11, you can try manually freeing the cache memory through Task Manager.
Manually free up RAM
This is not the most practical solution, but it is the most immediate. go for free up the space you need to take the next steps if your system memory is maximizing and shrinking up. First, do a trusted Ctrl + Alt + Del on the keyboard or right-click on the Windows logo in the taskbar and open the Task Manager. Then find Windows Explorer in your process list, right-click and select Restart. this should free up the memory resources kept for now, but it’s not a final fix by any means. You’ll have to remember to do this regularly if you don’t shut down your PC too much, which can be time-consuming and downright inconvenient.
Third Party Software Solutions
In the future, there are some software solutions that can automatically release up cache your data so you don’t have to remember to do this manually, like CleanMem or EmptyStandbyList. The Razer Cortex even has a similar feature. Keep in mind, however, that there will always be risks associated with downloading third-party software to resolve your issues. Even if you can confirm that the software you have chosen does not contain malware, there is a possibility that it could use up more RAM than the problem you are trying to fix. Users have even reported being banned from certain games because memory cleaning software was mistaken for cheatware. As such, we recommend the manual cleaning method until Microsoft comes up with something viable.
Final note
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