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VirginiaCavalier's avatar
VirginiaCavalier
Iron Contributor
Feb 13, 2025

dwm.exe ram usage in Windows 11 24H2

"Desktop windows manager" ram usage hovers around 350MB and touches 500 MB often. Is this normal behavior? I think I've noticed this after yesterdays update.

My PC is not running Windows 11 (running windows 10 and dwm.exe hovers around 90 MB), can you please confirm what are ram usage for this process is like in your windows 11 system.

Application Management

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  • WyomingCowboy's avatar
    WyomingCowboy
    Iron Contributor
    Feb 17, 2025

    Windows 11, as a more modern operating system with a focus on visual effects and improved performance, generally uses more RAM than Windows 10. dwm.exe (Desktop Window Manager) plays a critical role in rendering the graphical user interface (GUI). This includes all those fancy animations, transparency effects (like the "Acrylic" effect), window transitions, and more. All these features require more RAM than Windows 10's interface.

  • Eavasin's avatar
    Eavasin
    Iron Contributor
    Feb 13, 2025

    If you're using a 4K display or multiple monitors, dwm.exe may use more RAM to manage the additional graphical workload.

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