{"slug": "win11debloat", "name": "Win11Debloat", "category": "os", "category_name": "Operating systems and desktop", "description": "Open-source PowerShell script that removes bloatware, ads and unwanted features from Windows 10/11.", "recommenders": 10, "commenters": 10, "warners": 0, "score": 9.096, "rising": 2.04, "first": "2025-12-24", "latest": "2026-09-30", "why": "HN commenters run it first on fresh Windows 11 installs to strip out ads and annoyances in minutes, with changes that persist across updates.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 11, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 1, 3, 0, 0, 1, 0, 2, 0, 0, 4, 0], "listed": true, "loved": ["Removes annoyances", "Fresh-install staple"], "caveat": "Use at own risk", "short_quote": "It's the first thing I install on any fresh Windows 11 install for the past 4+ years.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/raphire/win11debloat", "official_url": "https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat", "pricing": "open source", "aliases": ["Win11Debloat", "win11debloat"], "verdict": [{"text": "HN commenters run it first on fresh Windows 11 installs to strip out ads and annoyances in minutes,", "cites": [{"id": 798465696, "item_id": 49904106, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904106", "by": "qlte", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can easily get rid of most Windows annoyances in <10 minutes without AI. I do this first on every Windows 11 install", "excerpt": "You can easily get rid of most Windows annoyances in <10 minutes without AI. I do this first on every Windows 11 install and never see any of the stuff HN is always complaining about. https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat I use agentic tools myself but I really don't understand why some people seem to enjoy the idea of spending their money/quota/extra time just to redo something that already exists as an open sourc", "context": "", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 annoyances", "switched_from": "", "story": "GLM-5.3 and the spread of advanced cyber capabilities"}, {"id": 776609680, "item_id": 48538105, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538105", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's the first thing I install on any fresh Windows 11 install for the past 4+ years.", "excerpt": "FWIW every one of those issues can be solved by running Win11Debloat one time (except update length which is variable based on hardware, but auto-update/restart can be disabled). https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat Persists after updates, and is a straightforward easily auditable PowerShell script enabling/disabling Windows/app features via approved OS provided API interfaces without any hacky brittle workarounds", "context": "long-time Windows 11 user across multiple machines", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 745096560, "item_id": 46568535, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46568535", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend it enough, I am eternally grateful to the maintainers", "excerpt": "FYI, nearly all of that UI/app garbage can be removed (or re-enabled like the Start/context menu) in <5 minutes with: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat It persists across updates, can be customized with extremely granular control over what is removed/re-enabled, or using the default mode which works fantastically for most users with minimal risk of disabling something many people might prefer to keep (e.g Xbox ", "context": "uses it on every Windows 11 machine/VM", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 bloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft May Have Created the Slowest Windows in 25 Years with Windows 11"}, {"id": 798353248, "item_id": 49897078, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49897078", "by": "Stitch4223", "date": "2026-09-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Never a wrong time to promote windows 11 debloat", "excerpt": "Never a wrong time to promote windows 11 debloat [1]. Not affiliated. Used it a few days ago for the first time and it transformed the stinking pile of poorly designed adware to something that resembles a pretty decent operating system. [1] https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat", "context": "", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11\u00bd"}]}, {"text": " with changes that persist across updates.", "cites": [{"id": 776609680, "item_id": 48538105, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538105", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's the first thing I install on any fresh Windows 11 install for the past 4+ years.", "excerpt": "FWIW every one of those issues can be solved by running Win11Debloat one time (except update length which is variable based on hardware, but auto-update/restart can be disabled). https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat Persists after updates, and is a straightforward easily auditable PowerShell script enabling/disabling Windows/app features via approved OS provided API interfaces without any hacky brittle workarounds", "context": "long-time Windows 11 user across multiple machines", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 745096560, "item_id": 46568535, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46568535", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend it enough, I am eternally grateful to the maintainers", "excerpt": "FYI, nearly all of that UI/app garbage can be removed (or re-enabled like the Start/context menu) in <5 minutes with: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat It persists across updates, can be customized with extremely granular control over what is removed/re-enabled, or using the default mode which works fantastically for most users with minimal risk of disabling something many people might prefer to keep (e.g Xbox ", "context": "uses it on every Windows 11 machine/VM", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 bloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft May Have Created the Slowest Windows in 25 Years with Windows 11"}]}, {"text": " The main caveats are that it is use-at-your-own-risk and does not fix quite everything,", "cites": [{"id": 776614608, "item_id": 48538413, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538413", "by": "Dachande663", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend this set of configuration