Windows 11 has been shrunk to a 3.3GB install size but even the developer believes you should think twice before installing it
According to the official requirements, Microsoft says you should have 64GB of storage space on hand as a minimum before you install Windows 11, with the average install size ranging around the 20-27 GB mark. However, this hasn't stopped developer NTDEV from pushing the OS to its limits with the release of the first beta of Tiny11 core, a miniature version of Windows 11 contained within a 2GB ISO that creates a miniscule 3.3GB install.
According to Tom's Hardware, the developer has previously focused their efforts on minimising the memory footprint of the latest version of Microsoft's OS, but this new core version is designed to shrink the disk space usage to the absolute minimum. Previous versions of Tiny11 managed to cut this requirement down to the 8GB mark, but this new beta proves there's a lot more fat that can be cut (or in this case, compressed) from Windows 11 while still leaving it in some sort of usable state.
This impressive outcome was achieved by judicious use of LZX disk compression, and while the end result seems to be somewhat functional the process has unsurprisingly affected a lot of features along the way, including Microsoft Edge, Recovery Agent, Windows Defender and Windows Update.
As a result the developer is quick to point out that Tiny11 core should not be viewed as a replacement for previous versions, referring to it as a «quick-and-dirty testbed» rather than something you should be thinking about installing on a primary machine. There are a lot of security features that have been left in an altered state, and as a result it should make anyone thinking about trying it for themselves reconsider whether it's a good idea.
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