NTDEV, the developer behind the Tiny11 project, says they have booted Windows 11 26H2 on a system with just 128MB of RAM. In a YouTube video, the developer demonstrated a stripped-down installation that can reach the desktop, open File Explorer and the Start menu, and run Notepad.
The test uses 3.125% of Windows 11’s stated 4GB minimum memory requirement. NTDEV described the system as painfully slow, making the result a technical demonstration rather than a practical setup for daily use. The developer has not provided a detailed list of the components removed or disabled.
NTDEV has previously explored similar limits. In 2023, the developer ran Windows 11 with 176MB of RAM after trimming system components, drivers and background services. That test used an IDE storage interface to limit the drivers needed and did not retain the standard desktop environment.
Another recent experiment used the upcoming Pico11 tool to create a Windows 11 ISO of 699,811,840 bytes. That build booted to a functional desktop and ran Calculator, Settings, Notepad and Paint in a virtual machine with 4GB of allocated RAM; the operating system used around 883MB.
These experiments demonstrate how much of Windows 11 can be removed while preserving some basic functions. The trade-offs include reduced functionality, possible compatibility problems and severely degraded performance.
Sources: Tom's Hardware.