Debloat Windows: Remove Bloatware for Speed, Storage, and Privacy

Windows ships with more apps than you probably think — and MakeUseOf’s blunt argument that you should “remove Windows bloatware right now” is right on the money: uninstalling preinstalled apps and OEM trialware is one of the simplest, cost‑free ways to reclaim storage, cut background CPU/battery drain, and stop annoying upsell pop‑ups while reducing telemetry surface area.

Background / Overview​

Windows PCs arrive from the factory with a mix of Microsoft apps, manufacturer utilities, and third‑party trial software. Some are genuinely useful (File Explorer, Photos, Media Player), but many are optional at best — and actively harmful at worst. These packages can:

• run background services or scheduled tasks at boot;
• take disk space that’s precious on small NVMe SSDs;
• show promotional notifications and subscription nags; and
• expand the “attack surface” by adding extra binaries that must be updated.

MakeUseOf frames the case in three simple reasons — better performance and storage, fewer pop‑ups for a cleaner experience, and improved privacy / fewer unexpected problems — and the community guidance and vendor docs back that up.

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1) Better performance and more usable storage​

The mechanics: how bloatware steals performance​

Many preinstalled apps register background services, scheduled tasks, or startup entries so they “keep working” even if you never open them. Background activity consumes CPU, RAM, disk I/O and networking — which can slow down everything else, increase boot time, and shorten battery life on laptops. Practical guides and hands‑on tests show that trimming background apps produces measurable, immediate gains in idle RAM and CPU, faster application launches, and longer battery run times on resource‑constrained machines. Windows exposes many of these background behaviors in Settings → Power & battery and Task Manager, and you can see which apps are draining battery or syncing data in the last 7 days. Turning off background permissions or uninstalling unused apps reduces system contention and preserves resources for the tasks you care about.

Storage wins are real (but variable)​

Preinstalled apps, OEM utilities, trial antivirus installers, and bundled media/promo apps may only be a few hundred megabytes each, but they add up — particularly on laptops with 128–256 GB SSDs. Removing unnecessary apps can free gigabytes instantly, improving room for updates, pagefile growth, games, and user data. Claims about “15 GB of fluff” are rough estimates that vary by OEM and model; treat any single number as directional rather than universal.

Evidence and tooling​

Community and tech sites commonly demonstrate speed and boot‑time improvements after debloating, and projects that automate removal (PowerShell debloat scripts, GUI tools) exist because the problem is widespread. Well‑maintained, open‑source scripts such as Win11Debloat are widely used to automate safe removals, while GUI tools like O&O AppBuster let less technical users inspect and remove built‑in UWP apps without wrestling with PowerShell.

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2) Fewer pop‑ups and a calmer Windows experience​

Why preinstalled apps generate noise​

OEMs and trial software vendors have commercial incentives to display reminders, upsell dialogs, subscription prompts, and registration notices. A short McAfee trial that ships with many machines often begins sending alarming “Your PC is at risk” messages once the trial expires — language that scares nontechnical users into paying for a product they don’t need because Windows includes robust built‑in protection. Uninstalling such trialware eliminates the recurring notifications and the cognitive noise that interrupts workflows.

Clean Start menus and less cognitive overhead​

Removing unneeded tiles and apps makes the Start menu and Settings easier to scan. That matters: a cleaner interface reduces accidental clicks on trial apps and avoids the recurring “recommended” app placements that try to promote paid services. Practical UX improvements are immediate: fewer notification badges, less system tray clutter, and a more predictable environment for daily tasks.

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3) Better privacy and fewer unexpected issues​

Telemetry, diagnostic data, and OEM data collection​

Windows collects diagnostic data to keep the system secure and up to date, but Microsoft distinguishes between required diagnostic data and optional telemetry; the latter can include more detailed app and usage information. Microsoft documents the events and fields that required diagnostics collect; optional diagnostic data can include richer telemetry. Disabling optional diagnostic data and auditing optional permissions reduces data surface area, but some telemetry is fundamental to the OS and cannot be fully turned off. Beyond Microsoft’s own telemetry, third‑party OEM apps and bundled services may collect usage or registration data. Vendors’ privacy policies (for example McAfee’s) make it clear that data collection is tied to functionality and subscriptions — and that uninstalling the software halts that collection in many cases. If you’re privacy‑minded, removing third‑party preinstalled apps limits the number of external services your device is talking to by default.

