- Windows 11 has an unconfirmed memory leak.
- The memory leak is caused by a bug in File Explorer.
- You can mitigate the problem by restarting the Windows Explorer service.
If you upgrade to Windows 11 (version 21H2), you may experience a community-known memory leak problem that could negatively affect your experience. On October 5, Microsoft has officially begun the gradual rollout of the new OS on computers that meet the new system requirements. However, it appears that the final version has a memory leak causing devices to run out of RAM in some instances.
According to a new report from PCGamer (via Windows Central), Windows 11 has a memory leak bug, and File Explorer is the application to blame.
In a nutshell, “memory leak” describes the event when a system or application process refuses to release the portion of memory that it’s using, causing problems like slow down or system lock.
The bug in File Explorer isn’t new. Reddit user gyrohan269 pointed out this problem a few months back when Windows 11 was still in development.
The article from PCGamer says that they performed a test with build 22000.194, which is the final build rolling out to users, and they were able to replicate the problem successfully, further confirming the bug leak.
Microsoft hasn’t officially acknowledged the problem, and even though it does not seem to affect many computers, it’s a serious problem that should not have been part of the final release.
If you plan to upgrade to Windows 11, you should know that it is never a good idea to install a new version of any operating system immediately after its release because of possible issues like this memory leak problem, compatibility, and other issues.
In the case that you upgraded to Windows 11 and the computer is experiencing this bug, you can mitigate this problem by restarting the Windows Explorer (explorer.exe) service or the computer.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].