Windows 11 debloat: Comprehensive guide with tool comparison

Windows 11 can be made much leaner, faster and more data-efficient with the right tools

Especially with specialized debloat scripts like Win11Debloat, WinScript, Bloatynosy and all-in-one tools such as WinUtil Chris Titus Tech is making these changes very quickly. In this comprehensive guide, you will learn how to clean up your system and the advantages and disadvantages of the most important tools in detail.

Why do we want to "debloat" Windows 11 at all?

Imagine your fresh Windows 11 as a new apartment in which your landlord has placed decorations, brochures, advertising displays and, in addition, your personal calendar filled with all kinds of ‘service visits’. Everywhere there are widgets, news tiles, trial versions, games and in the background there are services that call home diligently. This is where debloating comes in: Throw out Candy Crush Kram, redundant store apps, news integrations, trial software, advertising IDs, and tracking, reduce telemetry, and take AI features like Copilot and Recall off the gas when you don't need them.

The result is impressive: Windows starts faster, looks less nervous, the laptop battery lasts longer and you have significantly less noise on the screen; For this, you get a system that feels like your computer again. Of course, the whole thing also has a dark side: If you clean up too aggressively, you'll shoot yourself off with bad luck store features or updates, and some remote apps will happily come back with a big feature update, so you'll have to run your script again. (Hello OneDrive, i’m looking at you)​

The benefits of debloating:

• Faster system startup and generally better performance
• Clearly tidy start menu and clearer interface
• Less advertising and annoying notifications
• Reduced data transfer and better data protection
• More free space
• Longer battery life for laptops due to fewer background processes

However, you should also know the possible risks:

• Not all changes can be easily reversed
• Some system updates could reinstall remote apps
• Some Windows features could be compromised
• If debloating is too aggressive, system functions can be damaged

Okay, I got it. What should you pay attention to?

Important safety instructions

Before using it, you should ALWAYS:

1. Create System Restore Point
   • Settings → System → Info → System protection
   • Or: rstrui.exe Use in the Execute dialog
2. Consider Full Backup
   • Especially against aggressive tools such as dumpers
   • Use Windows backup or third-party tools (e.g. TrueImage, Maricum Reflect, RescueZilla)
3. Write down the list of remote apps
   • If something is needed later
   • This then facilitates the targeted recovery

During use:

1. Start conservatively
   • Try a few basic options first
   • If necessary, become more aggressive later
   • Do not enable all options at once
2. Read the documentation
   • Each tool has a README with warnings – be sure to read!
   • Also helpful: Check GitHub issues for known issues
3. Test the system
   • Restart after changes
   • Check important functions for functionality
   • Use your restore point immediately in case of problems

After use:

1. Check functionality
   • Windows Store
   • Windows update
   • Microsoft Office (if installed)
   • Gaming features (Xbox, Game Bar)
2. Observe performance
   • Is the system really faster?
   • Check Task Manager for CPU/RAM usage
   • Measure boot time

All right, I know. So here you go with the tools!

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Windows 11 Debloat (Raphire/Win11Debloat)

Link: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat

Win11Debloat is a sleek PowerShell script designed specifically for removing bloatware, turning off telemetry, and disabling disruptive AI and advertising features. You can start it with a single liner in PowerShell and get a clear menu with standard and expert options.

Win11Debloat is something like the scalpel-accurate tool for anyone who likes to understand what's happening under the hood. You start it via a single liner in PowerShell, get a menu and can decide very specifically which apps, services and AI functions fly down or are defused. Games, test stuff, tips apps, old Xbox remains, Bing news and much more disappear, telemetry is greatly reduced, advertising IDs, activity history and feedback nerve windows are turned off. At the same time, the script brings you many small comfort tweaks: Show file extensions, get rid of widgets and overloaded Explorer views, structure context menus more meaningfully. These are all things that make Windows look more professional. The exciting thing for advanced users: Win11Debloat can run in sysprep/audit mode and make changes for all future user profiles, making it extremely attractive for IT admins and anyone who wants to roll out multiple identical setups. And if you cover up, you're not completely lost: Many interventions can be recaptured via the integrated restore logic or by reinstalling from the store, as long as you do not turn all the adjustment screws at the same time.​

And finally: Extensive reversibility

The big advantage: Almost all changes can be reversed. Win11Debloat offers a restore feature, and most apps can be reinstalled from the Microsoft Store.

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Bloatynosy (builtbybel)

Link: https://github.com/builtbybel/bloatynosy

Bloatynosy is a portable GUI application that is particularly suitable for users who prefer a graphical interface. The tool is divided into different areas that offer different levels of aggressiveness when tidying up.

If you'd rather click than read scripts, Bloatynosy feels like the graphic frontend to your conscience: In the ‘Experience’ part, you can tame telemetry, restrict advertising and edge nerve functions, roll back AI functions and reduce notifications without directly dismantling half the system. The interface gives you a pretty clear explanation of what's happening, you get instant visual feedback and you're more likely to stay in "softly tweak" mode. This is perfect for anyone who wants to clean up but doesn't want to break anything.

On the other hand, there is the ‘Dumputer’ section, which works like the sledgehammer under the debloat options and also targets protected components and system apps. You can use it to brutally dump Windows, but that's only a good idea if you have a backup beforehand and you know what you're doing because store, updates, or individual features can get tricky afterward. The plugin system is also exciting: For example, OneDrive can be completely operated out, new Outlook can be blocked or Edge can be pushed back extremely far. All of this is great for privacy fans, but with the trade-off that later reintegration sometimes requires real manual labor.

