A PowerShell script that transforms a stock Windows 11 installation into a clean, minimal, distraction-free workstation. It disables Copilot, Widgets, ads, telemetry, bloatware, and visual clutter — optimizing for maximum performance and minimum distraction.
Safety first: The script creates a System Restore point before making any changes, so you can always roll back.
Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
.\declutter.ps1Then restart your PC for all changes to take effect.
| Setting | Registry Key | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Turn off Windows Copilot (per-user) | HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot\TurnOffWindowsCopilot |
1 |
| Turn off Windows Copilot (machine) | HKLM:\...\WindowsCopilot\TurnOffWindowsCopilot |
1 |
| Remove Copilot app (24H2+) | Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Copilot |
Removed |
| Remove M365 Copilot shortcut | Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Microsoft365Copilot |
Removed |
Why: Copilot adds a persistent sidebar/button that consumes resources and screen real estate. The AI assistant is not needed for focused developer work and can be distracting.
| Setting | Registry Key | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Remove Widgets app | MicrosoftWindows.Client.WebExperience |
Removed |
| Disable News and Interests | HKLM:\...\Dsh\AllowNewsAndInterests |
0 |
| Hide Widgets taskbar button | HKCU:\...\Explorer\Advanced\TaskbarDa |
0 |
Why: The Widgets panel (news, weather, stocks) runs a background web process, uses memory/CPU, and surfaces clickbait content. Removing the underlying app prevents it from reinstalling.
| Setting | Registry Key | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Suggested apps in Start | SubscribedContent-338389Enabled |
0 |
| Occasional suggestions in Start | SubscribedContent-310093Enabled |
0 |
| Tips on lock screen | SubscribedContent-338388Enabled |
0 |
| Suggested content in Settings | SubscribedContent-338393Enabled |
0 |
| Settings suggestions (2 more) | SubscribedContent-353694/353696Enabled |
0 |
| OEM pre-installed apps | OemPreInstalledAppsEnabled |
0 |
| Pre-installed apps | PreInstalledAppsEnabled |
0 |
| Silent app installs | SilentInstalledAppsEnabled |
0 |
| Software landing pages | SoftLandingEnabled |
0 |
| System pane suggestions | SystemPaneSuggestionsEnabled |
0 |
| Content delivery | ContentDeliveryAllowed |
0 |
| Start tips/recommendations (Iris) | Start_IrisRecommendations |
0 |
| Recent items tracking | Start_TrackDocs |
0 |
| Hide Recommended section | HideRecommendedSection (Policy) |
1 |
All SubscribedContent-* keys live under HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager.
Why: Windows 11 uses the Start Menu to promote apps you didn't install, silently installs games like Candy Crush, and surfaces "suggestions" that are effectively ads. These settings disable all of that at the source — the Content Delivery Manager.
| Setting | Registry Key | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising ID | HKCU:\...\AdvertisingInfo\Enabled |
0 |
| Tailored experiences | HKCU:\...\Privacy\TailoredExperiencesWithDiagnosticDataEnabled |
0 |
| App launch tracking | Start_TrackProgs |
0 |
Why: The advertising ID lets Microsoft (and third parties) build a profile of your app usage for targeted ads. Tailored experiences use your diagnostic data to personalize ads in the OS. Neither is useful for a work machine.
| Setting | Registry Key | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Search highlights (trending images) | IsDynamicSearchBoxEnabled |
0 |
| Bing web search in Start | DisableSearchBoxSuggestions |
1 |
| Bing search toggle | BingSearchEnabled |
0 |
Why: Search highlights replace the search bar with trending news images — pure distraction. Bing integration sends every Start Menu keystroke to the cloud, slowing down local file/app searches and leaking what you type.
| Setting | Detail |
|---|---|
| Telemetry level → Security (0) | HKLM:\...\DataCollection\AllowTelemetry = 0 |
| Feedback notifications off | HKCU:\...\Siuf\Rules\NumberOfSIUFInPeriod = 0 |
| DiagTrack service | Stopped & Disabled |
| dmwappushservice | Stopped & Disabled |
| Compatibility Appraiser task | Disabled |
| ProgramDataUpdater task | Disabled |
| CEIP Consolidator task | Disabled |
| USB CEIP task | Disabled |
Why: These services and tasks continuously collect usage data and send it to Microsoft. DiagTrack alone can use noticeable CPU/disk during "quiet" periods. Disabling them reduces background activity and improves privacy.
| Setting | Registry Key | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Tips and suggestions | SubscribedContent-338387Enabled |
0 |
| "Get the most out of Windows" | ScoobeSystemSettingEnabled |
0 |
| Welcome experience | SubscribedContent-310094Enabled |
0 |
| Lock screen fun facts | RotatingLockScreenEnabled |
0 |
| Lock screen overlay | RotatingLockScreenOverlayEnabled |
0 |
Why: These pop up toast notifications suggesting you try Edge, OneDrive, or other Microsoft services. They interrupt workflow and serve no purpose on a configured machine.
| Setting | Detail |
|---|---|
| Game Bar auto-mode | AutoGameModeEnabled = 0 |
| Game DVR | GameDVR_Enabled = 0 |
| Game DVR policy | AllowGameDVR = 0 |
| Xbox Auth Manager | Stopped & Disabled |
| Xbox Game Save | Stopped & Disabled |
| Xbox Net API | Stopped & Disabled |
| Xbox GIP | Stopped & Disabled |
| Xbox Gaming Overlay app | Removed |
Why: Game Bar hooks into every fullscreen app, Game DVR silently records in the background consuming GPU/disk, and four Xbox services run at startup even if you never game. All unnecessary on a work machine.
