Chris titus tech debloat windows 10

Debloat Windows 10

This project collects PowerShell scripts which help to debloat Windows 10, tweak common settings and install basic software components.

I test these scripts on a Windows 10 Professional 64-Bit (English) virtual machine. Please let me know if you encounter any issues. Home Edition and different languages are not supported. These scripts are intended for tech-savvy administrators, who know what they are doing and just want to automate this phase of their setup. If this profile does not fit you, I recommend using a different (more interactive) tool — and there are a lot of them out there.

Also, note that gaming-related apps and services will be removed/disabled. If you intend to use your system for gaming, adjust the scripts accordingly.

There is no undo, I recommend only using these scripts on a fresh installation (including Windows Updates). Test everything after running them before doing anything else. Also, there is no guarantee that everything will work after future updates since I cannot predict what Microsoft will do next.

The scripts are designed to run without any user interaction. Modify them beforehand. If you want a more interactive approach check out DisableWinTracking from 10se1ucgo.

Download Latest Version

Code located in the master branch is always considered under development, but you’ll probably want the most recent version anyway.

Enable execution of PowerShell scripts:

Unblock PowerShell scripts and modules within this directory:

Scripts can be run individually, pick what you need.

1. Install all available updates for your system.
2. Edit the scripts to fit your need.
3. Run the scripts you want to apply from a PowerShell with administrator privileges (Explorer Files > Open Windows PowerShell > Open Windows PowerShell as administrator )
4. PS > Restart-Computer
5. Run disable-windows-defender.ps1 one more time if you ran it in step 3
6. PS > Restart-Computer

In the past I included small fixes to make the start menu more usable, like removing default tiles, disabling web search and so on. This is no longer the case since I am fed up with it. This fucking menu breaks for apparently no reason, is slow, is a pain to configure / script and even shows ads out of the box!

Please replace it with something better, either use Open Shell or Start is Back, but stop using that shit.

Start menu Search

After running the scripts, the start menu search-box may no longer work on newly created accounts. It seems like there is an issue with account initialization that is triggered when disabling the GeoLocation service. Following workaround has been discovered by BK from Atlanta:

1. Delete registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lfsvc\TriggerInfo\3
2. Re-enable GeoLocation service (set startup type to Automatic )
3. Reboot
4. Login with the account having the stated issue
5. Start Cortana and set your preferences accordingly (web search and whatnot)

You may now disable the GeoLocation service again, the search box should remain functional.

Sysprep will hang

If you are deploying images with MDT and running these scripts, the sysprep step will hang unless dmwappushservice is active.

Xbox Wireless Adapter

Apparently running the stock remove-default-apps script will cause Xbox Wireless Adapters to stop functioning. I suspect one should not remove the Xbox App when wanting to use one. But I haven’t confirmed this yet, and there is a workaround to re-enable it afterwards. See #78.

Issues with Skype

Some of the domains blocked by adding them to the hosts-file are required for Skype. I highly discourage using Skype, however some people may not have the option to use an alternative. See the #79.

Fingerprint Reader / Facial Detection not Working

Ensure Windows Biometric Service is running. See #189.

All scripts are provided as-is and you use them at your own risk.

I would be happy to extend the collection of scripts. Just open an issue or send me a pull request.

Chris titus tech debloat windows 10

Trying to Debloat Windows 10 is getting ridiculous and as a system admin it is soul crushing to see all that performance go to waste on the botched attempt by Microsoft to do an Appstore and its apps (I’m looking at you Candy Crush). Luckily some admins have worked tirelessly to give us a solution that works considerably well. Lets Start!

October 2020 Update

If you are coming here from the YouTube video I have taken all the scripts below and a system admin script I used a lot in the past to make a streamlined debloat script. This script will optimize Windows and can be run multiple times if you have an update ruin all the optimizations. I have also made it very easy to launch. Here is the source files: https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/win10script

If you want to just run this on any system, you can easily copy and paste this into a Admin Powershell prompt and watch it do everything for you. It does have two prompts based on user feedback. Let me know what you think below!