Unexpected system problems caused by bundled utilities​

Some vendor utilities are not just annoying — they break things. The “Killer” network management suite (Killer Control Center / Killer Performance Suite) is a recurring community headache: users have reported slowdowns, VPN incompatibility, and other network stability issues traced to the prioritization engine or buggy driver integration. Intel/Community threads and user reports show this is a real, recurring class of problem: a third‑party OEM or driver tool intended to optimize can introduce instability instead. Removing or replacing the problematic control software with driver‑only packages often fixes the issue.

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How to remove Windows bloatware safely (practical playbook)​

Before making mass changes, follow this safety‑first checklist:

• Create a System Restore point — or better, a full disk image if the device is critical.
• Make a list or screenshot of apps you plan to remove so you can reinstall later if needed.
• Remove apps one class at a time and reboot to validate stability for 24–48 hours.
• Retain vendor tools that control hardware features you need (battery/power utilities, keyboard backlight, camera firmware updaters) unless you explicitly replace them.

Quick, safe manual removals (recommended first pass)​

• Settings → Apps → Installed apps — uninstall any obvious trial software and apps you never use.
• Task Manager → Startup — disable nonessential startup entries to get the boot performance wins without uninstalling.
• Settings → System → Power & battery → Battery usage — see which apps run in the background and set Background app permissions to Never for unneeded Microsoft Store apps.

For power users: PowerShell and advanced removal​

• Use Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Select Name, PackageFullName to enumerate Appx packages and Remove-AppxPackage to remove specific UWP apps (understand scope and dependency implications before removing system packages). PowerShell removal is precise but irreversible without reinstalling the app — so use carefully.

Vetted GUI tools and scripts​

• Win11Debloat (open‑source PowerShell script) — widely used, configurable, and actively maintained; it can remove appx packages, disable telemetry, and apply recommended privacy tweaks. Review its README and run with defaults or custom selections.
• Sparkle (open‑source GUI debloater) — presents reversible tweaks, explanations for each change, and built‑in cleanup tasks. Sparkle is a good middle ground: approachable UI, explainability, and the ability to select per‑tweak behavior.
• O&O AppBuster — free tool with a simple interface to show built‑in and hidden apps and remove them safely (and reinstall if you change your mind). Good for users who want a lightweight GUI without scripting.

When you use community scripts or third‑party tools, prefer open‑source projects with audited GitHub releases, read the changelog, and download only from official project pages or GitHub releases.

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Step‑by‑step: a conservative debloat plan you can run in 30–60 minutes​

• Update Windows and OEM drivers first (Settings → Windows Update; visit vendor support pages for chipset/Wi‑Fi/GPU drivers). New systems can ship with months‑old images; patching first reduces odd interactions.
• Create a System Restore point (Control Panel → Recovery → Create a restore point).
• Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps. Uninstall trial antivirus, promo apps, obvious games, and media apps you won’t use. Reboot.
• Open Task Manager → Startup and disable nonessential items (Spotify, game launchers, vendor updaters you don’t use). Reboot again.
• If you want a one‑click or curated approach, review Sparkle or Win11Debloat choices, inspect the default removal list, and run their selective mode — not “force everything” mode. Create a restore point inside the app if offered.
• After 24–48 hours of normal use, confirm no regressions (Wi‑Fi, sound, camera). If something breaks, use the tool’s restore function, reinstall from Microsoft Store, or roll back via System Restore.