changes etc more highly.", "excerpt": "I recently set up a new gaming PC, made from cannibalised parts of other machines. I installed Windows 11 as there was no point starting on an older OS (and Bazzite etc really struggled with the nvidia GPU so Linux was a non-starter even though I love my Steam Deck and Proton). The one saving grace for all of this was Win11Debloat[0]. I cannot recommend this set of configuration changes etc more highly. It kills _alm", "context": "built a gaming PC", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 776609680, "item_id": 48538105, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538105", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's the first thing I install on any fresh Windows 11 install for the past 4+ years.", "excerpt": "FWIW every one of those issues can be solved by running Win11Debloat one time (except update length which is variable based on hardware, but auto-update/restart can be disabled). https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat Persists after updates, and is a straightforward easily auditable PowerShell script enabling/disabling Windows/app features via approved OS provided API interfaces without any hacky brittle workarounds", "context": "long-time Windows 11 user across multiple machines", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}]}, {"text": " and that copycat versions exist, so commenters point people to the original repo.", "cites": [{"id": 793029888, "item_id": 49564368, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49564368", "by": "VCFundedGenYer", "date": "2026-09-04", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Support the original, not the copy: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat", "excerpt": "FYI this seems to be an AI slop copy of Win11Debloat which is the original (+has all the same options). Support the original, not the copy: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat", "context": "", "use_case": "Windows debloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "O&O ShutUp10 \u2013 The antispy tool for Windows 10 and 11"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Removes annoyances", "summary": "Commenters say it removes most of the Windows 11 ads, UI clutter and other annoyances.", "quotes": [{"id": 798465696, "item_id": 49904106, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904106", "by": "qlte", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can easily get rid of most Windows annoyances in <10 minutes without AI. I do this first on every Windows 11 install", "excerpt": "You can easily get rid of most Windows annoyances in <10 minutes without AI. I do this first on every Windows 11 install and never see any of the stuff HN is always complaining about. https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat I use agentic tools myself but I really don't understand why some people seem to enjoy the idea of spending their money/quota/extra time just to redo something that already exists as an open sourc", "context": "", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 annoyances", "switched_from": "", "story": "GLM-5.3 and the spread of advanced cyber capabilities"}, {"id": 798353248, "item_id": 49897078, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49897078", "by": "Stitch4223", "date": "2026-09-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Never a wrong time to promote windows 11 debloat", "excerpt": "Never a wrong time to promote windows 11 debloat [1]. Not affiliated. Used it a few days ago for the first time and it transformed the stinking pile of poorly designed adware to something that resembles a pretty decent operating system. [1] https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat", "context": "", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11\u00bd"}, {"id": 776614608, "item_id": 48538413, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538413", "by": "Dachande663", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend this set of configuration changes etc more highly.", "excerpt": "I recently set up a new gaming PC, made from cannibalised parts of other machines. I installed Windows 11 as there was no point starting on an older OS (and Bazzite etc really struggled with the nvidia GPU so Linux was a non-starter even though I love my Steam Deck and Proton). The one saving grace for all of this was Win11Debloat[0]. I cannot recommend this set of configuration changes etc more highly. It kills _alm", "context": "built a gaming PC", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}]}, {"label": "Fresh-install staple", "summary": "Several commenters run it as a standard step on every new Windows 11 install.", "quotes": [{"id": 776609680, "item_id": 48538105, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538105", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's the first thing I install on any fresh Windows 11 install for the past 4+ years.", "excerpt": "FWIW every one of those issues can be solved by running Win11Debloat one time (except update length which is variable based on hardware, but auto-update/restart can be disabled). https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat Persists after updates, and is a straightforward easily auditable PowerShell script enabling/disabling Windows/app features via approved OS provided API interfaces without any hacky brittle workarounds", "context": "long-time Windows 11 user across multiple machines", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 798465696, "item_id": 49904106, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904106", "by": "qlte", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can easily get rid of most Windows annoyances in <10 minutes without AI. I do this first on every Windows 11 install", "excerpt": "You can easily get rid of most Windows annoyances in <10 minutes without AI. I do this first on every Windows 11 install and never see any of the stuff HN is always complaining about. https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat I use agentic tools myself but I really don't understand why some people seem to enjoy the idea of spending their money/quota/extra time just to redo something that already exists as an open sourc", "context": "", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 annoyances", "switched_from": "", "story": "GLM-5.3 and the spread of advanced cyber capabilities"}, {"id": 745096560, "item_id": 46568535, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46568535", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend