Microsoft’s new Media Player for Windows 11 replaces Groove Music and the legacy Windows Media Player as the default media hub. Early testing shows it idles at roughly 377MB of RAM, a jump from the classic player’s 103 MB, meaning it consumes about 3.5 times more memory while doing nothing. The larger footprint raises concerns for low‑end PCs.

Performance tests from Windows Latest report a 50 percent increase in file‑open latency: the new player needs about three seconds to launch a local video versus two seconds for its predecessor. Beyond speed, Microsoft now requires the paid HEVC Video Extensions app to decode H.265 streams, and the upcoming 24H2 update strips the built‑in AC‑3 (Dolby Digital) codec, forcing users to purchase or install third‑party solutions.

Because the classic player remains available as an optional component, power users can revert if the new app’s resource use or codec fees prove unacceptable. Many recommend free alternatives like VLC, which bundle required codecs and avoid Microsoft’s paywalls. On Windows 11 systems today, the default Media Player now imposes higher memory consumption and extra costs for common video formats.