Microsoft will let you uninstall more built-in Win 11 apps soon for less bloat

[izzydata]

Why should they have to let me? It's my computer.

[yjftsjthsd-h]

There used to be an icon on the desktop titled "My Computer". It's titled "This PC" now. That seems a sufficient summary of how MS/Windows views things.

[trallnag]

I'm seeing a pattern on HN. Whenever Apple comes up it's "they don't allow it to protect me and I'm so thankful", whenever Microsoft comes up it's "they don't allow it, fuck them".

Probably from different people, but nevertheless.

[JohnFen]

My first thought was similar:

My, how gracious of them to allow me to do something on my own freaking machine.

[clircle]

Your computer, their os…

[hdjjhhvvhga]

Their perspective on this point is diametrically different.

[mepian]

I'd really like to uninstall Edge and never be pestered about switching to it as the default browser ever again.

[tiffanyh]

LTSC

Windows LTSC is the version of Windows with all the cruft that people want removed, removed.

No autoreboot, no MS store, no onedrive, no ads.

(It's like what Windows use to be back in the day)

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/w...

[jjoonathan]

Windows Embedded was promoted as a way to use Windows in environments were "windows-isms" (update hijacking, nags, ads, spontaneous deactivation, etc) could have catastrophic consequences due to downtime and difficulty of mouse+keyboard access. Microsoft broke the contract. Informally, at least, I'm sure their lawyers made sure the fine print was on their side.

One day I turned on my Windows 7 Embedded oscilloscope and got hit with a full-screen ad for Windows 11 that could only be dismissed by mouse. In my case I was able to just attach a mouse, but I've seen Windows Embedded used in environments where that would have been difficult and time-consuming (USB ports hidden or even glued to prevent physical access).

Point is: Microsoft will happily sell you a special anti-abuse pass and then abuse you anyway. Be warned.

[yjftsjthsd-h]

Sure. Now if you could get MS to sell you LTSC...

[doublerabbit]

It exists, but only unless if your an enterprise house or have some sort of contract with Microsoft.

[a1o]

Does Windows 11 LTSC already exists?

[timbit42]

No Edge?

[karaterobot]

I wish Apple would let me uninstall Messages, News, and iTunes, and all their other first party software that I never use. Heck, I'd settle for them not running on their own. Apparently they are all load-bearing software, and removing them would cripple the OS.

[olyjohn]

They're so full of shit. The OS worked fine before without all that. It's their choice to build it that way. It's shitty practice to do that IMO. And most of all it's shitty to do to your users.

[kioshix]

But Chess.app is the keystone of the entire system!

[runjake]

This article and video were pretty helpful on eliminating all the Windows 11 bloat/cruft from the start:

https://christitus.com/windows-11-perfect-install/

It:

- Bypasses the installation of most of the junk apps using a non-messy region "hack".

- Bypasses Microsoft account requirements.

- Removes telemetry.

- Gets rid of Edge.

- None of it is too janky, and yeah, I did audit that GUI PowerShell app before running it.

[mindracer]

Cortana is going EoL in the next few months so being able to uninstall it is not surprising

[9g3890fj2]

And even so, what are the odds that other apps will just end up back on the OS after some period of time? It's part of the Windows experience, uninstalling the garbage only to see it come back in an update a couple months later.

[accrual]

I wonder if this is any different than the PowerShell "Remove-AppxPackage" commands that already were able to uninstall many default apps. Maybe it's just a nice UI on top of the existing functionality.

[HeckFeck]

Great. Now let me do the same for all telemetry services. Also patch out the mandatory "microsoft account" while your at it.

[accrual]

A lot of the telemetry can be disabled with tools like O&O ShutUp. It's not perfect and it'd be nice to have a built-in option, but at least it's something. I think you can also bypass the Microsoft account requirement by installing without internet access.

[bhhaskin]

I was able to remove all the bloat from windows a lot easier. Switched to Linux for my daily driver.

[samstave]

W11 is absolute garbage. I hate it - I have two identical gaming laptops, one Windows 10& one is 11.

The 11 crashes a lot, overheats and then on top of it ms has integrated ads I to the OS... And tying your login to outlook.com should be illegal :-)

The w10 machine never over heats, doesn't crash and doesn't have as much as embedded - but it still ties to outlook.com no bueno

[SketchySeaBeast]

I honestly noticed zero day to day changes when I moved my PC from Windows 10 to 11. No less stable, no more performance issues, nothing. Your laptop overheating makes me think it's a lemon.

[bastardoperator]

Is it really fair to blame the software for overheating? Doesn't your motherboard control the fan speeds?

[CoastalCoder]

Why do you keep Windows 11 on that laptop?

I'd think that cloning your Windows 10 image would be an improvement.

[accrual]

You could try some of the tools to debloat and reduce telemetry in Windows 11, like O&O ShutUp and BloatyNosy.

I'm running 11 on unsupported hardware that previously ran 10 fine, and so far no stability or performance issues.

[binkHN]

> ...ms has integrated ads I to the OS...

Who would have thunk, ChromeOS, an OS from an advertising company, would have less ads than an OS from Microsoft?

[colejohnson66]

What specs do the laptops have? Windows 11 has higher requirements than Windows 10.

[meristohm]

I know many are still using Windows for a host of reasons, and it feels great to be able to have unhitched my wagon from Microsoft. For months now I just use GNU/Linux, thanks to two things: there's a plugin for Calibre that obviates the need for Adobe Digital Editions (which I was having trouble getting to work on Linux, possibly due to my own ignorance), and giving up videogaming (some multiplayer games use anticheat software that doesn't play well with Linux, hence sticking with Windows. My friends and I are adjusting to other ways to stay in touch at a distance. They've been supportive, as gaming has been an unhealthy escape for me for decades and I hadn't told them until recently). Now I have more time to read, communicate, feel balanced and less distracted, and boast on social media (HN...) about how good it feels to have ditched Windows ;)

[Vespasian]

It seems like the EU DSA and DMA would also apply to Microsoft.

Could this be in preparation for when the laws come into force in early 2024?

[tommek4077]

How generous ...