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WinScript

Link: https://github.com/Ahsanali012/WinScript

WinScript is an open source framework that allows you to create your own script profiles for debloat, privacy, performance, and app installation. It is aimed at advanced users and IT professionals.

WinScript goes one step further towards the ‘professional tool’: It's more of a framework than a single tool and wants you to build your own profiles for debloat, privacy, performance tuning, and app installation. You define which bloatware flies, which services are switched off, which registry tweaks are set and which programs are to be installed via Chocolatey in one go.

Thus, WinScript is ideal if you want to set up several computers consistently or maintain clear, documented configs as an admin. The price for this is a much steeper learning curve: Turning off non-background services can destroy updates, network features, or parts of the interface, and you'll need to keep an eye on your profiles when new versions of Windows are added. In return, you get a system that can be adapted extremely precisely to your purpose: From the gaming profile to sleek office machines to dev setups that are always rolled out the same way with a script.

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WinUtil (Chris Titus Tech)

Link: https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil

WinUtil is the ‘Swiss pocket knife’ among the Windows optimization tools. It combines installation, tweaks, debloat, troubleshooting and update fixes in a graphical PowerShell interface.

WinUtil by Chris Titus Tech is the all-rounder if you not only want to declutter, but also want to get a grip on the entire Windows life cycle. The surface brings you a huge kit: Install programs, select presets for tweaks, enable debloat options, adjust services, repair updates, fix store, reset network and go through system checks, all under one roof.

Especially with new installations, the gold is worth it, because you follow browsers, tools, media players, dev software and gaming platforms in one go via winget and simultaneously optimize your system with gaming or laptop presets. In turn, as a beginner, you'll quickly feel slain, and the presets won't hit every environment perfectly, which is why you'll ideally understand which switches you're flipping so you don't miss any service you still need for special hardware or business software. Compared to Win11Debloat, WinUtil is less fine-grained in pure debloating, but much stronger when it comes to the overall package of installation, tweaks and troubleshooting.

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Comparison table

tool	surface	Main focus	Who is suitable for	Risk level
Win11Debloat	PowerShell menu	Debloat, data protection, AI from	PowerShell users, precise control	Low-medium
Bloatynosy	GUI, portable	Easy decluttering	GUI lovers, beginners	Low (Experience) / High (Dumputer)
WinScript	Scripting framework	Debloat + performance + apps	IT professionals, mass deployment	Medium-high
WinUtil	GUI (PS-Backend)	All-in-one solution	Allrounder, new installations	appropriation

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Detailed recommendations by use case

For beginners

Recommendation: Bloatynosy (experience area)

• Simple graphical interface
• Clear descriptions
• Low risk
• Fast successes

Be careful: Use Dumputer area only after backup!

For advanced home users

Recommendation: Win11Debloat

• Good balance of control and safety
• Well documented
• Active community
• Reversible changes

For gamers

Recommendation: WinUtil with Gaming Preset

• Gaming-optimized tweaks
• Easy software installation
• Performance focus
• Store apps for Xbox Game Pass will be retained (if desired)

Alternative: Win11Debloat with careful Xbox app treatment

For IT professionals and mass deployment

Recommendation: WinScript + Win11Debloat (Sysprep mode)

• Automatable profiles
• Chocolatey integration
• Sysprep support
• Reproducible setups

For data protection focused

Recommendation: Win11Debloat + Bloatynosy Plugins

• Maximum telemetry shutdown
• OneDrive removal
• Advertising ID deactivation
• Tracking protection

For performance optimization

Recommendation: WinScript or WinUtil

• Optimization of services
• Autostart cleanup
• Registry tweaks
• System tuning

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Here again the really important safety instructions from above

Before using it, you should ALWAYS:

Create System Restore Point

Consider Full Backup

Write down the list of remote apps

During use:

Start conservatively

Read the documentation

Test the system

After use:

Check functionality

Observe performance

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Common problems and solutions

Windows Store is no longer working

Cause: Too aggressive app removal Solution:

• Repair store via WinUtil ‘Fixes’
• PowerShell: wsreset.exe
• In case of emergency: Restoration point

Windows updates fail

Cause: Disabled services or remote components Solution:

• WinUtil ‘Windows Update’ Troubleshooter
• PowerShell as Admin: sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
• Temporarily reactivating telemetry services

Copilot/Recall coming back after update

Cause: Feature updates override settings Solution:

• Run debloat tool again after major updates
• Use Group Policy Editor for permanent blocking (Pro/Enterprise)

OneDrive can no longer be installed

Cause: Aggressive OneDrive removal with Bloatynosy plugin Solution:

• Download OneDrive installer manually from Microsoft
• Check and clean up registry entries
• Windows in-place Upgrade

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Conclusion and recommendation for action

Windows 11 Debloating can significantly improve your system, but requires the right approach:

The safe way:

1. Start with Win11Debloat or Bloatynosy (Experience)
2. Remove only obvious bloatware
3. Reduce telemetry
4. Test the system
5. Further optimizations if required

Combine tools wisely:

• Win11Debloat for initial cleaning
• WinUtil for software installation on reboot
• Bloatynosy for quick repairs

Avoid:

• Dump mode without backup
• Enable all options at the same time
• Tools without understanding what they're doing
• Removing Important System Apps

With the right approach, a cluttered Windows 11 becomes a sleek, fast system that feels like ‘your’ machine again – without unnecessary ballast, but with all the features you really need.

Last reminder: No matter which tool you use, always create a backup or restore point beforehand!