Advice Request How to debloat Windows 11

[zkSnark]

As I am using Windows 11 Pro, I am trying to run it lightweight and improve speed performance. Since the native Windows 11 from Microsoft is bloated so much, I was searching Google for various options to debloat it and came across few modded custom ISOs. Downloaded and installed a few of them... Ghost Spectre, Tiny11, ReviOS, Nexus Lite OS

Ghost Spectre and ReviOS performed best with lesser size, running processes, CPU, memory and improved speed. However, these custom OS are not open-source, so there is no way to tell if they are genuine and have no backdoors, malware.

So are there any other ways or scripts/tools to debloat Windows 11 without using the modded OS and achieve the same output as provided by these custom OS? Please share your recommendations. Thanks!

 

[brambedkar59]

So are there any other ways or scripts/tools to debloat Windows 11

Don't run scripts (& Win debloat tools) off the internet if you value stability and don't wanna run into weird bugs, it's NOT worth it for minute performance gained. However if you are feeling adventurous and have backup properly setup (Full System Image not system Restore) go for it. These two comes to mind.

Download Windows 11 Debloater - MajorGeeks

Windows 11 Debloater is another customization option that allows advanced users to disable/enable various Windows 11 features by generating and running a PowerShell script. Windows 11 Debloater is portable, making it an excellent asset for those that work on multiple machines. The UI is...

www.majorgeeks.com

(^^Never used this one personally)

O&O ShutUp10++ – Free antispy tool for Windows 10 and 11

With the freeware O&O ShutUp10++, unwanted Windows 10 and 11 features can be disabled and the transfer of sensitive personal data onto Microsoft prevented.

www.oo-software.com

 

[oldschool]

@brambedkar59 beat me to the punch.
I use parts of this

https://www.askvg.com/guide-make-windows-11-super-fast-on-slow-or-old-hardware-devices/

Personally, I don't have the technical skill to do any serious tweaking, and rely on Windows built-in settings. It's definitely a crapshoot when users take to debloating, and I wouldn't touch those 3rd party ISOs.

Why 'debloating' Windows is not a good idea (and what to do instead)

Windows enthusiasts love to share strategies for getting rid of unwanted software and making your PC run faster while using fewer system resources. But random scripts and custom install images can cause more problems than they're worth.

www.zdnet.com

The above author concludes by saying:

With those tweaks out of the way, the best strategy for avoiding "bloat" is to be extremely careful about installing any third-party software. Legacy programs that add their own services and auto-starting add-ons are the worst offenders in this regard. But treating every third-party program as a potential source of performance problems is probably a wise strategy in the long run.

 

[pxxb1]

As I am using Windows 11 Pro, I am trying to run it lightweight and improve speed performance. Since the native Windows 11 from Microsoft is bloated so much, I was searching Google for various options to debloat it and came across few modded custom ISOs. Downloaded and installed a few of them... Ghost Spectre, Tiny11, ReviOS, Nexus Lite OS

Ghost Spectre and ReviOS performed best with lesser size, running processes, CPU, memory and improved speed. However, these custom OS are not open-source, so there is no way to tell if they are genuine and have no backdoors, malware.

So are there any other ways or scripts/tools to debloat Windows 11 without using the modded OS and achieve the same output as provided by these custom OS? Please share your recommendations. Thanks!

Why not buy a NTLite license and do it yourself. One thing with all reduced Os is that much gets reinstalled by Windows over time so it is not a definitive solution, with NTLite you can remove that. Maintain a "modded" Os is a never ending endevour, is it worth it, only you can say. Me, i have done it for about 7 years and answer that question with, no, it is to much work. With NTlite, not so much if you do it moderatly.

What i often use is the data on the "askvg" site, any good uninstaller to remove "bloat" and clean up unneccesary cache with Dim++. That is enough for basic installations on Windows.

 

[oldschool]

What i often use is the data on the "askvg" site, any good uninstaller to remove "bloat" and clean up unneccesary cache with Dim++. That is enough for basic installations on Windows.

Indeed, but this sentence could have been your first recommendation.

 

[TairikuOkami]

However, these custom OS are not open-source, so there is no way to tell if they are genuine and have no backdoors, malware.

Yes, this is the reason I avoid them, though they might result in the best perfomance, since removing components before install is the most effective method, but it has it's downsize. For starters, it is permanent, you can not restore needed features, fix problems or even install updates without a reinstall. When I used ntlite/vlite I ended up installing Windows twice a day.

