Image: Windows
Want Windows 11 on a PC with paltry memory? You’re out of luck—unless you try Tiny11.
Tiny11 is a stripped-down custom build of Windows 11 that includes everything you need without all the extra bloatware that often comes with a regular Windows 11 install. It’s designed to run on less powerful computers, requiring a scant 8GB of storage (versus the usual 20GB for Windows 11) and just 2GB of RAM to run well. Somebody even got Tiny11 to run on just 200MB of RAM! That’s absolutely wild.
In the ASMR-esque video below (the speaker has such a calming voice), you’ll be taken through the various features Tiny11 offers.
Tiny11 is the brainchild of NTDev, who often experiments with the Windows operating system. For Tiny11 to work properly, NTDev had to cut out a ton of bloatware. According to PC Gamer’s Hope Corrigan, Tiny11 sucks up about 6.34GB of space while the rest is dominated by rather rudimentary apps like Notepad and Paint. There’s no Microsoft Edge either, which is a huge plus in my book.
While this project is definitely cool to use, you should really be aware of the potential risks. There’s no official support for Tiny11. That means it won’t automatically update and, due to Tiny11’s lightweight build, you’re just not going to have a ton of features at your disposal. A lot of non-core Windows 11 functions were stripped from this build, so things might get weird if you start poking around in the darkest corners of the operating system. That said, it’s still a fun thing for those who want a stripped-down OS with minimal footprint!
You can download Tiny11 here. If you need some help with the installation process, Tech Sanjeet has an awesome step-by-step tutorial on his YouTube channel.
Author: Ashley Biancuzzo, Associate Editor
Ashley is a professional writer and editor with a strong background in tech and pop culture. She has written for high traffic websites such as Polygon, Kotaku, StarWars.com, and Nerdist. In her off time, she enjoys playing video games, reading science fiction novels, and hanging out with her rescue greyhound.