What this script does

• Installs Chocolatey, Notepad++, Irfanview, VLC, Java, and asks if you want Adobe Reader or Brave.
• Removes all Windows Store Apps EXCEPT office, xbox, and WSL.
• Removed Telemetry
• Disables Cortana
• Deletes various schedules tasks that rebloat the system
• Removes Other Bloatware (Candy Crush, etc.)
• Fixes problems that other scripts causes (lock screen and personalization options restricted)

Based on User feedback, this no longer uninstalls OneDrive or Office.

Old 2018 Instructions

• Right Click Windows Button ->Select Powershell Prompt (Admin) OR Select Command Prompt (Admin)
  • Note: If you don’t have PowerShell and only command prompt open command prompt (admin) and type “powershell“
• Change Execution policy to allow a debloat script to run in Powershell Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
• Run the script from the following Github Repository. The person running this GitHub has been updating this script for a while and is a godsend. (Source: https://github.com/Sycnex/Windows10Debloater) Use Windows10Debloater.ps1from the location above
  • During installation select yes to debloat windows 10, select yes to remove OneDrive, and Yes to reboot after it finishes. Below is the image of performing these tasks.

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Video Walkthrough

Note: YouTube Video — Hold Ctrl + Left Click to open in new window

Chris titus tech debloat windows 10

This guide goes over using a Custom ISO, Removing Windows 10 Components, and Optimizing Windows 10 Settings.

Custom ISO

The whole purpose of a custom ISO is to make the initial install as slim as possible. You don’t have to uninstall bloat if it never gets installed to begin with!

How to Make a Custom Windows 10 ISO with MSMG Toolkit Video

Note: YouTube Video — Hold Ctrl + Left Click to open in new window

Microsoft Method for Custom ISO (Advanced Users Only)

I highly recommend a video by Craft Computing going over Windows Deployment Services if you are interested in this method — https://youtu.be/PdKMiFKGQuc

Installing Windows 10 and Removing Components

The Full AME Experience. Most people will NOT want to do this as it will remove functionality from Windows 10, that you CAN NOT put back in. Some of the components can be taken out in the Custom ISO phase, but this takes it to another level.

Note: I do NOT recommend this for MOST machines

• Windows Update
• Windows Store
• Media Player Functions
• Telemetry
• Windows Activation (YOU MUST Activate Windows Before this Tweak!) If you fail to do this, you will have a watermark you can’t get rid of
• DirectX 12

Installation Overview

• Install Windows 10 (Stock or Custom ISO)
• Activate Windows 10 and Disconnect from Internet afterwards
• Run amelioration_2004.bat as Admin and Pre-Amelioration
• Reboot to Linux (I recommend Linux Mint)
• Run sudo ./ameliorate_2004.sh in Terminal on Live Linux USB
• Reboot back to Windows
• Run amelioration_2004.bat as Admin and Post-Amelioration

Driver Installation

Recommend using the Offline Snappy Driver Installer https://sdi-tool.org/. This is about 50 GB, but has every driver you need.

AME Step-by-Step Documentation

Running Updates

• Download Latest Servicing Stack Update (Check Month — Windows verison- Architecture x64) https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=Servicing%20Stack%20Update%20Windows%2010
• Download Cumulative Update (Check Month/Version/Arch AND Run After rebooting above) https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=Cumulative%20Update%20Windows%2010

Extract Updates
expand -F:* .\Windows10SSU.msu C:\Update1
dism /online /add-package /packagepath=C:\1\Windows10.0-SSU.cab
Reboot
expand -F:* .\Windows10Cumulative.msu C:\Update2
dism /online /add-package /packagepath=C:\2\Windows10.0-Cumulative.cab
Reboot and Run
dism /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

Note: File Names change and will be different from above!

Optimizing Windows 10 Settings

To finish things off we do some custom tweaks with the Official CTT Windows 10 Toolbox. This is something I have been customizing for years and refining every single month to work on any Windows 10 Installation.

What this script can do

• Installs Chocolatey, Notepad++, Irfanview, VLC, Java, and asks if you want Adobe Reader or Brave.
• Removes all Windows Store Apps EXCEPT office, xbox, and WSL.
• Removed Telemetry
• Disables Cortana
• Deletes various schedules tasks that rebloat the system
• Removes Other Bloatware (Candy Crush, etc.)
• Fixes problems that other scripts causes (lock screen and personalization options restricted)

Based on User feedback, this no longer uninstalls OneDrive or Office.

