The biggest monster was hidden: Microsoft Teams' chat integration. It lived inside File Explorer, sipping 400 MB just to show a contact icon. A quick registry tweak ( HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced ) and a new DWORD called TaskbarMn set to 0 killed it.
She opened Task Manager. Under the "Memory" column, a quiet horror stared back: .
Then came the real battle: services.
Next, she opened Settings > System > Notifications. "Tips and suggestions" was on. So were "Show me the Windows welcome experience" and "Get me occasional fun facts." She turned them off. Fun facts aren't fun at 90% RAM.
She opened Task Manager.
She left the Task Manager pinned to her taskbar anyway. Just in case.
Finally, she opened Edge (yes, Edge) and turned on "Efficiency mode" and "Sleeping tabs." Chrome was a memory vampire. reduce ram usage windows 11
"Alright, ghost," she whispered to the machine. "Let's exorcise you."