You are now in .... Home » a step-by-step guide on how to “debloat” Windows 11 and disable the constant telemetry/ads

a step-by-step guide on how to “debloat” Windows 11 and disable the constant telemetry/ads

 December 29, 2025  Posted in Windows 11, Windows tricks 1 Likes 17 Views

Since Windows 11 is built more like a service than a static product, “fixing” it requires a multi-layered approach. You can manually disable the worst offenders, but for a truly clean experience, you’ll want to use community-vetted tools that strip away the telemetry and “nagware.”

Step 0: The Safety Net (Yes Do IT!)

Before touching any system settings, create a System Restore Point.

  1. Search for “Create a restore point” in the Start Menu.
  2. Click Create and label it “Before Debloat.”
  3. This ensures you can revert if a specific tweak breaks a feature you actually use.

1. Manual Cleanup (The “Low-Hanging Fruit”)

Microsoft hides most of its ad and telemetry settings deep in the menu. Let’s flip those switches first.

  • Kill the Ads & Recommendations: * Go to Settings > System > Notifications. Scroll to the bottom and click Additional settings. Uncheck all three boxes (Suggestions, Tips, and Welcome experience).
    • Go to Settings > Personalization > Start. Turn off “Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more.”
  • Silence the Telemetry: * Go to Settings > Privacy & security > General. Turn OFF everything (Advertising ID, Let websites access my language list, etc.).
    • Go to Diagnostics & feedback. Set “Diagnostic data” to the minimum and turn off “Tailored experiences.”

2. Evicting Copilot and AI

As of late 2025, Copilot is deeply integrated, but it can still be neutralized.

  • Remove from Taskbar: Right-click the Taskbar > Taskbar settings > Toggle Copilot to Off.
  • The Deep Disable (Pro/Enterprise): 1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc.2. Navigate to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot.3. Double-click Turn off Windows Copilot and set it to Enabled.
  • The PowerShell Method (Home/Pro): Run PowerShell as Administrator and paste:PowerShellGet-AppxPackage *Microsoft.Copilot* | Remove-AppxPackage

3. Cutting the Cloud Cord (OneDrive & Office)

Microsoft’s aggressive push to save everything to the cloud can be stopped.

  • Unlink OneDrive: Click the OneDrive icon in your taskbar tray > Settings (Gear icon) > Account > Unlink this PC. Once unlinked, you can safely uninstall OneDrive via Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
  • Office Cloud Save: In any Office app (Word/Excel), go to File > Options > Save and check the box “Save to Computer by default.”

4. Professional Debloating Tools

For those who want to “nuke” the bloat in one go, the community has built excellent, open-source utilities.

ToolWhat it doesBest For
Chris Titus Windows UtilityA “Swiss Army Knife” for Windows. Disables telemetry, removes bloat, and sets up local accounts.The Gold Standard. Easy to use via a single command.
O&O ShutUp10++A portable app that gives you a list of 100+ privacy toggles with explanations.Privacy control. No installation required.
ExplorerPatcherRestores the Windows 10 Taskbar and Start Menu style to Windows 11.UI Fixes. Fixes the “locked taskbar” issue.

To run the Chris Titus tool: 1. Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (Admin).

2. Type or paste the following and hit Enter:

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

3. A GUI will pop up. Go to the Tweaks tab and select “Desktop” to apply recommended privacy and performance fixes.

5. Fixing the Taskbar and Explorer

Since the Windows 11 Taskbar is essentially a “web-based” app, it feels slow.

  • Restoring Functionality: Use ExplorerPatcher (available on GitHub). It allows you to move the taskbar to the top/sides, bring back the classic right-click menu, and disable the “Recommended” section in the Start Menu entirely.
  • Speed up Explorer: In File Explorer, click the three dots (…) > Options > View. Uncheck “Show sync provider notifications” and “Show frequently used folders in Quick access.”

Restoring the Windows 10 experience on Windows 11 is best achieved with ExplorerPatcher.

It is a free, open-source tool that doesn’t just “skin” your OS but actually hooks into the system to enable the legacy code Microsoft hid away.

Here is the step-by-step guide to installing it and fixing the most common Windows 11 frustrations.

Phase 1: Installation

  1. Download: Go to the Official ExplorerPatcher GitHub Releases.
  2. File Selection: Download ep_setup.exe.
  3. Bypass the Warning: Because this tool modifies the Windows Shell, Windows Defender/SmartScreen will likely flag it as “unrecognized.”
    • Click “More info” and then “Run anyway.”
  4. The “Glitch”: Your screen will go black and the taskbar will disappear for a few seconds. This is normal—the program is restarting explorer.exe to apply the patch.

Phase 2: Moving the Taskbar to the Top/Sides

By default, ExplorerPatcher often reverts you to the Windows 10 taskbar immediately. To move it:

  1. Open Settings: Right-click the Taskbar and select Properties. (If the right-click menu hasn’t changed yet, search your Start Menu for “Properties (ExplorerPatcher)”).
  2. Taskbar Section:
    • Ensure “Taskbar style” is set to “Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher)”.
    • Find “Primary taskbar location on screen.” Change it to Top, Left, or Right.
  3. Apply: Click “Restart File Explorer (*)” at the bottom left of the window.

