Windows 11 24H2 speeds up file copying by up to 94% — but there are nuances

The Windows 11 24H2 update makes the ReFS file system available on regular computers. Previously, it was used in Windows Server.

Amidst the excitement surrounding the current rollout of the Windows 11 2024 update, one feature has caught the attention of the developer community and even Windows Latest — the addition of ReFS Block Cloning.

ReFS first appeared in Windows on July 11, with build 25276 for developers. Microsoft introduced the Resilient File System in 2012. Unlike NTFS, ReFS cannot be used to install an operating system — it is focused on servers and file storage.

The form factor in which ReFS and its block cloning feature are presented in Windows 11 is called Dev Drive. According to statistics provided by Microsoft in a May 21 blog post, Dev Drive with block cloning provides an 18% improvement in copy speed for a 1MB file and an incredible 94% for 1GB files (92% for 10GB).

ReFS can also further improve performance in a variety of ways, especially when using SSDs and HDDs. It allows you to organize storage with automatically managed «Performance» and «Capacity» levels for users who need to maximize speed and file storage.

Other features of ReFS include integrated backup and integrity checking, which eliminates the need for manual disk verification as the file system does it automatically. ReFS is also more resilient to damage by isolating and deleting only corrupted data when a volume is damaged. This allows you to save most, if not all, of your data if the problem is not too serious. Windows 11’s support for ReFS seems like a significant improvement, but without a server-like multi-disk file storage array, it will be of minimal use.

Source: Tom`s Hardware