Windows 11 gets a speed boost similar to macOS

Microsoft is currently testing a new speed boost feature in Windows 11 that is designed to improve app launch times and make things like the Start menu more responsive. This feature, said to be called “Low Latency Profile,” will increase the CPU frequency in short bursts to improve the speed of menus, bulletins, apps, and more — just like how macOS handles similar tasks.

Windows 11 testers have been trying out the new, unannounced feature over the past week, and have noticed significant improvements in the speed of launching File Explorer or the Start menu, as well as apps like Outlook, the Microsoft Store, and Paint.

Windows Central Reports This new boost mode could lead to up to 40 percent faster launch times for Microsoft’s own apps, and up to 70 percent faster for the Start menu and context menus throughout Windows 11. While early results look promising, some online commenters have said criticize Microsoft for using CPU bursts to improve its operating system, which caught the attention of a Microsoft executive.

Scott Hanselman, technical VP of CoreAI, GitHub and Windows, defended Microsoft’s speed-boosting changes in Windows 11 over the weekend, noting in a Share on X That “your smartphone already does this” and that Microsoft isn’t cheating by temporarily boosting CPU clocks. Microsoft uses a common practice, used by macOS and Linux, of dynamically scaling the CPU to prioritize interactive tasks. “Apple is doing this and you’ll all love it.” Hanselmann said. “Let Windows cook.”