Windows 11 Runs on 128MB of RAM in New Technical Experiment

Developer NTDEV has managed to run Windows 11 26H2 on just 128MB of RAM, significantly below the official 4GB minimum requirement set by Microsoft.

November 3, 2026, 02:30 PM·1 views

Photo: Tom

Developer NTDEV has successfully launched Windows 11 26H2 using only 128MB of RAM. This figure represents 3.125% of the 4GB minimum requirement officially set by Microsoft for the operating system.

The developer noted that the system operates at a very slow speed, characterizing the project as a technical experiment rather than a functional solution for legacy hardware.

NTDEV has a history of similar projects. In 2023, the developer ran Windows 11 with 176MB of RAM, though that version lacked a standard desktop environment and relied on an IDE storage interface.

Last month, the developer introduced a build using the upcoming Pico11 tool. This version fits into a 699 811 840-byte ISO file and supports basic applications like Notepad, Paint, and Settings.