We ran Win11Debloat on real Windows

#The test machines

We used GitHub's hosted Windows runners: fresh virtual machines that nobody has used before, created for each run and deleted after it. A script drove the official release exactly as a person would. It downloaded the release the way the one-liner does, clicked through the GUI with Windows' UI Automation, and took screenshots along the way.

#Every run, side by side

Runs 1 and 3 on Windows 11 are the ones to compare. One used the command line, the other the GUI's Default Mode button. Both removed the same 17 packages and changed the same 61 registry values, down to the last one. The GUI time is longer partly because our script timed it from the Apply Changes click to the completion dialog, taking screenshots in between.

The Windows Server runs changed 61 values too, but not quite the same ones. Server is on build 26100, so -DisableDragTray (build 26200 and later) was skipped there. Instead, one advertising ID value that the Windows 11 image already had set needed changing on Server.

#What Default mode does, step by step

Win11Debloat supports PowerShell's -WhatIf switch, although the README does not mention it. With it, the script prints every change it would make and makes none. We ran Win11Debloat.ps1 -RunDefaults -Silent -WhatIf on the Windows 11 machine, then checked all 200 registry values the tweaks can touch: none had changed. This is the order of operations it printed:

1. 1Before any change
   • Save settings to LastUsedSettings.json
   • Create registry backup
   • Create system restore point
2. 2Removing selected apps for all users84 packages
   Clipchamp3D BuilderCortanaBing FinanceBing Food And DrinkBing Health And FitnessBing NewsBing SportsBing TranslatorBing TravelBing WeatherMicrosoft CopilotCopilot+ AI HubMicrosoft PC Manager

   and 70 more

   Get StartedMessaging3D ViewerMicrosoft JournalOffice HubPower BISolitaire CollectionSticky NotesMixed Reality PortalNetwork Speed TestMicrosoft NewsOneNoteSwayOne ConnectPrint 3DPower AutomateSkype (UWP)Microsoft To DoDev HomeAlarms & ClockFeedback HubWindows MapsSound RecorderXbox Console CompanionMovies & TVFamily SafetyQuick AssistMicrosoft Teams (Old)Microsoft Teams (New)ACG Media PlayerActipro SoftwareAdobe Photoshop ExpressAmazonPrime VideoAsphalt 8Autodesk SketchBookCaesars SlotsCooking FeverCyberLink Media SuiteDisney Magic KingdomsDisney+Drawboard PDFDuolingoEclipse ManagerFacebookFarmVille 2FlipboardHidden CityHuluiHeartRadioInstagramBubble Witch 3Candy Crush SagaCandy Crush SodaLinkedInMarch of EmpiresNetflixNYT CrosswordOne CalendarPandoraPhototastic CollagePicsArtPolarr Photo EditorRoyal RevoltLive WallpaperSling TVSpotifyTikTokTuneIn RadioWinZip
3. 3Disabling telemetry and diagnostic data collection15 registry values
   -DisableTelemetryDisable_Telemetry.reg15 values
4. 4Disabling telemetry scheduled tasks8 scheduled tasks
   • \Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser
   • \Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser Exp
   • \Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\ProgramDataUpdater
   • \Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\StartupAppTask
   • \Microsoft\Windows\Customer Experience Improvement Program\Consolidator
   • \Microsoft\Windows\Customer Experience Improvement Program\UsbCeip
   • \Microsoft\Windows\DiskDiagnostic\Microsoft-Windows-DiskDiagnosticDataCollector
   • \Microsoft\Windows\Autochk\Proxy
5. 5Disabling tips, tricks, suggestions and ads throughout Windows18 registry values
   -DisableSuggestionsDisable_Windows_Suggestions.reg18 values
6. 6Disabling ads, suggestions and the MSN news feed in Microsoft Edge13 registry values
   -DisableEdgeAdsDisable_Edge_Ads_And_Suggestions.reg13 values
7. 7Disabling tips & tricks on the lock screen2 registry values
   -DisableLockscreenTipsDisable_Lockscreen_Tips.reg2 values
8. 8Disabling Bing web search & Copilot integration in Windows search3 registry values · 1 package
   -DisableBingDisable_Bing_Cortana_In_Search.reg3 values

   Bing Search
9. 9Disabling Microsoft Store search suggestions for user runneradmin
   • Disable Microsoft Store search suggestions for user runneradmin by restricting access to C:\Users\runneradmin\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\store.db
10. 10Disabling Microsoft Copilot3 registry values · 2 packages
    -DisableCopilotDisable_Copilot.reg3 values

    Microsoft.CopilotMicrosoft Copilot
11. 11Disabling Windows Recall4 registry values
    -DisableRecallDisable_AI_Recall.reg4 values
12. 12Disabling Click to Do2 registry values
    -DisableClickToDoDisable_Click_to_Do.reg2 values
13. 13Preventing AI service from starting automatically1 registry value
    -DisableAISvcAutoStartDisable_AI_Service_Auto_Start.reg1 value
14. 14Disabling widgets on the taskbar & lock screen3 packages
    Widgets ExperienceWindows Web Experience PackWidgets Platform Runtime
15. 15Enabling file extensions for known file types1 registry value
    -ShowKnownFileExtShow_Extensions_For_Known_File_Types.reg1 value
16. 16Disabling Drag Tray1 registry value
    -DisableDragTrayDisable_Share_Drag_Tray.reg1 value
17. 17Disabling network connectivity during Modern Standby2 registry values
    -DisableModernStandbyNetworkingDisable_Modern_Standby_Networking.reg2 values
18. 18Finishing up
    • Restart the Windows Explorer process

The dry run lists all 84 apps in the default selection, whether or not they are installed. The real run only removes what is there: 13 of them on our machine. Most of the tweaks are a single .reg file. The values listed add up to 65. On our machine 4 of those 65 already had the right value, which is why the real run changed 61.

