A Windows 11 machine that has started to drag may be weighed down by background services you have no use for. This guide covers four of them: the Windows AI Fabric Service (WSAIFabricSvc), Delivery Optimization, the DiagTrack telemetry service and the Xbox services. On some systems, shutting down the AI Fabric Service by itself has released roughly 5GB of memory.
Adjust only one service at a time, and reboot after every change. If anything stops working, you’ll be able to pinpoint the responsible change and switch it back on.
How background services drag down performance
Common symptoms are sluggish web browsing, stuttering as you navigate File Explorer, and files that now take around twice as long to open. Shutting down open apps is the natural first move. However, Windows also runs services behind the scenes that you rarely notice, and some of them eat up significant memory, disk activity or bandwidth.
Because few users ever look at these services, a resource-hungry one can keep running unnoticed for months. Some of them are safe to disable, while others are better tuned than shut off entirely.
Rein in Delivery Optimization
Delivery Optimization is a peer-to-peer feature built into Windows. Rather than pulling everything directly from Microsoft’s servers, your computer grabs parts of Windows updates and Microsoft Store apps from other PCs on your local network or across the internet, and it sends parts back to them as well.
The goal is quicker downloads, but there are trade-offs:
- It eats into your upload bandwidth by passing updates along to other computers.
- It builds up a cache on your drive.
- Many users saw its RAM consumption balloon in late 2025. Microsoft cut back its memory use in a spring 2026 update.
There’s no need for your computer to function as a miniature update server for other devices. Even if you’d prefer to keep the feature on, you can tweak the Delivery Optimization settings to reduce how much it shares.
Switch off the telemetry service (DiagTrack)
DiagTrack, formally the Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service, gathers information about how you use Windows and transmits it to Microsoft. This includes device performance, app usage and system errors, which Microsoft relies on to fix bugs and refine Windows.
As a system service, DiagTrack is always running, and at times it can trigger CPU or disk activity. Of all the services covered here, it is the lightest on resources. Disabling it mainly means Windows records less of your activity, and older computers see reduced disk activity.
Turn off the Xbox services if you don’t rely on them for gaming
Four Xbox services ship with Windows 11:
- Xbox Accessory Management Service
- Xbox Live Auth Manager
- Xbox Live Game Save
- Xbox Live Networking Service
Each is configured as Manual, meaning it launches only when something calls on it, so the effect on performance is minor. Still, on a low-end PC, every service you cut makes a difference.
If you use Xbox features, don’t touch them. Game Pass, cloud saves and Xbox controllers all depend on these services to function correctly. If you game on your PC but never use any Xbox features, all four can be disabled.
Shut down the Windows AI Fabric Service (WSAIFabricSvc)
Appearing as WSAIFabricSvc, the Windows AI Fabric Service handles the on-device AI features and component integrations in Windows 11. Features including Recall, Click to Do and Live Captions rely on it.
Of the four, this service offers the best chance of reclaiming a big chunk of memory. In July 2026, a user posting on Microsoft’s Q&A forum said eight of these processes were occupying about 5GB of RAM while their computer was idle. Once the service was stopped, that memory was released immediately.
There are two points worth noting:
- The service is found mainly on Copilot+ PCs, which include an NPU (a chip designed for AI workloads). If your computer isn’t a Copilot+ PC, it may not be present.
- According to the same report, disabling Recall does not fix the issue. The service itself must be stopped.
Be aware that stopping the service could also disable the AI features that rely on it, including Recall, Click to Do and Live Captions.
Disabling these services safely
Most of these services can be switched off in the Services app. Delivery Optimization is the exception: rather than disabling it in Services, you adjust it through its own settings.
- Choose a single service from this guide and change it.
- Reboot your PC.
- Use the computer as usual for a while and judge whether it runs faster.
- If anything breaks or behaves oddly, re-enable the service.
- Only proceed to the next service once you’re satisfied with the previous change.
These four aren’t the only services capable of slowing down a PC, so something else could be responsible on your system. Once your services are in order, you can squeeze out additional performance by lowering CPU usage.
Frequently asked questions
Will disabling Recall stop the Windows AI Fabric Service from consuming RAM?
No. The user who flagged the issue said switching off Recall made no difference. Stopping the service is what released the memory.
Could turning off the Xbox services break my games?
Yes, if you rely on Xbox features. Game Pass, cloud saves and Xbox controllers all need these services to function correctly.
Does Delivery Optimization still hog memory?
Microsoft trimmed its memory use in a spring 2026 update. Because it still consumes upload bandwidth and drive space for its cache, it’s still worth limiting through its settings.
Is the AI Fabric Service on every Windows 11 PC?
No. It mainly appears on Copilot+ PCs equipped with an NPU.