The minimum RAM requirement to install the standard 64-bit edition of Windows 11 is 4 GB. Microsoft lists this alongside other baseline requirements, including a compatible 64-bit processor, 64 GB of storage, UEFI firmware, Secure Boot capability, and TPM 2.0.
The 4 GB figure is an installation minimum, not a recommendation for comfortable everyday use. Windows 11 can technically start with that amount, but multitasking, modern browsers, creative applications, and games generally benefit from substantially more memory. RAM requirements and practical performance are therefore different questions.
The requirement was a notable increase over Windows 10’s commonly cited minimum of 2 GB for 64-bit systems. It also helped define Windows 11 as a 64-bit-only consumer release: 32-bit processors are not supported. The processor must also meet Microsoft’s compatibility rules, so adding RAM alone does not make every older computer eligible.
A frequent mix-up involves Windows 11 IoT Enterprise editions. Some specialized IoT variants have different requirements, including a 2 GB minimum in certain configurations, but that exception does not change the standard Windows 11 desktop requirement.