performance upgrade for Azure Windows 11 Virtual Machine

Question

performance upgrade for Azure Windows 11 Virtual Machine

RMA 20

Hi,

I am a freelance consultant and use an Azure VM as my main workstation via RDP.

Current VM:

Region: Australia East

OS: Windows 11 Enterprise

Size: Standard D2as v4 2 vCPUs, 8 GiB RAM

OS disk: 127 GiB, Standard SSD LRS

I work on this VM 40–50 hours per week running:

CRM app (installed, not via a browser) connected to MS 365, Adobe and Outlook
Google Drive
MS 365 apps
Outlook

Adobe Acrobat Reader

Multiple browser tabs

With several apps open the VM feels slow (launching apps, switching windows, general responsiveness).

I want to improve performance without a big cost increase, ideally in stages, so I can stop once performance is acceptable. Specifically, whether it makes sense to first upgrade the OS disk to Premium SSD before considering resizing VM.

I am not very technical, so very clear steps would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Ankit Yadav 6,345 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-03T11:17:15.4333333+00:00

Hello @RMA , You can enable Accelerated Networking for your VM's NIC if it's not already enabled. This won't be impactful for your VM cost as much as resizing the VMs or OS disk to better/bigger size.

Accelerated Networking has the following benefits: -Lower latency and higher packets per second. Removing the virtual switch from the data path eliminates the time that packets spend in the host for policy processing. It also increases the number of packets that the VM can process. -Reduced jitter. Processing time for virtual switches depends on the amount of policy to apply and the workload of the CPU that does the processing. Offloading policy enforcement to the hardware removes that variability by delivering packets directly to the VM. Offloading also removes the host-to-VM communication, all software interrupts, and all context switches. -Decreased CPU utilization. Bypassing the virtual switch in the host leads to less CPU utilization for processing network traffic.

For more details, see: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/accelerated-networking-overview?tabs=redhat#benefits

To know how to enable it, see here for the detailed steps to do it: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/manage-accelerated-networking?tabs=portal#manage-accelerated-networking-on-existing-vms

If "Accelerated Networking" is already enabled and you still see the slowness in the VM performance, then the next path will be to try out upgrading the OS disk from SSD to Premium SSDs and if that also doesn't help you can explore out resizing VMs to bigger VM sizes.

See here on how to upgrade your OS-Disk from SSD to premium SSD: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/disks-convert-types?tabs=azure-powershell#convert-premium-ssd-v2-disks

See here on how to upgrade your VM size: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/resize-vm?tabs=portal#change-the-vm-size

Let me know if my shared suggestions helped out to clarify your query, if there are any follow-up queries, do let me know in the comments.
Ankit Yadav 6,345 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-04T19:29:23.17+00:00

Hello @RMA ,

just wanted to check if you had a chance to review the response I shared earlier. Let me know if it helped clear things up!
RMA 20 Reputation points

2025-12-05T20:51:09.4233333+00:00

Hi Ankit, Yes I did thanks it is helpful. Accelerated networking was already switched on. I upgraded the disk to premium SSD and there is an improvement. I am going to test it for a few days and decide if I need further performance improvements via resizing. If Yes, then I will probably come back to ask for more detailed guidance on the right VM size for my needs.

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Your answer

Ankit Yadav 6,345 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-04T19:29:23.17+00:00

Hello @RMA ,

just wanted to check if you had a chance to review the response I shared earlier. Let me know if it helped clear things up!
RMA 20 Reputation points

2025-12-05T20:51:09.4233333+00:00

Hi Ankit, Yes I did thanks it is helpful. Accelerated networking was already switched on. I upgraded the disk to premium SSD and there is an improvement. I am going to test it for a few days and decide if I need further performance improvements via resizing. If Yes, then I will probably come back to ask for more detailed guidance on the right VM size for my needs.

Answer 1

To improve the performance of your Azure VM running Windows 11, you can consider the following steps:

Upgrade the OS Disk to Premium SSD: Since your current OS disk is a Standard SSD, upgrading to a Premium SSD can significantly enhance disk performance, which is crucial for launching applications and general responsiveness. This is a cost-effective first step that can lead to noticeable improvements without resizing the VM.
Monitor Performance: After upgrading the OS disk, monitor the performance of your VM. Check if the responsiveness improves when launching apps and switching windows. If you find it satisfactory, you may not need to proceed further.
Resize the VM: If you still experience slowness after upgrading the disk, consider resizing your VM. You might want to upgrade to a larger SKU with more vCPUs and RAM. For example, moving to a Standard D4as v4 (4 vCPUs, 16 GiB RAM) could provide a significant boost in performance. Azure Advisor can help you identify suitable sizes based on your usage metrics.
Enable Accelerated Networking: If your VM OS image supports it, enabling Accelerated Networking can improve network performance and reduce latency, which may also contribute to a better overall experience.

Steps to Upgrade the OS Disk:

Go to the Azure Portal.
Navigate to "Disks" and select your OS disk.
Choose "Size + Performance" and select the Premium SSD SKU.
Make sure your VM is stopped and deallocated before making changes.
After upgrading, restart your VM.

Steps to Resize the VM:

In the Azure Portal, go to "Virtual Machines" and select your VM.
Click on "Size" and review the available SKUs.
Choose a larger SKU and apply the changes. Again, ensure the VM is stopped and deallocated before resizing.

By following these steps, you can gradually improve the performance of your Azure VM without incurring significant costs all at once.

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performance upgrade for Azure Windows 11 Virtual Machine

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Steps to Upgrade the OS Disk:

Steps to Resize the VM:

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