The following apps are uninstalled for all users and de-provisioned (won't reinstall on new user creation):
| App | Why removed |
|---|---|
| Microsoft.BingNews | News feed distraction |
| Microsoft.BingWeather | Available via browser |
| Microsoft.BingFinance | Available via browser |
| Microsoft.BingSports | Available via browser |
| Microsoft.GetHelp | Rarely useful, nags for feedback |
| Microsoft.Getstarted (Tips) | Promotional content |
| Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection | Game with ads |
| Microsoft.People | Redundant with Outlook |
| Microsoft.PowerAutomateDesktop | Not needed by most users |
| Microsoft.Todos | Available via browser/Outlook |
| Microsoft.WindowsFeedbackHub | Telemetry/feedback tool |
| Microsoft.WindowsMaps | Available via browser |
| Microsoft.ZuneMusic (Groove) | Media player bloat |
| Microsoft.ZuneVideo (Movies & TV) | Media player bloat |
| Clipchamp.Clipchamp | Video editor, heavy |
| Microsoft.MicrosoftOfficeHub | Promotional Office hub |
| Microsoft.SkypeApp | Legacy, replaced by Teams |
| Microsoft.WindowsCommunicationsApps | Mail/Calendar (use Outlook) |
| Microsoft.YourPhone (Phone Link) | Background sync service |
| MicrosoftTeams (consumer) | Consumer Teams chat |
| Microsoft.549981C3F5F10 (Cortana) | Deprecated voice assistant |
| Setting | Registry Key | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Task View button | ShowTaskViewButton |
0 (hidden) |
| Chat (Teams) button | TaskbarMn |
0 (hidden) |
| Widgets button | TaskbarDa |
0 (hidden) |
| Search bar | SearchboxTaskbarMode |
1 (icon only) |
| Copilot button | ShowCopilotButton |
0 (hidden) |
Why: A clean taskbar shows only what you use. Task View, Chat, and Widgets buttons take space and invite distraction. Search is kept as a small icon for quick access.
| Setting | Registry Key | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Visual effects | VisualFXSetting |
2 (best performance) |
| Font smoothing | FontSmoothing |
2 (kept on for readability) |
| Transparency | EnableTransparency |
0 (off) |
| Window animations | MinAnimate |
0 (off) |
| Retail Demo service | — | Stopped & Disabled |
Why: Transparency and animations consume GPU compositing time on every frame. "Best performance" mode disables ~15 visual effects (fade, slide, animate, shadow, etc.) that add latency to every UI interaction. Font smoothing is explicitly kept on because without it text becomes unreadable.
| Setting | Registry Key | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Rotating lock screen | RotatingLockScreenEnabled |
0 |
| Lock screen overlay | RotatingLockScreenOverlayEnabled |
0 |
| Windows Spotlight features | DisableWindowsSpotlightFeatures (Policy) |
1 |
Why: Windows Spotlight downloads daily images with promotional overlays ("Like what you see?") and links to Bing. Disabling it gives you a static, fast-loading lock screen.
| Setting | Registry Key | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Activity feed | EnableActivityFeed |
0 |
| Publish user activities | PublishUserActivities |
0 |
| Upload user activities | UploadUserActivities |
0 |
Why: Activity History tracks every app/document you open and can sync it to the cloud. It's a privacy concern and provides no benefit on a single-purpose work machine.
After restarting, run the verification script to confirm all changes applied:
.\verify.ps1Expected output:
=== Post-Reboot Verification ===
[OK] Copilot policy disabled
[OK] Copilot button hidden
[OK] Task View button hidden
...
--- Summary ---
Applied: 39 | Warnings: 0 | Missing: 0
If you need to undo everything:
- Open System Restore (
rstrui.exe) - Select the restore point named
Pre-Declutter-YYYYMMDD-HHMM - Follow the wizard to restore
- Windows 11 23H2, 24H2, and newer
- Requires Administrator privileges
- Works on Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions
- Some policy-based settings (e.g.,
HideRecommendedSection) only take effect on Pro/Enterprise
Major Windows updates (e.g., 24H2 → 25H2) can reset some settings and reinstall removed apps. Simply re-run the script after upgrading:
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
.\declutter.ps1
.\verify.ps1