Microsoft is giving some default Windows 11 apps a major performance boost – and you could feel the payoff soon

Microsoft is promising some major performance improvements when it comes to Windows 11 apps, specifically those that are based on Windows App SDK technology, such as Photos for example.

This comes courtesy of a change that Windows Latest spotted in the support document for the latest Windows App SDK preview release, which mentions a new improvement in ‘native AOT (Ahead-Of-Time) compilation’ support.

Testing indicates that this feature could make apps load 50% faster and also use less memory, saving your precious system resources. It should mean that apps based on Windows App SDK, like Photos and Phone Link in Windows 11, will run better in general as well as loading more swiftly. It’ll also have benefits in terms of app packages apparently being eight times smaller.

If you’re wondering exactly what Windows App SDK is, it’s a collection of tools (SDK stands for Software Development Kit) that helps developers make Windows apps with the newest features while working with older Windows software frameworks (like Win32). 

Better performance for a bunch of apps before too long

These improvements may take some time to be realized, though, as we’ll have to wait for Microsoft to adopt WinAppSDK 1.6 with native AOT, and for third-party developers to update their software (which I hope they do pretty soon).

When that happens, the results should be pretty eye-opening, at least going by Microsoft’s early testing. As Windows Latest observes, almost all apps built with Windows App SDK are hit by sluggish launch times, and they can also be unresponsive in terms of slowdowns when loading animations, or even when just interacting with the interface.

Overall, these improvements in the pipeline are great news for Windows 11 users, as they promise apps that perform more smoothly all around, as well as loading more quickly. Although it may take some time for these updates to roll out, as noted, the benefits of native AOT support will eventually translate into a noticeable improvement in the day-to-day performance of essential Windows 11 apps like Photos and Phone Link.

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Kristina is a UK-based Computing Writer, and is interested in all things computing, software, tech, mathematics and science. Previously, she has written articles about popular culture, economics, and miscellaneous other topics.

She has a personal interest in the history of mathematics, science, and technology; in particular, she closely follows AI and philosophically-motivated discussions.