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Critical analysis: strengths, risks, and what MakeUseOf glosses over​

Strengths (what the MakeUseOf piece gets right)​

• Debloating is high ROI: low effort, immediate payoff on low‑end hardware, and a real reduction in notification noise. Community tests and vendor docs support performance, storage and privacy gains from a conservative removal.
• Open‑source, auditable tools exist that reduce the complexity and risk of manual PowerShell scripting (Win11Debloat, Sparkle). Using audited tools that produce backups and restore points substantially reduces the downside risk.

Risks and caveats (what to watch for)​

• Over‑aggressive removals can break features. Some UWP packages and Xbox/Xbox Game Services components are interdependent; removing them without understanding dependencies can break Microsoft Store functionality or game installs. The community warns that a “scorched‑earth” debloat can lead to reinstalling Windows being the only repair path.
• Windows updates and OEM provisioning can reintroduce apps after feature updates. If you manage multiple machines, adopt a reproducible debloat process (scripted with winget, Group Policy, or Intune) rather than a one‑off manual cleanup.
• Third‑party debloaters are powerful and run with elevated privileges — treat unsigned binaries or unknown sources with suspicion. Prefer GitHub releases from reputable maintainers and inspect changes before running. If AV flags a tool, don’t bypass warnings without verifying the binary.
• Some preinstalled OEM utilities genuinely provide hardware control and firmware update channels (battery longevity, fan curves, keyboard functions). Removing these can disable features you actually need. Confirm the purpose of each app before removing it.

Unverifiable or overstated claims to be skeptical of​

• Absolute numeric claims like “your PC will gain 15 GB” or “boot time will drop by 50%” are situational. Device model, SSD size, installed apps, and usage patterns determine the impact. Treat headline numbers as illustrative, not guaranteed.

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A realistic, conservative recommendation​

• Start manual: uninstall obvious trialware and disable startup entries. Measure the impact.
• If you want automation, choose an open‑source, auditable tool (Sparkle for UI‑driven, Win11Debloat for scriptable), run it in selective mode, and always create a restore point or image first.
• Keep Windows Security (Microsoft Defender) enabled unless you have a specific enterprise requirement for a third‑party product; for most consumers it provides solid baseline protection, and removing competing trial AV packages eliminates upsell noise and potential driver conflicts. Note: Defender’s role and coverage evolve; check vendor guidance if your workflow needs extra features beyond what Defender offers.

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Concise checklist (copy/paste for quick action)​

• Backup or image the system (recommended).
• Install Windows updates and vendor drivers.
• Uninstall trial antivirus and vendor promo apps via Settings → Apps.
• Disable nonessential startup tasks in Task Manager.
• Use O&O AppBuster or Sparkle to inspect remaining system apps and remove selectively.
• Reboot, test, and monitor for 48 hours. If problems appear, restore the System Restore point.

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Conclusion​

Removing Windows bloatware is not an ideological crusade — it’s practical housekeeping. A light, conservative cleanup frees storage, reduces background resource usage, and stops upsell pop‑ups while narrowing your device’s telemetry and external dependencies. The risks are manageable if you follow basic precautions: update first, back up, remove apps selectively, and prefer auditable tools that explain and reverse their changes. The tools exist, the community has refined workflows, and the wins are immediate — which makes debloating one of the smartest things you can do after unboxing a new Windows PC.

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Source: MakeUseOf 3 reasons you must remove Windows bloatware right now

 

[ChatGPT]

Windows can give back large amounts of drive space with a single built‑in command — but it’s not magic, it’s compression, trade‑offs, and a little housekeeping know‑how. The MakeUseOf walkthrough that inspired this conversation showed an immediate reclaim of roughly 11 GB by enabling Windows’ CompactOS feature, a supported but quietly buried option that compresses core system binaries in place. That quick win is real for many storage‑constrained systems, but it belongs in a toolbox — not treated as a universal fix — because the performance, compatibility, and maintenance trade‑offs matter.

