Windows 11 Best Debloater

OldNavy · Aug 15, 2024

astralAlchemist,
See mexlexmark2 post. He has a link

astralAlchemist · Aug 15, 2024

OldNavy said:
astralAlchemist,
See mexlexmark2 post. He has a link

Oh! Thank you! Sorry

JesseRBassett · Aug 16, 2024

astralAlchemist said:
I've heard of it... where can I find a clean ISO?

www.windowsxlite.com

TM21 · Aug 16, 2024

Jesse just told you! Go to their web site, browse around and find the OS that will work for you.
There are actually many variations to choose from. All safe, and very Professionally done. I've tried many of them myself, and have had very good results, and never a problem. Many of the things that they have removed, can be easily re-installed.
If your motherboard BIOS is less than 12 years old, you can probably run the latest 24H2 version.

"Debloater" was the topic of this forum thread, and just this morning, I've spent an hour or two, doing some Debloating of my own.
But it was all just things that I've installed myself, thinking that I needed them. NOT SO. I have workarounds available to me, that I don't have to install into my SSD.

Oft times, we can be our own worse enemy, computer wise. We see a new program offering to fix our every PC problem, and we download and install it, and then it finds a b'zillion things wrong, but we have to BUY the danged program before it will perform the FIX. FAKE! PHONY! BOGUS!
They might actually fix a thing or two, but basically it's just a ruse to get our money.
Just Delete that program and move on! I just did that this morning with a program called "PC Cleanup". Or something like that! Arggg!

EaseUS Partition Manager is really a good program for HD management, but, it installs a Huge Amount of software, some of which will run forever in the background. Not Good! So I deleted it, using Revo Uninstaller. Then I found its Folders and files still resident on my HD! So I took ownership of those folders and files, with "Grant Admin Full Control" (like Take Ownership,only better) and then I just deleted them.
A clean SSD is a happy SSD!!! If I were still running a mechanical HD, I would now perform a "Defrag", which we DON'T even attempt on an SSD.

When I read of someone having trouble Debloating their PC, I just wish I could be there to help. It's what I used to do for a living.

Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear?

TM

pparks1 · Aug 16, 2024

I also highly recommend installing a virtual machine and playing and experimenting with basically all software in this environment. Learn what it does, learn how it installs, learn how it uninstalls and what it leaves behind, learn if it's something you even want.......but do it all in a throwaway environment. This is far better IMHO than installing it on your actual machine, deciding you don't want it and then scrambling trying to get rid of any evidence that it ever existed.

BrianInEngland · Aug 16, 2024

idgat said:
My gripe is not with the drive space recovered but with a bloated Start menu convoluted with icons for apps I don't want and/or will never use, half of which are not even installed programs but simply links to installations and/or web sites. A proper dog's breakfast.

Uninstalling unwanted apps has the added benefit of presenting a much less cluttered Start menu.

@OldNavy I much prefer to make my own selection at what stays and what goes, so rather than use generic debloaters, I use RevoUninstaller (and sometimes GeekUninstaller)

To use Revo
- install > Options > Uninstaller > untick Make a Systems Restore Point before uninstall, tick Checkmark all leftovers by default > OK
- Windows Apps tab
- select a program to be removed > double click
- uninstall, DO NOT RESTART EVEN IF PROMPTED
- select the Advanced option button
- run and indiscriminately remove ALL leftovers presented; do NOT pick and choose
- do this for both files, folders and registry entries
- when complete, now reboot (if previously prompted)
- app gone, clean as a whistle
- repeat for each app

PITA but much more effective than perfunctory command line option of Get-AppxPackage etc

Right-click the icon, click Uninstall, and *BOOM* it's gone. Took me all of 30 seconds to remove the apps I didn't want after clean installing

DennisG · Aug 16, 2024

kelper said:
I'm using X-lite after a suggestion from TechnoMage2021.
It's far faster than standard and it has everything I need. I added Brave browser. Added drivers for the fingerprint sensor and touchpad and it just works brilliantly. Total install is now 11GB. The printer and scanner work and I will rely on Windows Defender.

Using X-Lite W11_24H2 V4.1 in VMware. It just works. Just like Ghost for DOS. Listen to TechnoMage2021 - he knows what he is talking about.

Winuser · Aug 16, 2024

I use to use PC Decrapifier or a program with a similar name to remove all of the junk programs that the OEMs use to preinstall. Now I use Revo to remove any of the programs and apps I don't want. I wouldn't recommend removing or disabling any system files unless one knows for sure what they are doing.