it enough, I am eternally grateful to the maintainers", "excerpt": "FYI, nearly all of that UI/app garbage can be removed (or re-enabled like the Start/context menu) in <5 minutes with: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat It persists across updates, can be customized with extremely granular control over what is removed/re-enabled, or using the default mode which works fantastically for most users with minimal risk of disabling something many people might prefer to keep (e.g Xbox ", "context": "uses it on every Windows 11 machine/VM", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 bloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft May Have Created the Slowest Windows in 25 Years with Windows 11"}]}, {"label": "Persists across updates", "summary": "Its changes are reported to survive Windows updates.", "quotes": [{"id": 776609680, "item_id": 48538105, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538105", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's the first thing I install on any fresh Windows 11 install for the past 4+ years.", "excerpt": "FWIW every one of those issues can be solved by running Win11Debloat one time (except update length which is variable based on hardware, but auto-update/restart can be disabled). https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat Persists after updates, and is a straightforward easily auditable PowerShell script enabling/disabling Windows/app features via approved OS provided API interfaces without any hacky brittle workarounds", "context": "long-time Windows 11 user across multiple machines", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 745096560, "item_id": 46568535, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46568535", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend it enough, I am eternally grateful to the maintainers", "excerpt": "FYI, nearly all of that UI/app garbage can be removed (or re-enabled like the Start/context menu) in <5 minutes with: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat It persists across updates, can be customized with extremely granular control over what is removed/re-enabled, or using the default mode which works fantastically for most users with minimal risk of disabling something many people might prefer to keep (e.g Xbox ", "context": "uses it on every Windows 11 machine/VM", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 bloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft May Have Created the Slowest Windows in 25 Years with Windows 11"}]}, {"label": "Quick to run", "summary": "Commenters say it takes under 5 to 10 minutes.", "quotes": [{"id": 745096560, "item_id": 46568535, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46568535", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend it enough, I am eternally grateful to the maintainers", "excerpt": "FYI, nearly all of that UI/app garbage can be removed (or re-enabled like the Start/context menu) in <5 minutes with: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat It persists across updates, can be customized with extremely granular control over what is removed/re-enabled, or using the default mode which works fantastically for most users with minimal risk of disabling something many people might prefer to keep (e.g Xbox ", "context": "uses it on every Windows 11 machine/VM", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 bloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft May Have Created the Slowest Windows in 25 Years with Windows 11"}, {"id": 798465696, "item_id": 49904106, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904106", "by": "qlte", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can easily get rid of most Windows annoyances in <10 minutes without AI. I do this first on every Windows 11 install", "excerpt": "You can easily get rid of most Windows annoyances in <10 minutes without AI. I do this first on every Windows 11 install and never see any of the stuff HN is always complaining about. https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat I use agentic tools myself but I really don't understand why some people seem to enjoy the idea of spending their money/quota/extra time just to redo something that already exists as an open sourc", "context": "", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 annoyances", "switched_from": "", "story": "GLM-5.3 and the spread of advanced cyber capabilities"}]}, {"label": "Auditable and granular", "summary": "It is described as an easily auditable PowerShell script using OS-provided APIs, with granular options and a low-risk default mode.", "quotes": [{"id": 776609680, "item_id": 48538105, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538105", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's the first thing I install on any fresh Windows 11 install for the past 4+ years.", "excerpt": "FWIW every one of those issues can be solved by running Win11Debloat one time (except update length which is variable based on hardware, but auto-update/restart can be disabled). https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat Persists after updates, and is a straightforward easily auditable PowerShell script enabling/disabling Windows/app features via approved OS provided API interfaces without any hacky brittle workarounds", "context": "long-time Windows 11 user across multiple machines", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 745096560, "item_id": 46568535, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46568535", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend it enough, I am eternally grateful to the maintainers", "excerpt": "FYI, nearly all of that UI/app garbage can be removed (or re-enabled like the Start/context menu) in <5 minutes with: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat It persists across updates, can be customized with extremely granular control over what is removed/re-enabled, or using the default mode which works fantastically for most users with minimal risk of disabling something many people might prefer to keep (e.g Xbox ", "context": "uses it on every Windows 11 machine/VM", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 bloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft May Have Created the Slowest Windows in 25 Years with Windows 11"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "Use at own risk", "summary": "Even an enthusiastic user warns to use it at your own