Background / Overview​

CompactOS is a Windows mechanism that compresses the operating system’s executable binaries and selected read‑only files so they occupy less space on disk while remaining usable. The feature has been present since Windows 10 and is available on Windows 11; Microsoft documents the compact command and the CompactOS options as part of the NTFS compression toolset. Enabling CompactOS tells Windows to keep OS binaries in a compressed form and decompress them on access, reducing the installed footprint without deleting files. Microsoft originally designed CompactOS for devices with limited storage — budget laptops, tablets, and embedded appliances — where every gigabyte matters. On modern hardware with fast NVMe SSDs and recent multi‑core CPUs, the CPU cost of on‑the‑fly decompression is often negligible and sometimes even preferable to spending more time reading data from a slow disk. That balance — fewer bytes read from storage, more CPU cycles spent decompressing — is the engineering core of the approach. The basic commands are straightforward and built into Windows’ compact utility:

• Check status: compact /CompactOS:query
• Enable (compress OS files): compact /CompactOS:always
• Disable (decompress OS files): compact /CompactOS:never

Microsoft’s official compact documentation describes these options and the behavior you should expect when changing CompactOS state.

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How CompactOS works — the technical view​

CompactOS is not general NTFS compression applied to every file on the system; it is a targeted compression mode optimized for system binaries and read‑only components. That distinction matters:

• NTFS compression (the classic compress attribute) is suitable for arbitrary files and folders, but it’s a generic approach with wider write‑path overhead.
• CompactOS uses an executable‑optimized compression pipeline intended for files that are read more often than written, and for binaries where a specialized decompression strategy pays off. The default algorithms are tuned to balance compression ratio and CPU cost for typical Windows system workloads.

Practical implications:

• Compressed files are decompressed in memory on access so applications and components run normally.
• Files that must be modified are handled appropriately (they will be decompressed if an installer or update needs to write them).
• Enabling CompactOS is done live; Windows will compress files in the background without needing a reinstall. Disabling reverses that process and decompresses the same files.

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Running the command: what to expect step‑by‑step​

The MakeUseOf author’s experience is a good, concrete illustration: running the single command compact /compactos:always in an elevated Command Prompt freed about 11 GB on their SSD after a background compression pass of minutes, not hours. That result aligns with many community reports — the amount recovered depends entirely on what Windows already stores uncompressed and your machine’s installed components. Treat the 11 GB figure as an anecdote that describes one outcome, not a guaranteed result for every system.
Here’s the practical flow:

• Open an elevated Command Prompt or Windows Terminal (Run as administrator).
• Check current state: compact /compactos:query.
• Windows may report that it “chose the state for your PC” (automatic) or that CompactOS is explicitly enabled or disabled.
• Enable compression: compact /compactos:always.
• The command runs and compresses system files in the background. It does not usually show per‑file progress; you’ll see a summary when it completes.
• Monitor time:
• Compression time varies by CPU and storage speed. On a modern laptop with an SSD, expect minutes to tens of minutes; on slower disks, it can be longer. How‑To‑Geek’s hands‑on guide reports small, fast wins in many configurations.

To reverse the decision later: run compact /compactos:never to decompress the files. The decompression also runs in the background and will take approximately the same order of time as compressing.

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Real‑world results and what you can reasonably expect​

A few points to set realistic expectations:

• The space reclaimed depends on the current composition of your Windows image: language packs, optional components, drivers, and the WinSxS component store all affect savings. On tightly packed 128 GB or 256 GB laptops the percent savings can be meaningful; on a 1 TB drive, an 11 GB win is modest.
• Performance impact is usually small for modern hardware. On a machine with a fast CPU and SSD, reads often complete faster because fewer bytes are transferred from disk even after factoring in decompression CPU cost. On older CPUs or heavily loaded systems, the decompression cost can show up as a slight slowdown, particularly in workloads that frequently access OS binaries. Microsoft explicitly recommends measuring your scenarios to make a decision.
• CompactOS does not remove or delete files — it only changes their on‑disk representation. That’s why it can be a low‑risk way to reclaim space without deleting data or uninstalling apps. But it’s not a substitute for diagnosing large single‑file offenders, restore points, or virtual disk images (WSL/Hyper‑V VHDX), which are often the real space hogs. Community diagnostics recommend pairing CompactOS with a visual scan tool like WinDirStat or WizTree to find the big items.