So are there any other ways or scripts/tools to debloat Windows 11 without using the modded OS and achieve the same output as provided by these custom OS?

Shut Up 10 and Sophia Script are pretty popular, I like Blackbird, it covers basics, even security related, but there are hundreds, since each is tailored to it's owners desires.
I have tried several tools and copied tweaks using Procmon, I like to know, what is doing what, so I can reverse it. I use MS account, Edge, onedrive and this is the result.
67 processes / 600 threads / 23090 handles / 1,7GB RAM (550MB used by ramdisk) - 11 has 150 processes by default, I have 130 with 3 browsers running in ramdisk.



I have basically disabled and removed everything, like all store apps then I have installed those I want and so on. Again, this is for me, you need to create your own setup.

GitHub - TairikuOokami/Windows: Windows

Windows. Contribute to TairikuOokami/Windows development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[pxxb1]

Indeed, but this sentence could have been your first recommendation.

Why, i thought i did 2 good things since Ts seems to be into Modding the Os heavely i thought it all was appropriate advices.
First, give him what he wants, but with a better solution. Secondly, present an alternative

 

[Nautilus]

as some member said in this thread before , do not run scripts if you do not know exactly what they do or how they function. for debloat there are some trusted tools llike o&o shutup and o&o appbuster there is one guy on youtube , who does some magnificent optimization guides on youtube called " tech yes city " you might want to check him out.the best thing about his tips and tricks , that all the tweaks he does are reversable! but the downside is , that you will have to do them all manually.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

Personally I would just use the built in settings to tweak a bit, I have absolutely no reason to "debloat" anything. If you are going to tweak, with or without, 3rd party tools be very careful lest you bork something.

 

[zkSnark]

Don't run scripts (& Win debloat tools) off the internet if you value stability and don't wanna run into weird bugs, it's NOT worth it for minute performance gained. However if you are feeling adventurous and have backup properly setup (Full System Image not system Restore) go for it. These two comes to mind.

Download Windows 11 Debloater - MajorGeeks

Windows 11 Debloater is another customization option that allows advanced users to disable/enable various Windows 11 features by generating and running a PowerShell script. Windows 11 Debloater is portable, making it an excellent asset for those that work on multiple machines. The UI is...

www.majorgeeks.com

(^^Never used this one personally)

O&O ShutUp10++ – Free antispy tool for Windows 10 and 11

With the freeware O&O ShutUp10++, unwanted Windows 10 and 11 features can be disabled and the transfer of sensitive personal data onto Microsoft prevented.

www.oo-software.com

Thanks. Will do the full system image backup before doing anything. Or will try first on a VM.

 

[zkSnark]

Personally, I don't have the technical skill to do any serious tweaking, and rely on Windows built-in settings. It's definitely a crapshoot when users take to debloating, and I wouldn't touch those 3rd party ISOs.

I don't have much technical skills too, so I am going to try on VM. You can also try and tweak on a VM.

 

[zkSnark]

Why not buy a NTLite license and do it yourself. One thing with all reduced Os is that much gets reinstalled by Windows over time so it is not a definitive solution, with NTLite you can remove that. Maintain a "modded" Os is a never ending endevour, is it worth it, only you can say. Me, i have done it for about 7 years and answer that question with, no, it is to much work. With NTlite, not so much if you do it moderatly.

What i often use is the data on the "askvg" site, any good uninstaller to remove "bloat" and clean up unneccesary cache with Dim++. That is enough for basic installations on Windows.

Don't have much technical knowledge, so I don't think I can create OS using NTLite. Will try some other options as recommended by others here.

 

[Zero Knowledge]

these custom OS are not open-source, so there is no way to tell if they are genuine and have no backdoors, malware.

That's the issue with custom software like this. You have no idea who made these OS images and what their intentions are or even how skilful they are in debloating the OS. I suspect they activate using KMS like tools. Those have been backdoored and full of malware for years. It's like someone taking an ankle grinder to hatchback or wagon and calling it a convertible. It's not very safe practice to use such OS..

 

[zkSnark]

Yes, this is the reason I avoid them, though they might result in the best perfomance, since removing components before install is the most effective method, but it has it's downsize. For starters, it is permanent, you can not restore needed features, fix problems or even install updates without a reinstall. When I used ntlite/vlite I ended up installing Windows twice a day.