risk.", "quotes": [{"id": 776614608, "item_id": 48538413, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538413", "by": "Dachande663", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend this set of configuration changes etc more highly.", "excerpt": "I recently set up a new gaming PC, made from cannibalised parts of other machines. I installed Windows 11 as there was no point starting on an older OS (and Bazzite etc really struggled with the nvidia GPU so Linux was a non-starter even though I love my Steam Deck and Proton). The one saving grace for all of this was Win11Debloat[0]. I cannot recommend this set of configuration changes etc more highly. It kills _alm", "context": "built a gaming PC", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}]}, {"label": "Copycat versions", "summary": "A copy of the project was called out as AI slop, and commenters urge using the original.", "quotes": [{"id": 793029888, "item_id": 49564368, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49564368", "by": "VCFundedGenYer", "date": "2026-09-04", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Support the original, not the copy: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat", "excerpt": "FYI this seems to be an AI slop copy of Win11Debloat which is the original (+has all the same options). Support the original, not the copy: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat", "context": "", "use_case": "Windows debloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "O&O ShutUp10 \u2013 The antispy tool for Windows 10 and 11"}]}, {"label": "Not everything fixed", "summary": "It kills almost but not all annoyances, and it cannot fix update length.", "quotes": [{"id": 776614608, "item_id": 48538413, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538413", "by": "Dachande663", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend this set of configuration changes etc more highly.", "excerpt": "I recently set up a new gaming PC, made from cannibalised parts of other machines. I installed Windows 11 as there was no point starting on an older OS (and Bazzite etc really struggled with the nvidia GPU so Linux was a non-starter even though I love my Steam Deck and Proton). The one saving grace for all of this was Win11Debloat[0]. I cannot recommend this set of configuration changes etc more highly. It kills _alm", "context": "built a gaming PC", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 776609680, "item_id": 48538105, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538105", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's the first thing I install on any fresh Windows 11 install for the past 4+ years.", "excerpt": "FWIW every one of those issues can be solved by running Win11Debloat one time (except update length which is variable based on hardware, but auto-update/restart can be disabled). https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat Persists after updates, and is a straightforward easily auditable PowerShell script enabling/disabling Windows/app features via approved OS provided API interfaces without any hacky brittle workarounds", "context": "long-time Windows 11 user across multiple machines", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}]}], "who": [{"by": "Dachande663", "context": "built a gaming PC", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538413", "date": "2026-06-15"}, {"by": "ewoodrich", "context": "long-time Windows 11 user across multiple machines", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538105", "date": "2026-06-15"}], "tags": ["for fresh Windows 11 installs", "for gaming PCs", "for Windows VMs", "for family members' PCs"], "use_cases": ["debloating windows 11", "removing windows 11 bloat", "removing windows 11 annoyances", "windows debloat", "debloating fresh windows 11", "remove bing search in windows"], "compared": [{"slug": "o-o-shutup10plusplus", "name": "O&O ShutUp10++", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48533101", "title": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46567138", "title": "Microsoft May Have Created the Slowest Windows in 25 Years with Windows 11", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49897075", "title": "GLM-5.3 and the spread of advanced cyber capabilities", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49881747", "title": "Windows 11\u00bd", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49594251", "title": "Switzerland's Federal Government Is Replacing Microsoft on 3k Computers", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49562895", "title": "O&O ShutUp10 \u2013 The antispy tool for Windows 10 and 11", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 3}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 4}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 798465696, "item_id": 49904106, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904106", "by": "qlte", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can easily get rid of most Windows annoyances in <10 minutes without AI. I do this first on every Windows 11 install", "excerpt": "You can easily get rid of most Windows annoyances in <10 minutes without AI. I do this first on every Windows 11 install and never see any of the stuff HN is always complaining about. https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat I use agentic tools myself but I really don't understand why some people seem to enjoy the idea of spending their money/quota/extra time just to redo something that already exists as an open sourc", "context": "", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 annoyances", "switched_from": "", "story": "GLM-5.3 and the spread of advanced cyber capabilities"}, {"id": 798353248, "item_id": 49897078, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49897078", "by": "Stitch4223", "date": "2026-09-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Never a wrong time to promote windows 11 debloat", "excerpt": "Never a wrong time to promote windows 11 debloat [1]. Not affiliated. Used it a few days ago for the first time and it transformed the stinking pile of poorly designed adware to something that resembles a pretty decent operating system. [1] https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat", "context": "", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11\u00bd"}, {"id": 793590624, "item_id": 49599414, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49599414", "by": "herbst", "date": "2026-09-07", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "This looks less sketchy than what I used.", "excerpt": "This looks less sketchy than what I used. Surprised I found so much sketchy stuff and not simply that. Guess that's like adblock these days. You need domain specific knowledge or you get not what you expect.", "context": "", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Switzerland's Federal Government Is Replacing Microsoft on 3k Computers"}, {"id": 793029888, "item_id": 49564368, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49564368", "by": "VCFundedGenYer", "date": "2026-09-04", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Support the original, not the copy: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat", "excerpt": "FYI this seems to be an AI slop copy of Win11Debloat which is the original (+has all the same options). Support the original, not the copy: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat", "context": "", "use_case": "Windows debloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "O&O ShutUp10 \u2013 The antispy tool for Windows 10 and 11"}, {"id": 776614608, "item_id": 48538413, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538413", "by": "Dachande663", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend this set of configuration changes etc more highly.", "excerpt": "I recently set up a new gaming PC, made from cannibalised parts of other machines. I installed Windows 11 as there was no point starting on an older OS (and Bazzite etc really struggled with the nvidia GPU so Linux was a non-starter even though I love my Steam Deck and Proton). The one saving grace for all of this was Win11Debloat[0]. I cannot recommend this set of configuration changes etc more highly. It kills _alm", "context": "built a gaming PC", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 776609680, "item_id": 48538105, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48538105", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-06-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's the first thing I install on any fresh Windows 11 install for the past 4+ years.", "excerpt": "FWIW every one of those issues can be solved by running Win11Debloat one time (except update length which is variable based on hardware, but auto-update/restart can be disabled). https://github.com/raphire/win11debloat Persists after updates, and is a straightforward easily auditable PowerShell script enabling/disabling Windows/app features via approved OS provided API interfaces without any hacky brittle workarounds", "context": "long-time Windows 11 user across multiple machines", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything"}, {"id": 763846880, "item_id": 47740430, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47740430", "by": "pogue", "date": "2026-04-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I used this when installing fresh copies of Windows 11 and was very satisfied with it.", "excerpt": "I used this when installing fresh copies of Windows 11 and was very satisfied with it. I never thought about it increasing RAM as the author says, I was just interested in disabling CoPilot, all telemetry options, changing the start menu and task bar to act more like Windows 10 and various other options. Winutil is definitely a tool I wouldn't recommend for a beginner, as many of the options are things you wouldn't w", "context": "", "use_case": "debloating fresh Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Windows debloating tools are basically useless"}, {"id": 748827216, "item_id": 46801701, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46801701", "by": "j0057", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I used https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat on a family member's new Win11 install and it actually works reasonably snappy.", "excerpt": "I used https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat on a family member's new Win11 install and it actually works reasonably snappy. I wouldn't be want to caught dead with it, but I couldn't convince this one to go for macOS.", "context": "", "use_case": "debloating Windows 11", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"}, {"id": 745099632, "item_id": 46568727, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46568727", "by": "arcanemachiner", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "(recommended elsewhere in this thread)", "excerpt": "Google \"windows 11 debloat reddit\". There are several tools: - https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat (recommended elsewhere in this thread) - https://christitus.com/windows-tool/ (I used this one a couple weeks ago, seems to work well) But seriously though, learn to fish. The answers aren't hard to find if you look, know what to search for, and are at least somewhat discriminating in your investigation.", "context": "", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 bloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft May Have Created the Slowest Windows in 25 Years with Windows 11"}, {"id": 745096560, "item_id": 46568535, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46568535", "by": "ewoodrich", "date": "2026-01-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I cannot recommend it enough, I am eternally grateful to the maintainers", "excerpt": "FYI, nearly all of that UI/app garbage can be removed (or re-enabled like the Start/context menu) in <5 minutes with: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat It persists across updates, can be customized with extremely granular control over what is removed/re-enabled, or using the default mode which works fantastically for most users with minimal risk of disabling something many people might prefer to keep (e.g Xbox ", "context": "uses it on every Windows 11 machine/VM", "use_case": "removing Windows 11 bloat", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft May Have Created the Slowest Windows in 25 Years with Windows 11"}, {"id": 742103664, "item_id": 46381479, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46381479", "by": "WackyFighter", "date": "2025-12-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use this script here and it will remove the stupid bing search feature.", "excerpt": "I use this script here and it will remove the stupid bing search feature. https://github.com/musman96/win11debloat", "context": "", "use_case": "remove Bing search in Windows", "switched_from": "", "story": "Microsoft please get your tab to autocomplete shit together"}]}