Two independent verifications:

• Microsoft documentation explains and supports the compact command and the CompactOS options. It also notes the runtime trade‑offs between I/O and CPU for differing hardware profiles.
• How‑To‑Geek’s walkthrough demonstrates the same commands in practice and reports modest but real space savings in a test system, while warning that Windows usually makes smart choices automatically for many PCs.

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When you should avoid using CompactOS​

CompactOS is a tool — and like any tool, it has contexts where the trade‑offs don’t make sense.

• Older or low‑power CPUs: If your system struggles under routine tasks, the decompression load may produce a measurable slowdown. The CPU cost is small on modern silicon but can be significant on netbooks, very old laptops, or embedded devices with weak processors.
• Heavy‑I/O server workloads: Machines that serve as build hosts, run many virtual machines, or perform heavy I/O may not benefit because the repeated decompression of system binaries could compound under high concurrency. For server scenarios, measure first and prefer targeted strategies (moving VMs to larger volumes, trimming restore point storage, etc..
• When you have abundant free space: If your drive has hundreds of gigabytes free, the small relative win doesn’t justify changes. CompactOS is most valuable on constrained SSDs (128/256 GB) or in controlled embedded deployments.
• For enterprise images requiring specific servicing guarantees: CompactOS changes can interact with deployment and servicing pipelines (OEM or embedded scenarios). Microsoft’s IoT/enterprise guidance covers deployment and servicing caveats; test in your imaging pipeline before rolling it out widely.

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Complementary space‑saving tactics that commonly reclaim more bytes​

CompactOS is only one lever. The MakeUseOf walkthrough — and long‑standing community practice — pairs CompactOS with other commands and tools to reclaim tens of gigabytes safely:

• Inspect shadow storage (System Restore / VSS):
• vssadmin list shadowstorage and vssadmin list shadows reveal how much space Volume Shadow Copy is reserving. Large shadow storage can hide tens of gigabytes. If you don’t need restore points, you can remove them via Disk Cleanup or vssadmin delete shadows /for=C: /all (irreversible). Several forum and troubleshooting guides put this near the top of the checklist for “missing” space.
• Clean the WinSxS component store:
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup (and optionally /ResetBase for an irreversible, larger reclaim). This often recovers many GB after updates.
• Remove hibernation if unused:
• powercfg /hibernate off removes hiberfil.sys and can free space roughly equal to your installed RAM. This is a common and immediate win on laptops where the hibernation file consumes multiple GB.
• Clear Windows Update cache:
• Stop Windows Update, delete C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download, restart the service to remove downloaded installers. Disk Cleanup (system files) also exposes “Windows Update Cleanup” and “Previous Windows installation(s)”.
• Find single large files (WSL/VM disk images, ISOs, Windows.edb):
• Visual tools like WinDirStat, WizTree, or TreeSize Free pinpoint the largest folders and files quickly; PowerShell scripts can list top files. Many real cases of “disappearing” disk space turn out to be a few very large VHDX or backing‑store files.

These steps are commonly recommended in community troubleshooting sequences: visualize → inspect VSS → run DISM or Disk Cleanup → remove hibernation → handle large files. That sequence tends to find and reclaim the tens of gigabytes most users actually need.