Toolbox Walkthrough Video

Note: YouTube Video — Hold Ctrl + Left Click to open in new window

Chris titus tech debloat windows 10

In this article, we will clean up Windows 10. This will include debloat, startup maintenance, system tweaks, and privacy settings. These 3 stages are broken down below and will help maintain a healthy Windows 10 system. I’d recommend re-running these steps every 6 months.

Step 1: Debloat Windows 10

We will be utilizing PowerShell to clean up Windows 10 and get rid of a bunch of useless bloat that is included with it.

Download PowerShell Script

Run PowerShell Script

iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString(‘https://git.io/debloat’))

Note: This will remove many apps in the Microsoft Store. Games, Office 365 and things that utilize the Microsoft Store. If unsure, use the customize blacklist and only tick the boxes of things you want to remove!
Source: https://github.com/Sycnex/Windows10Debloater

Step 2: Clean Up Windows 10 Startup

Launch Task Manager and then click the startup tab. You need to disable any unneeded programs from here.

Changing Startup Programs (Advanced Users)

You can change startup programs from Start-Run-Type: shell:startup and Start-Run-Type: shell:common startup

You can also modify startup programs using registry editor HKCU or HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrrentVersion\Run

Cleanup Task Scheduler, as it accumulates many things that cause an install to be slow and is vital when you clean up Windows 10.

Step 3: System Tweaks and Privacy

There is literally hundreds of settings in Windows 10 that are privacy concerns and why I’d recommend using a 3rd party software for this. However, you can do all the same tweaks by simply going through settings and doing all these manually. That said, I recommend using O&O Shutup10 for optimal tweaks and privacy.

I also tell everyone to use the recommended settings as the other settings can have unintended consequences.

Other Recommended Settings

Turn off Hibernation: powercfg /hibernate off
Modify Applications Menu: explorer shell:AppsFolder
Change Windows 10 Start Menu: shell:StartMenuAllPrograms or shell:Start Menu

Video Walkthrough

Note: YouTube Video — Hold Ctrl + Left Click to open in new window

Chris titus tech debloat windows 10

This goes over debloating and slimming down Windows 10 so you get maximum performance from your PC.

I made a guide going over the debloat process two years ago https://christitus.com/debloat-windows-10/ — The guide has evolved and the github project I was using has also improved.

January 2021 Update

If you are coming here from the YouTube video I have taken all the scripts below and a system admin script I used a lot in the past to make a streamlined debloat script. This script will optimize Windows and can be run multiple times if you have an update ruin all the optimizations. I have also made it very easy to launch. Here is the source files: https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/win10script

If you want to just run this on any system, you can easily copy and paste this into a Admin Powershell prompt and watch it do everything for you. It does have two prompts based on user feedback. Let me know what you think below!

December 2020 Feature: GUI added — Select what you want!
January 2021 Feature: 10 Bug Fixes and Network Optimizations added

What this script can do

• Installs Chocolatey, Notepad++, Irfanview, VLC, Java, and asks if you want Adobe Reader or Brave.
• Removes all Windows Store Apps EXCEPT office, xbox, and WSL.
• Removed Telemetry
• Disables Cortana
• Deletes various schedules tasks that rebloat the system
• Removes Other Bloatware (Candy Crush, etc.)
• Fixes problems that other scripts causes (lock screen and personalization options restricted)

Based on User feedback, this no longer uninstalls OneDrive or Office.

Toolbox Walkthrough Video

Note: YouTube Video — Hold Ctrl + Left Click to open in new window

User Requested Restore Scripts

This restore script pops up a GUI that lets you restore what you want to FACTORY DEFAULTS!

Old Methods from Prior Videos that I no longer use

The project I use has been developed for many years now and is extremely good. Here is the source github project I use:
https://github.com/Sycnex/Windows10Debloater

This is a new project that was brought to my attention, but has quickly made a name for itself. It works very well and is typically more up to date than the above project.
https://github.com/farag2/Windows-10-Setup-Script

Optimal Way to Use this Tool

I recommend running this tool under the following conditions:

• Before User Profile is Created
• Empty Desktop and Downloads (Past versions has deleted files from Desktop and Downloads)
• After installing New Feature Updates

• Disable Cortana
• Uninstall OneDrive
• Run Essential Tweaks

I generally always enable Dark Mode and Install 3.5 .NET but that is entirely my personal preference.