OldNavy · Aug 16, 2024

Many thanks to all, some great information here. The X-lite goes very well in a VM so it will most likely be my next clean install.
Some of the royalty free music used in the X-lite videos is excellent.
Check out the song Guess I'll Never Know by TrrackTribe

idgat · Aug 16, 2024

BrianInEngland said:
Right-click the icon, click Uninstall, and *BOOM* it's gone. Took me all of 30 seconds to remove the apps I didn't want after clean installing

Yes, but very superficial. I prefer a deeper clean up/out

JesseRBassett · Aug 17, 2024

I also own a mid-2014 Mac mini with macOS and use Windows X Lite Windows 10 via VMware Fusion. It just works. :)

CanOWorms · Aug 22, 2024

The simplest, most foolproof, way to automate and de-bloat a clean install of Windows 10 or 11 is to go to this site and generate an autounattend.xml file to put into the root of your install media, either USB or DVD drive. The site has up to 48 apps that can be disabled, including OneDrive, Media Player, Cortana, X-box apps, etc. The only major omission is the Microsoft Edge browser which can be removed with this powershell script after installation. Please note that although this method disables a lot of bloat, some actual program directories, such as C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Media Player, wont actually be removed, although their 64-bit counterpart may be. The benefit of this method is you can use genuine Microsoft ISOs as a starting point rather than some sketchy Windows distro that someone has uploaded to the Internet and customize it the way you want. I also use MSMG Toolkit to add items like foreign language support, selected Windows updates, DotNet 3.5 and Direct X, among other things. Be advised, your mileage may vary and many of these debloat items may be re-installed by Windows Update, which is why I never use that service.

cramaboule · Nov 18, 2024

OldNavy said:
My win 11 install is getting on for 15 months old and i think it's time for a fresh install.
Can i have some recommendations on the best debloater to use these days?
Thank you
Rob

You can use this:

GitHub - cramaboule/Debloat_Windows11: Debloat Windows 11: remove, uninstall unnecessary windows 11 22H2, 23H2, 24H2 default programs, uninstall preinstalled apps

Debloat Windows 11: remove, uninstall unnecessary windows 11 22H2, 23H2, 24H2 default programs, uninstall preinstalled apps - cramaboule/Debloat_Windows11

github.com

C.

kelper · Nov 18, 2024

I suggest a look at Windows X-Lite. They offer a cut down version that works extremely well and is very fast. I use it on older systems. They have versions for Windows 11. It has only a few apps installed and updates from MSare suspended although you can enable if you wish. You can install the apps of your choice. The basic install is just a 2.5GB download and when installed uses only 4.5GB of space.

Home

windowsxlite.com

Taliseian · Nov 18, 2024

I would like to take the counterpoint to @kelper and advise you to stay away from Tiny 11 / Windows X-Lite.

I'll preface what I'm about to say with that I've only looked at both of these windows versions via a VM and I have not used them as a daily driver - honestly, because of below I won't use them as a daily driver.

It is far difficult, if not impossible, to get any updates for either of these OSes (please correct me if I'm wrong, but that was my experience with both of these). While they don't come every day, the critical updates that MS does send out help to keep your system secure (they are not the only way, but it goes a long way). From my limited experience, running Windows Update on either of these OSes either breaks the OS or it restores it to what it was before since these are primarily done after install via a script.

My personal advice is to install Windows as is, then remove the programs you don't use or don't want on your system and/or tweak it. While I'll admit it won't be as small or fast as Tiny 11 or X-Lite, you will be able to install any critical Windows updates immediately instead of waiting for the script writers to update their scripts and then either re-run them or be forced to do a complete install.

Again, this is my personal experience via a VM and not as a daily driver, so YMMV.

kelper · Nov 18, 2024

You are quite wrong. I have had no trouble updating X-Lite. You need to actually run this and not in a virtual machine before you dismiss it.

pseymour · Nov 18, 2024

Taliseian said:
It is far difficult, if not impossible, to get any updates for either of these OSes (please correct me if I'm wrong, but that was my experience with both of these).

kelper said:
You are quite wrong. I have had no trouble updating X-Lite. You need to actually run this and not in a virtual machine before you dismiss it.

For X-Lite, it's simple to update the Optimum builds. Just go into Settings, Windows Update, and resume updates. The Ultralight builds cannot be updated, but it says so right on the site.

That being said, it was mildly annoying that I had to click a download button in four different places to actually download X-Lite. And when I finally did get an actual download page, I was offered some random PDF viewer first, and then an executable offering adult photos. Third time was the charm; I actually got an X-Lite download.

aggrophobik · Nov 18, 2024

kelper said:
You are quite wrong. I have had no trouble updating X-Lite. You need to actually run this and not in a virtual machine before you dismiss it.

he also offers update packages on his site if ur not interested in re-enabling windows updates.

ibay770 · Dec 31, 2024

I find disabling/removing defender, smartscreen and windows search help out alot. As well as ssd booster, helps disable stuff that slows your ssd like hibernate.

RazorKat83 · Dec 31, 2024

ibay770 said:
I find disabling/removing defender, smartscreen and windows search help out alot. As well as ssd booster, helps disable stuff that slows your ssd like hibernate.

100% this (as in disabling defender and Smartscreen). I do have Malwarebytes installed, but i don't let it run constantly. I open it a few times a month to scan, just to be safe, but then I close it.

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