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A practical, safe step‑by‑step checklist (copy/paste friendly)​

• Backup irreplaceable files.
• Install and run a visual scanner (WizTree or WinDirStat) as Administrator to see big folders.
• Elevated Command Prompt (copy/paste these):
• vssadmin list shadowstorage
• vssadmin list shadows
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore
• Get-ChildItem -Path C:\ -Force -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object {-not $[I].PSIsContainer} | Sort-Object Length -Descending | Select-Object FullName,@{Name='GB';Expression={[math]::Round($[/I].Length/1GB,2)}} -First 25
• If VSS uses many GB and you accept losing restore points:
• Use Disk Cleanup (Run as Administrator) → Clean up system files → System Restore and Shadow Copies → Clean up
• Or (power user) vssadmin delete shadows /for=C: /all (irreversible).
• If DISM reports reclaimable WinSxS:
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup
• For larger reclaim (irreversible) DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase.
• Disable hibernate if you don’t need it:
• powercfg /hibernate off.
• After the above, if you still need more space and want to try CompactOS:
• compact /compactos:query to confirm
• compact /compactos:always to enable
• Allow it to finish; review the summary for MB/GB reclaimed.
• If you see any suspicious regressions or performance problems, revert:
• compact /compactos:never to decompress system files.

Community guides emphasize verifying each change and moving suspect files to external storage before permanent deletion; this mitigates the “file reappears” problem caused by services that recreate files or cloud sync restoring items.

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Risks, verification and rollback​

CompactOS itself is supported and reversible, but treat the entire cleanup process with care:

• Back up first. Some cleanup steps (e.g., DISM /ResetBase or deleting VSS snapshots) are irreversible and remove rollback capability.
• Measure impact. For mission‑critical machines or developer machines, run benchmarks or at least use the system normally for a day after enabling CompactOS to detect regressions.
• Reversibility: CompactOS can be turned off and files decompressed with compact /compactos:never. DISM /ResetBase cannot be undone. Deleting restore points cannot be undone. Keep a recovery drive or system image if you proceed aggressively.
• Unverifiable claims: any published single‑system figure (like “I got 11 GB”) is an anecdote. Your mileage will vary depending on installed languages, optional features, vendor drivers, and prior update history. Treat headline numbers as examples, not guarantees.

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Why CompactOS is still under‑advertised​

Microsoft leaves CompactOS as a power‑user feature and does not prominently expose it in the Settings GUI because it’s a nuanced lever: it changes the on‑disk representation of system binaries in a way that benefits constrained devices but can have subtle, workload‑dependent impacts on performance and servicing. For most modern consumer laptops, Windows will often make reasonable decisions automatically; CompactOS exists for edge cases, OEM image optimization, and users who want the explicit control. The documentation and how‑to guides are explicit about testing and measuring your workload before broad deployment.

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Final analysis — strengths and trade‑offs​

Strengths

• Non‑destructive, reversible (unless you combine it with other irreversible cleanups): CompactOS preserves data and can be toggled on/off.
• Real, immediate space savings on storage‑constrained systems — the MakeUseOf example and many community reports show multi‑GB wins.
• Often negligible day‑to‑day impact on modern hardware, and sometimes a net I/O performance benefit when the storage device is a bottleneck.

Risks & limitations

• Performance regression on weak CPUs or heavy binary‑access workloads. Measure before committing system‑wide.
• It’s a small piece of a larger cleanup puzzle. Volume Shadow Copy, WinSxS, VM disks, hibernation files, and large user files are often larger contributors to low free‑space problems; treat CompactOS as part of a broader cleanup plan.
• Some steps are irreversible. Use DISM resets and VSS deletions with understanding and backups.

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Conclusion​

CompactOS is an effective, supported Windows feature that can quickly free several gigabytes on constrained devices with a single command. The MakeUseOf author’s 11 GB win is a useful illustrative case: simple, fast, and non‑destructive. But it’s not a silver bullet. For the best results, follow a measured approach: visualize disk usage with tools like WizTree or WinDirStat, inspect shadow storage and the component store, run safe removals (Disk Cleanup, DISM), and then consider CompactOS if disk pressure remains. Measure performance after enabling it, and keep your rollback plan ready. Used judiciously alongside established cleanup steps, CompactOS is a practical way to reclaim space and extend the usable life of storage‑limited Windows laptops and devices.

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Source: MakeUseOf I ran one Windows command and got back 11GB of space instantly

 

[imnishantdesai]

Windows 11 is powerful and modern but it comes packed with preinstalled apps, background services, and visual effects that can slow things down, especially on older PCs. Debloating helps reclaim system resources, improve boot times, and enhance overall responsiveness. Here’s how to safely streamline your system.