Shut Up 10 and Sophia Script are pretty popular, I like Blackbird, it covers basics, even security related, but there are hundreds, since each is tailored to it's owners desires.
I have tried several tools and copied tweaks using Procmon, I like to know, what is doing what, so I can reverse it. I use MS account, Edge, onedrive and this is the result.
67 processes / 600 threads / 23090 handles / 1,7GB RAM (550MB used by ramdisk) - 11 has 150 processes by default, I have 130 with 3 browsers running in ramdisk.

View attachment 273108 View attachment 273109

I have basically disabled and removed everything, like all store apps then I have installed those I want and so on. Again, this is for me, you need to create your own setup.

GitHub - TairikuOokami/Windows: Windows

Windows. Contribute to TairikuOokami/Windows development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

One of the recommendation above was to use Ntlite. Since I don't have much technical knowledge, I think it will be difficult for me to create OS using Ntlite. So what was the problem from Ntlite that needs installing Windows twice a day?

In the first image above, CPU is 0% and Memory is 7% only, very good. Which tool did you use for this performance? When I tried modded OS that I listed above, the least was CPU 3% and Memory 35%, mainly from Ghost and ReviOS.

 

[zkSnark]

That's the issue with custom software like this. You have no idea who made these OS images and what their intentions are or even how skilful they are in debloating the OS. I suspect they activate using KMS like tools. Those have been backdoored and full of malware for years. It's like someone taking an ankle grinder to hatchback or wagon and calling it a convertible. It's not very safe practice to use such OS..

Some of the modded OS that I listed above have huge members in their Discord, using and vouching for the OS. Also, Reddit members have recommended them too. But still, since they are not open-source, you never know. That's why I wanted to try some other tools or open-source scripts.

 

[Brahman]

Some of the modded OS that I listed above have huge members in their Discord, using and vouching for the OS. Also, Reddit members have recommended them too. But still, since they are not open-source, you never know. That's why I wanted to try some other tools or open-source scripts.

What's your system specs, if you have 8GB of ram and an SSD as os drive then your system should be good to run windows 11 with no perceivable lag, unless you have a very old cpu. If you are using your system for financial transactions or other mission critical work flow, don't install an ISO from an unverified source.

 

[zkSnark]

What's your system specs, if you have 8GB of ram and an SSD as os drive then your system should be good to run windows 11 with no perceivable lag, unless you have a very old cpu. If you are using your system for financial transactions or other mission critical work flow, don't install an ISO from an unverified source.

I have 16GB RAM on SSD so not a problem. But still I don't want unnecessary processes running in background making browsing slow as normally I have around 100 tabs on browsers lol.

 

[pxxb1]

Don't have much technical knowledge, so I don't think I can create OS using NTLite. Will try some other options as recommended by others here.

With NTLite you can remove items on a "Live" Os in a Vm. That means you can try your way forward, educate yourself. That is one of the good things about modding an Os yourself, one learns a lot. So even if i think, as mentioned above, that it is a lot of maintenance that can be encumbersome, the learning aspect is very valuable.

NTLite "Mounts" your live Os and shows it to you, item by item, with informative text about thoose items. So if you only remove things you know about and safe things like Windows Media Player, IE, One Drive, unnecessary languages, fonts and brick a brack, you can not go wrong.

But, as mentioned, it is a paid product with no Test period. All or nothing.

 

[Brahman]

I have 16GB RAM on SSD so not a problem. But still I don't want unnecessary processes running in background making browsing slow as normally I have around 100 tabs on browsers lol.

Keep your windows as it is... install Ubuntu alongside windows, use brave or edge on Ubuntu,you will get a pretty fast browsing experience, even with 100 tabs open and with no bloatware.

 

[TairikuOkami]

So what was the problem from Ntlite that needs installing Windows twice a day?

Dependencies. MS changes them with each update and various apps need various components, like you might remove Outlook, but an app might need it's files. If you install a custom OS, it might work great till something will not and finding out, what removed components caused it to stop working, is the main problem. Like when privacy tools disable User Data service, which is required to change/reset PIN and many people are then unable to login to windows without a reinstall. SO whatever path you choose, always create a system backup before any changes!

When I tried modded OS that I listed above, the least was CPU 3% and Memory 35%, mainly from Ghost and ReviOS.

You need a better task manager like ProcessExplorer or System Informer to review it, but I would guess Search (indexing/bing), widgets (bing), start (as uwp app with bing again) and so on.