techradar Windows 11 memory leak problem causes File Explorer to eat RAM

[ENTERPRISE]

  Quote

Windows 11 just launched for PCs and laptops which, according to Microsoft, is "a new era for the PC." However, there's trouble in this self stylized paradise as the OS is suffering from extensive memory leak issues caused by Windows File Explorer.

Expand  

Source

[Andrew]

Is this really a Windows 11 issue though? I've had this exact issue with 7 and 10 as well. Probably 8/8.1 too but that should be a forgotten part of Microsofts OS releases.

[Sir Beregond]

Hasn't Windows always been a big memory leak? 

[tictoc]

Is this even a bug?  explorer.exe is heavily integrated into everything, and from a non-Windows user, this just looks like typical OS caching.  If things are never evicted from memory it would be a problem, but unused memory is just wasted memory.  

[Andrew]

  On 07/10/2021 at 15:07, tictoc said:

Is this even a bug?  explorer.exe is heavily integrated into everything, and from a non-Windows user, this just looks like typical OS caching.  If things are never evicted from memory it would be a problem, but unused memory is just wasted memory.  

Expand  

I'd say it is a bug. I left file explorer open over night and it ended up using all 16GB of my RAM. My computer was sluggish until I restarted it.

[tictoc]

  On 07/10/2021 at 17:01, Andrew said:

I'd say it is a bug. I left file explorer open over night and it ended up using all 16GB of my RAM. My computer was sluggish until I restarted it.

Expand  

That's definitely a bug, and a true memory leak. How did a bug like that ever make it through QC and into the release version? Bugs happen, but this seems like a pretty obvious one. I'll have to fire up my Win 11 VM, and see if it's the same for one of the earlier betas.

[Andrew]

  On 07/10/2021 at 17:10, tictoc said:

That's definitely a bug, and a true memory leak. How did a bug like that ever make it through QC and into the release version? Bugs happen, but this seems like a pretty obvious one. I'll have to fire up my Win 11 VM, and see if it's the same for one of the earlier betas.

Expand  

Oh, I forgot to mention lol that was with Windows 10. I haven't tried this with Windows 11, plus I have double the RAM now. I'll leave file explorer open over night tonight to see if the same thing happens.

[mouacyk]

Nice, even M$ forgets to free some allocated pointers.

[Andrew]

  On 07/10/2021 at 17:34, Andrew said:

Oh, I forgot to mention lol that was with Windows 10. I haven't tried this with Windows 11, plus I have double the RAM now. I'll leave file explorer open over night tonight to see if the same thing happens.

Expand  

Update: Left file explorer open over night, RAM usage was 9.5/32GB, this morning it's at 9.7/32GB.

 

I really don't see that as an issue.

[ENTERPRISE]

  On 08/10/2021 at 07:13, Andrew said:

Update: Left file explorer open over night, RAM usage was 9.5/32GB, this morning it's at 9.7/32GB.

 

I really don't see that as an issue.

Expand  

For you, no. However from what I have read it seems situational, some have it and some do. I need to check if I am a victim lol.

[mouacyk]

  On 08/10/2021 at 13:38, ENTERPRISE said:

For you, no. However from what I have read it seems situational, some have it and some do. I need to check if I am a victim lol.

Expand  

Perhaps the leaks are per instance, so each additional instance multiplies the effect?

[tictoc]

  On 08/10/2021 at 15:20, mouacyk said:

Perhaps the leaks are per instance, so each additional instance multiplies the effect?

Expand  

 

The reports I read seem to support this idea. Memory usage goes up with every window that is opened, but then when the windows are closed, Windows fails to reclaim all the memory.

[Andrew]

I just tried that out, it started off with 7.9GB usage. It got up to 8.7GB and 58 windows open until I couldn't be bothered to open any more. RAM usage dropped to 8.5GB. Except in workspace environments, I don't see it as a problem and no one in a workspace environment is going to be on Windows 11 yet. Most of them are still on Windows 7.