Remove Preinstalled Apps: Windows 11 includes apps you may never use (Xbox, OneNote, Clipchamp, etc.)

Use Win11Debloat (Advanced Option): Win11Debloat is a trusted open-source PowerShell script that removes unnecessary apps and tweaks settings automatically.

Disable Background Apps:Many apps run silently in the background.

Disable Startup Programs: Startup apps heavily impact boot time.

Reduce Visual Effects: Windows 11 animations consume GPU and RAM

Clean Up Storage: Temporary files slow down systems over time.
Debloating isn’t about gutting your system - It’s about refinement.
Start with startup apps and visual effects for the biggest gains. Then fine-tune background services and storage cleanup.
With a leaner setup, your PC will boot faster, launch apps quicker, and feel noticeably more responsive.

 

[ChatGPT]

Your outline is solid and safe as a general approach. A few refinements will make it more accurate (Windows 11 has some gotchas) and reduce the risk of “debloat regret.”

0) Do this first (so changes are reversible)​

• Create a Restore Point (or better: a full image backup) before removing apps/tweaking privacy settings.
• If you’re using a debloat script, prefer “defaults lite” / no-app-removal first, then remove apps in a second pass.

1) Remove preinstalled apps (best done in Settings first)​

• Go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps and uninstall obvious items you’ll never use (trialware, vendor promos, games).
• Avoid removing core components like Microsoft Store, Windows Security, or anything you’re unsure about (you can always uninstall later).

2) Disable Startup programs (biggest boot-time win)​

Microsoft’s own guidance is to manage startup apps from Settings → Apps → Startup or Task Manager → Startup apps.
Tip: Sort by Startup impact and disable “High” items you don’t need at login.

3) Disable Background apps (important nuance in Windows 11)​

Windows 11 mostly lets you control background activity per app (and primarily for Store/UWP apps). Microsoft documents the per-app path here: Settings → Apps → Installed apps → (app) → Advanced options → Background app permissions → Never.
Also note (from Microsoft): many classic desktop apps won’t appear in that background-permissions list, so for those you typically manage background behavior via the app’s own settings and Startup tab.

4) Reduce visual effects (snappier feel on older GPUs/CPUs)​

A quick “safe” pair of toggles:

• Settings → Accessibility → Visual effects → Animation effects = Off
• Transparency effects = Off
  (These settings are commonly recommended for responsiveness; you can always turn them back on.)

5) Clean up storage (keeps updates working and prevents slowdowns)​

Use Storage Sense and Cleanup recommendations:

• Settings → System → Storage → Storage Sense (automatic temp cleanup)
• Microsoft also recommends Cleanup recommendations for temporary/system files and unused apps.

6) Win11Debloat (advanced option) — use the official project​

If you’re going to recommend Win11Debloat, I’d point users to the official GitHub repo by Raphire (and avoid random “debloat tool” EXEs). The project is explicitly designed to remove preinstalled apps and apply declutter/privacy tweaks for Windows 10/11.
Two safer ways to run it:

• Defaults WITHOUT removing apps (-RunDefaultsLite) first, then evaluate
• If you do remove apps, note that most can be reinstalled via Microsoft Store or WinGet, but removing the Microsoft Store itself is a special-case hassle.

“Do / Don’t” quick guidance (to keep debloating safe)​

Do

• Start with Startup apps + visual effects (biggest gains, lowest risk).
• Remove apps in small batches, reboot, and test.

Don’t

• “Nuke everything” with aggressive scripts on a daily-driver PC.
• Remove Microsoft Store or key system components unless you’re prepared to repair/reinstall.

If you tell me the PC specs (CPU, RAM, SSD/HDD) and whether it’s Windows 11 Home/Pro, I can suggest a conservative app removal list (Xbox/Clipchamp/OneNote/Widgets/etc.) that matches that hardware and use case.