Windows 11 Low Latency Profile Lands in KB5089573 Update

Microsoft has started pushing out KB5089573, an optional update for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 that quietly switches on a feature called the Low Latency Profile (LLP, a power-management trick that briefly drives the processor to full speed during short tasks). The company says it can make flyouts open up to 70% faster and cut app launch times by about 40%.

It is also the first shipped piece of Windows K2, Microsoft’s multi-year campaign to undo the slowness, clutter, and reliability gripes that have trailed Windows 11 since its 2021 launch. The speed gain is real, but it comes from making the chip sprint for a second or two, not from removing whatever made the menus feel slow in the first place.

What KB5089573 Puts on Your PC

The update landed on May 26, 2026, as a preview ahead of the June security release, and it carries build numbers 26200.8524 for 25H2 and 26100.8524 for 24H2. Microsoft files the headline change under a plain heading in the May 26 KB5089573 release notes, where the Low Latency Profile hides behind a single line about general performance.

The rest of the package is a grab bag of smaller fixes and additions that the same release bundles in:

• Task Manager NPU columns, giving better visibility into the Neural Processing Unit (NPU, the dedicated AI chip on newer PCs), with new optional readouts for engine activity and dedicated or shared memory.
• Shared Audio, which lets two people listen to the same audio from one PC over Bluetooth LE Audio.
• Windows Search now surfacing results after you type as few as two characters.
• Reliability work on File Explorer, the sign-in and lock screens, theme switching in Settings, and touch gestures.
• A Windows Hello change that makes face or fingerprint the default sign-in method every time once it is set up.

How the Low Latency Profile Speeds Things Up

The idea is simple enough to explain at a kitchen table. When Windows notices an interaction that might otherwise stutter, it tells the processor to jump straight to its top clock speed for a brief window, finish the work, then drop back to normal. There is no slider in Settings, no toggle, and no notification when it fires.

The CPU Burst in Plain Terms

Instead of letting the chip ramp up gradually the way it normally does, LLP applies a short blast of maximum frequency lasting one to three seconds. That covers the exact moments people notice lag the most: opening the Start menu, triggering Search, launching an app, or popping a context menu. The table below shows where the gains land.

Why Race to Idle Matters on Laptops

The counterintuitive part is power. A chip that sprints and then sleeps can use less energy than one that crawls through the same task at a low clock for longer, a principle engineers call race to idle. People familiar with the feature’s testing say the battery and thermal hit is minimal because each burst is so short, often a fraction of a second, and the processor returns to deep idle faster once the work is done. On a thermally cramped fanless laptop the math gets less forgiving, but for most machines the spikes are too brief to move the temperature needle.

The Sluggishness That Led to Windows K2

None of this would matter if Windows 11 felt fast to begin with. It often does not, and Microsoft knows it. Context menus that hesitate, a File Explorer that pauses before drawing a folder, and a Start menu that lags on perfectly capable hardware became running jokes among enthusiasts long before this update existed.

Windows K2 is the internal answer to that reputation. It is not a single release but an ongoing quality push, with Microsoft signaling it wants the fundamentals fixed across current and future versions by around 2027. The effort breaks into three stated pillars:

• Performance, the top priority, covering the slow shell elements, File Explorer, and gaming that Microsoft admits it let slip.
• Craft, the user-experience track, which includes bringing back missing favorites such as a movable, resizable taskbar.
• Community, a push to rebuild goodwill through Insider meetups and engineers who answer feedback directly in public.

Seen through that lens, the Low Latency Profile is the reckoning made visible. It is the first concrete deliverable a regular user can feel, shipped to prove the cleanup is more than a slogan. The catch is what it admits: the fastest way Microsoft found to make Windows feel responsive was to spend extra silicon, not to slim down the software.

Why Critics Called It a Band-Aid

When word of the feature first leaked from Insider builds, a chunk of the community was unimpressed. The complaint was blunt: papering over slow code by overclocking the CPU in short bursts treats the symptom, not the disease. If the Start menu needs a power surge to open quickly, the argument went, the menu itself is the problem.

