How I Debloated My Windows 11

No AI, no tracking, no ads, and no widget BS

I have an ambiguous relationship with Windows. I hate it, but I am also forced to use it, like most of us.

My favorite OS is Linux, but we all know the compatibility headaches with Adobe and friends, not to mention games, and the number of non-technical people who nearly have a heart attack when a terminal window pops up. No hate.

So I decided: if I have to use Windows, at least not the way it ships out of the box. Tracking. AI bloat. Slow. Resource-heavy. Ads in every corner.

Turns out there are like-minded people out there who wrote tiny helper scripts so anyone can debloat Windows safely, with no manual registry edits and no risking a permanent blue screen.

Here is how I did it, in two steps.

Neither is mandatory. Skip whatever makes you uncomfortable. Everything still works.

Step 1: A Clean, Offline Account

Bro, seriously: why am I forced to create a Microsoft account just to set up my own PC?

And why does it quietly back everything up to OneDrive, so Microsoft gets a front-row seat to my late-night productivity sessions?

No. Seriously. That is too much.

Here is how to skip it entirely, using Rufus:

1. Grab a USB stick, 8 GB or bigger. Rufus will wipe it, so back up anything on it first.
2. Download and open Rufus. No install needed, just run it.
3. No Windows 11 ISO lying around? You do not need to go hunting for one. Click the small arrow next to “Select” and choose “Download” to let Rufus pull the official ISO straight from Microsoft.
4. Plug in your USB stick, select it in Rufus, and click “Start”.
5. A window titled “Windows User Experience” pops up. Tick:
   • Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account
   • Create a local account with username, then type one in
   • Disable data collection. This is optional and also skips the privacy-question screens.
6. Confirm, let Rufus finish writing the drive, then boot your PC from it and install Windows as normal.
7. One catch: when setup reaches the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen, stay offline. Do not connect to Wi-Fi or Ethernet yet. That is what makes Windows offer the local-account option instead of asking again for an online account.

It works on both Windows 11 Home and Pro. Pro technically lets you create a local account natively; this trick just makes Home behave the same way.

Step 2: The Actual Debloat

Windows is installed.

Now the fun part: deleting everything Microsoft bolted on that nobody asked for.

We will use WinUtil, a free, open-source tool by Chris Titus Tech. Think of it as one big control panel for undoing Microsoft’s decisions.

Open PowerShell as Administrator by right-clicking the Start button and choosing “Terminal (Admin)”. Paste this and press Enter:

irm https://christitus.com/win | iex

That is it. No installer, no download page. It just runs.

A window opens with dozens of toggles. Ticking all of them is overkill and might damage your system, so here is what I actually recommend.

Under “Essential Tweaks”

• Telemetry: Disable stops Windows sending your usage data home.
• Activity History: Disable stops it logging what you did and when.
• Location Tracking: Disable is self-explanatory.
• Widgets: Remove kills the news-and-weather panel nobody clicked on.
• ConsumerFeatures: Disable stops random suggested apps from installing themselves into your Start menu.
• Microsoft Store Recommended Search Results: Disable means fewer ads cluttering search.
• Restore Point: Create should be ticked first, always. It is your undo button.

Under “Advanced Tweaks: CAUTION”

Only use these if you are comfortable. They dig deeper:

• Windows AI: Disable And Remove gets rid of Copilot and Recall.
• Microsoft OneDrive: Remove ends silent cloud backup of your files.
• Background Apps: Disable stops apps running when you are not using them.
• System Tray Notifications & Calendar: Disable is optional and kills the toast-notification spam.

Scroll down and click “Run Tweaks”. Changed your mind about something? Everything here is reversible with the “Undo Selected Tweaks” button.

One more tool in the same window: the “O&O ShutUp10++: Run” button launches O&O ShutUp10++, a free, portable privacy tool that mops up a few settings WinUtil does not touch. Open it, click “Actions”, then “Apply only recommended and somewhat recommended settings”. Done.

Before You Touch Anything

Seriously: create a restore point first.

Either tick it in WinUtil or search for “Create a restore point” in the Start menu and set one up yourself. It takes thirty seconds and could save you a full reinstall if you get trigger-happy in the Advanced section.

Finally, a small tip: do not try to remove the annoying Edge browser. It will create more problems than it solves. Trust me here.

The Result

No Microsoft account annoying me at login.

No Copilot popping up uninvited.

No widgets.

No suggested apps colonizing my Start menu.

It still does not feel like Linux, but it finally feels like my fricking PC, not Microsoft’s.

It just feels like a breeze.