Full transcript: Windows 11, Windows Server.

#What it removed

Four of the 17 packages are not in the app list at all. The Widgets and Bing search tweaks uninstall them as part of what they do. Apps were removed for all users, and 15 of them were also removed from the Windows image (provisioned packages), so new user accounts do not get them either. The other two were not provisioned to begin with.

#Every registry value it changed

Grouped by the tweak that wrote it. "not set" means the value did not exist, which is how Windows behaves by default.

#Everything else we measured

#Every tweak, one at a time

Default mode only covers 16 tweaks, so we also tested the rest. On the Windows 11 machine, a script applied each of the 93 tweaks on its own with its command-line switch, recorded the values in the tweak's own .reg and undo files, plus every service, scheduled task and app package, before and after. Then it imported the tweak's undo file and checked the values again. Service and task changes count only when the tweak itself touches them: the rest were Windows' own background activity. We left out Windows Sandbox and WSL, which need a restart. Each result is shown on that tweak's card, on the tweak pages.

• 50 undo files put every value back exactly. Some left an empty registry key behind, which does nothing.
• 21 reverted the change but did not restore the exact original state. Where a value did not exist before, the undo file writes Windows' standard value explicitly. For example, -DisableCopilot's undo sets ShowCopilotButton = 1 instead of deleting it. If you want your exact previous state, use Win11Debloat's registry backup instead.
• 3 left values behind. -HideHome and -HideGallery bring Home and Gallery back, but keep the extra option they added to File Explorer's Folder Options. -DisableGameBarIntegration's undo leaves its placeholder ms-gamebarservices link handler registered.

The run also showed a real difference between the wizard and the command line. Six tweaks are meant for other Windows versions than 25H2. The wizard and Default mode skip them, but when we passed them as switches, release 2026.08.24 applied four of them anyway: -HideChat, -HideMusic, -HideIncludeInLibrary and -HideGiveAccessTo all changed registry values. The other two found nothing to change. What that means for commands.

We also took screenshots during this run, but Windows' first-run privacy screen reappeared over them after Explorer restarted, so we do not publish them. Raw data: tweaks.json, run log, and each tweak's console output in /evidence/2026-10-30/tweaks-win11arm/output/.

#What went wrong, and what it looked like

Each problem we hit is one real users report too. Here is what each looked like.

"Restore Point Creation Failed"

Windows Server has no System Restore, so the restore point fails and Win11Debloat asks what to do. Yes continues without one. No cancels the whole run. Our first Server run dismissed this dialog by mistake, which cancelled it, and nothing was changed. On Windows 11 you would only see it if the restore point itself fails: when System Protection is off, Win11Debloat turns it on for drive C: first. In silent mode (-Silent) the script continues without asking.

"Changes Applied with Errors"

This is the completion dialog when any step failed. On Server, the only failure was the restore point. On Windows 11, the GUI reported 2 change(s) failed. The command-line run on the same image names them in its log: two attempts to remove the Copilot Store app XP9CXNGPPJ97XX, which go through WinGet. Everything else went through.

"WinGet is not installed or outdated"

The Windows 11 image had no up-to-date WinGet. Win11Debloat said so before anything else, WARNING: WinGet is not installed or outdated, this may prevent Win11Debloat from removing certain apps, and waited for a key press. Only the three apps removed through WinGet (Copilot, Edge and OneDrive) are affected. On a normal Windows 11 PC, updating App Installer from the Microsoft Store fixes it.

#What it looked like

After Default mode, Settings shows Your organization prevents sending diagnostic data to Microsoft. That is not a real organization. It is the Group Policy value that -DisableTelemetry sets. Why the "managed by your organization" message appears.

#The files we ran

Every run downloaded the release afresh and hashed it. The hashes were the same on both machines and in every run:

#What these tests do not cover

• Home and Pro editions. GitHub only offers Enterprise. Home and Pro ship with more third-party apps (games, Spotify, Disney+), so Default mode removes more there.
• Restarts. The machines cannot restart in the middle of a test. A few tweaks only take full effect after signing out or restarting, so we judge them by the registry, not by what Windows showed.
• Long-term use. We did not install Windows updates afterwards to see what comes back.
• Hardware. These are virtual machines with no GPU, battery, printer or Bluetooth. We cannot measure gaming performance or battery life.
• One account, English only. Each machine had a single administrator account and an English (US) Windows.

#Community results

Our machines cannot cover Home and Pro editions, real hardware, games or long-term use. Readers can: if you ran Win11Debloat, open its log in the log reader and use Share this result with us. It writes a short summary without your PC name, user name or user folders, and you add your Windows edition and PC model.

We publish a result only after reading the log behind it, and we never publish names, serial numbers or anything that identifies you.

No reader results are published yet. Yours could be the first.

#Raw data

All the files below are exactly what the machines produced. Snapshots list every app package, service, scheduled task and tweak-related registry value before and after the run.

The test scripts are public too: verify/run.ps1 drives each run and verify/lib.ps1 takes the snapshots. If you run Win11Debloat on your own PC and see something different, tell us at the address at the bottom of this page.

#Questions

Something wrong or out of date? Email hello@win11debloat.dev and we will fix it.