Phase 3: Fixing the Context (Right-Click) Menu

Windows 11’s “Show more options” menu is a productivity killer. Let’s bring back the classic one:

  1. In the ExplorerPatcher Properties window, go to the File Explorer tab.
  2. Check the box for “Disable the Windows 11 context menu.”
  3. Restart File Explorer via the button at the bottom. Now, every right-click will show the full, classic menu immediately.

Phase 4: Fixing the Start Menu & “Recommended” Ads

If you hate the Windows 11 Start Menu with its forced “Recommended” section:

  1. Go to the Start menu tab in Properties.
  2. Style: Change “Start menu style” to Windows 10.
  3. Position: Set “Position on screen” to At screen edge (to move it back to the left corner).
  4. Ads: Under the Windows 11 style (if you choose to keep it), there is an option to “Disable the ‘Recommended’ section” entirely.

Phase 5: Speeding Up File Explorer

Windows 11’s File Explorer is famously “laggy” because of the new command bar.

  1. In the File Explorer tab, find “Control Interface.”
  2. Change it to “Windows 10 Ribbon” or “Windows 7 Command Bar.”
  3. This removes the slow, modern UI elements and restores the snappy, functional ribbon interface from previous versions.

⚠️ Pro-Tips for Stability (When S..t happens!)

  • Updates: When Windows 11 does a major update (like 23H2 or 24H2), ExplorerPatcher might temporarily break or cause a “boot loop” of the explorer process. Do not panic. Simply hold the Ctrl key while Windows is booting to disable the patcher, or boot into Safe Mode to uninstall it.
  • Uninstallation: If you ever want to go back, go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and uninstall ExplorerPatcher. Your system will instantly revert to the stock Windows 11 look.

Going Deeper!

While tools like ExplorerPatcher and Chris Titus’s scripts are excellent, manually applying registry keys is the only way to ensure Windows 11 stops “phoning home” permanently.

!CAUTION

Backup First: In the Registry Editor, go to File > Export to save a backup of your registry before making changes.

1. Kill Total System Telemetry

This stops the background services that monitor your clicks, app usage, and system health to send back to Microsoft.

  • Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection
  • Action: Create a DWORD (32-bit) named AllowTelemetry.
  • Value: 0 (This sets it to “Security” level, the lowest possible).

Also disable the background services via Command Prompt (Admin):

DOS

sc config DiagTrack start= disabled
sc config dmwappushservice start= disabled

2. Disable Copilot & AI Recall (2025 Updates)

As of the 24H2 and 25H2 updates, Microsoft has integrated “Recall” and “Copilot” deeper into the kernel. Use these keys to block them.

  • Path:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot
    • Action: Create DWORD (32-bit) named TurnOffWindowsCopilot.
    • Value: 1
  • Path:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI
    • Action: Create DWORD (32-bit) named AllowRecallEnablement.
    • Value: 0
    • Action: Create DWORD (32-bit) named DisableAIDataAnalysis.
    • Value: 1

3. Strip Bing & Web Results from Start Menu

This makes your Start Menu search for files on your computer instead of trying to sell you things via Bing.

  • Path:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
    • Action: Create DWORD (32-bit) named BingSearchEnabled.
    • Value: 0
  • Path:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
    • Action: Create DWORD (32-bit) named DisableSearchBoxSuggestions.
    • Value: 1

4. Banish “Suggested” Ads & Nags

This removes the “Recommended” apps in your Start Menu and the nagging pop-ups in the Settings app.

  • Path:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager
    • Action: Set the following DWORDs to 0:
      • SystemPaneSuggestionsEnabled
      • SubscribedContent-338387Enabled (Start menu suggestions)
      • SubscribedContent-338388Enabled (Settings suggestions)
      • SubscribedContent-338389Enabled (Lock screen tips)

5. Disable the “Advertising ID”

Microsoft assigns you a unique ID to track you across apps for targeted ads. This kills it.

  • Path:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AdvertisingInfo
    • Action: Create DWORD (32-bit) named Enabled.
    • Value: 0

6. Summary Table of Key Tweaks

Desired EffectRegistry Key NameValuePath (under HKLM or HKCU)
No TelemetryAllowTelemetry0...\Windows\DataCollection
No CopilotTurnOffWindowsCopilot1...\Windows\WindowsCopilot
No AI RecallAllowRecallEnablement0...\Windows\WindowsAI
No Web SearchBingSearchEnabled0...\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
No AdsEnabled0...\AdvertisingInfo

The Final Step: The “Hosts” File Block

If you want to be 100% sure, you can block Microsoft’s telemetry servers at the network level by editing your Hosts file (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts).

Add these lines to the bottom:

Plaintext

0.0.0.0 telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 statsfe2.update.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 v10.events.data.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 copilot.microsoft.com