Microsoft pushed back, hard. Scott Hanselman, a vice president and member of technical staff at the company, defended the approach by pointing out that macOS, Linux, and mobile operating systems already lean on similar hardware scheduling to keep interfaces feeling smooth. The official framing in the release notes is studiously modest:

This update accelerates app launch and core shell experiences such as Start menu, Search, and Action Center.

That one sentence is doing a lot of quiet work. It promises a faster feel without claiming the underlying code got lighter, and it leaves the CPU mechanics entirely out of the user-facing copy. For people on budget laptops and handhelds, the practical result is what counts, and early hands-on testing suggests cheaper machines genuinely feel snappier with the profile active.

The unresolved tension is trust. There is no visible control, no way to see when the boost fires, and no clear opt-out, which leaves users relying on Microsoft’s word that the power cost stays negligible. For a company trying to win back enthusiasts through the Community pillar of its own cleanup plan, shipping an invisible feature with no toggle is an odd opening move.

How to Install the Update and Force the Profile On

Getting KB5089573 is the easy part. Because Microsoft uses a Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR, a staged switch that activates features for a subset of devices at a time), installing the update does not guarantee the profile turns on. Some machines get the bits without the boost until Microsoft flips the switch remotely.

1. Open Settings, then go to Windows Update.
2. Select Advanced options, then Optional updates.
3. Choose KB5089573 and install it, then restart when prompted.

If your build reads 26200.8524 or 26100.8524 or newer, you are eligible. Whether the profile is live is a separate question, and there is no indicator in Settings to confirm it either way.

Impatient users can force it on with the ViVeTool feature-flag utility on GitHub, an unofficial community tool that flips hidden Windows flags from the command line. Microsoft does not endorse or support that route, so the trade-off is immediate access against the risk of toggling a feature the company is still staging for stability. Most people lose nothing by waiting for the automatic rollout, which widens as the change folds into the next Patch Tuesday.

If the Low Latency Profile holds up across the messy reality of millions of mixed-spec PCs, it buys Microsoft credibility for the harder K2 work still queued behind it. If the power-draw complaints turn out to have teeth on thin-and-light machines, the first thing users will demand is the toggle Microsoft chose not to ship.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Low Latency Profile in Windows 11?

It is a power-management feature that briefly drives the CPU to its maximum clock speed for one to three seconds when Windows detects a quick interaction, such as opening the Start menu or launching an app. The goal is to remove the moment of lag before the task finishes, then return the processor to its normal state.

How do I install KB5089573?

Open Settings, go to Windows Update, then Advanced options, then Optional updates, and select KB5089573 to install it manually. It is currently an optional preview update and is expected to reach all users when it rolls into the next Patch Tuesday security release.

Does the Low Latency Profile drain laptop battery?

Microsoft and people familiar with the feature say the impact is minimal because each boost lasts only milliseconds to three seconds, and the chip returns to idle faster after finishing the task. On thermally constrained fanless laptops the effect could be slightly more noticeable, but for most machines the bursts are too short to materially change battery life or temperature.

Why is the feature not working after I installed the update?

Microsoft uses a Controlled Feature Rollout, so installing KB5089573 does not automatically switch the profile on. The company enables it for a subset of devices at a time to monitor stability, and there is no setting that confirms whether it is active on your PC.

Is it safe to enable the profile with ViVeTool?

ViVeTool is a widely used community tool, but it is not supported by Microsoft, and forcing on a feature that is still being staged carries some risk. If you prefer to avoid unsupported changes, waiting for the automatic rollout is the safer option since the feature is already shipping to eligible devices.

Which Windows 11 versions support the Low Latency Profile?

The feature is available for eligible Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 devices running build 26100.8524 or 26200.8524 or newer. Older Windows 11 versions and Windows 10 are not part of this rollout.