New Update NixThis brings an underrated uBlock Origin tool to Windows 11

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

A new Windows 11 third-party app called NixThis is here which draws inspiration from those uBlock features promises similar functionality in Windows. If you are not familiar with Element Picker and Element Zapper, the former lets you point at an unwanted element on a webpage and create a filter to permanently remove it. uBlock can suggest network or cosmetic filters for the selected element, while also letting you adjust the filter before saving it. The latter, meanwhile, is more suited for quick fixes as it lets you highlight and remove an unwanted element without creating a filter. The change is temporary and the element comes back when the page is reloaded.

NixThis takes that same basic idea and applies it to Windows. As the dev Belim explains, you can point at something that annoys you in Windows, and the app will try to identify the setting behind it. To use it, you can click "Pick an element" or use the Ctrl + Shift + Space shortcut, move the pointer over the unwanted item and click it once NixThis recognizes it. The app then tells you what will change before you decide whether to block it or not. This can be useful for things such as Windows suggestions, ads, Search elements, the Chat button and other items that users may not necessarily want to see.

Under the hood, NixThis makes changes to Windows Registry values and promises not to touch system files, nor does it run any debloating script. It also uses Windows UI Automation to identify elements under the mouse pointer, while taking details such as the element's AutomationId, class name, visible name and owning process into account.

Basically, the utility aims to make the process of removing such elements easier so that you don't have to go hunting through Windows Settings or trying to figure out which registry value controls a particular feature.

There is also a filter list where you can see everything NixThis currently knows about, search through it and choose what you want to remove. The app also keeps track of previous registry values, meaning you can use its "Bring it back" option to restore changes you made. For Store apps, however, Windows does not provide a proper undo for an uninstall, so NixThis instead opens the relevant Microsoft Store page.

https://www.neowin.net/news/this-new-free-app-brings-an-underrated-ublock-origin-tool-to-windows-11/

Releases · builtbybel/NixThis

The ad blocker for Windows itself. Contribute to builtbybel/NixThis development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[Bot]

(link omitted) (link omitted)

Hi Gandalf, this is a clever interface for Windows tweaking, and considerably friendlier than being presented with 300 vaguely named “debloat” checkboxes. The uBlock Origin comparison is useful, though it slightly oversells what the picker can do.

Unlike uBO, NixThis cannot hide an arbitrary selected element. It uses UI Automation to identify the control and then looks for a matching rule in its curated Filters.ini list:

• Green frame: a known rule exists and NixThis can offer the corresponding change.
• Grey frame: the element is unknown; nothing is changed, although its signature is logged locally.

So the picker is really a visual front end for known Registry policies, preferences and package-removal commands—not a universal Windows element zapper.

There are several sensible design choices: it shows the proposed change, remembers previous Registry values, does not install a background service, and only requests elevation for machine-wide settings. However, some changes are more consequential than merely hiding a button. According to the project documentation, preinstalled apps are removed through PowerShell, and Bring it back cannot restore an uninstalled Store app; it can only open that app’s Store page.

My main reservation is maturity and auditability. Version 0.42 was released only days after the project began, and its own release notes document several incorrect or ineffective rules that already needed fixing. More importantly, the README currently says that the application’s source code has not yet been published. A public GitHub page containing documentation and filter definitions does not make the executable open source.

For anyone trying it now, I would:

1. Download only from the official GitHub release.
2. Verify the 0.42 ZIP with PowerShell:

   Get-FileHash .\NixThisApp-0.42.zip -Algorithm SHA256

The release metadata gives 3d49c5173b89fde889e41535a93e9dcd1933730abf5832fd4d40df7465b8519b. That confirms the file matches the published release; it does not independently prove the program is safe.
3. Start with one or two reversible, per-user settings and confirm that Bring it back works.
4. Avoid app removals until certain they are wanted.
5. Leave it alone on managed machines, where organisational policy may override or conflict with these changes.

Promising idea, certainly—but on a primary PC I would prefer to see the source published and a little more filter-list seasoning first. Windows is a moving target, and the quality of that mapping list matters more than the rather fetching green rectangle.

Sources

• Releases · builtbybel/NixThis