Windows 11 Tweaks

Disable telemetry, tracking & targeted ads

This setting disables telemetry, diagnostic data collection, activity history, app-launch tracking, targeted ads and more. It limits the data that is sent to Microsoft about your device and usage.

Disable tips, tricks & suggested content throughout Windows

This setting removes many annoying distractions from Windows. This includes things like notifications, reminders and sync provider ads. It also prevents automated installation of suggested apps.

Disable Windows location services & app location access

This will turn off Windows Location Services and deny apps access to your location. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Disable Find My Device location tracking

This will turn off the 'Find My Device' feature, which periodically sends your device's location to Microsoft. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Disable tips & tricks on the lock screen

This will turn off the tips, tricks and fun facts that appear on the lock screen.

Disable Windows Spotlight for desktop

This will turn off the 'Windows Spotlight' feature for the desktop background, which shows different background images and occasionally tips and fun facts on the desktop.

Disable ads, suggestions and newsfeed in Edge

This will turn off various distractions from Microsoft Edge such as ads, suggestions and the MSN news feed. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Hide Microsoft 365 Copilot ads in Settings Home

This will turn off the Microsoft 365 Copilot ads that appear in the Settings Home page.

Disable Microsoft Copilot

This will disable and uninstall Microsoft Copilot, Windows' built-in AI assistant.

Disable Windows Recall

This will disable Windows Recall, an AI-powered feature that provides quick access to recently used files, apps and activities. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Disable Click To Do, AI text & image analysis

This will disable Click To Do, which provides AI-powered text and image analysis features in Windows. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Prevent AI service from starting automatically

This will set the WSAIFabricSvc service to manual startup, preventing the service from starting automatically with Windows.

Disable AI features in Microsoft Edge

This will turn off AI features in Microsoft Edge, such as the AI-powered sidebar and Copilot features. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Disable AI features in Paint

This will turn off AI features in Paint, such as the AI-powered image generation and editing tools. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Disable AI features in Notepad

This will turn off AI features in Notepad, such as the AI-powered writing suggestions. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Disable Xbox game/screen recording

This will disable the Xbox game/screen recording features included with the Game Bar app. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Disable Game Bar integration

This will disable the Game Bar integration with games and controllers. This stops annoying ms-gamebar popups when launching games or connecting a controller.

Clear Start Menu Remove all pinned apps from the start menu for this user only

Clear Start Menu (All Users) Remove all pinned apps from the start menu for all existing and new users

Hide recommended section in the start menu

This will hide the recommended section in the start menu, which shows recently added apps, recently opened files and app recommendations. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Hide 'All Apps' section in the start menu

This will hide the 'All Apps' section in the start menu, which shows all installed apps. WARNING: Hiding this section may make it harder to find installed apps on your system. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Disable Phone Link integration in the start menu

This will remove the Phone Link integration in the start menu when you have a mobile device linked to your PC.

Disable Bing web search & Copilot integration in search

This will turn off Bing web search results and Copilot integration in the Windows search experience. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Disable Microsoft Store app suggestions in search

This will disable the Microsoft Store app suggestions in Windows search.

Disable Search Highlights in the taskbar search box

This will turn off Search Highlights, which shows dynamically curated branded content and trending topics in the Windows search box on the taskbar.

Disable local Windows Search history

This setting disables local search history in Windows Search. This does not affect web search history or the search history saved in Microsoft Edge.

Hide Settings 'Home' page

Removes the 'Home' page from the Settings app.

Disable bloat in Brave browser (AI, Crypto, etc.)

This will disable Brave's built-in AI features, Crypto wallet, News, Rewards, Talk and VPN. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Enable dark theme for system and apps

This will set the app and system theme to dark mode.

Disable transparency effects

This will disable transparency effects on Windows and interfaces. Which can help improve performance on older hardware.

Disable animations and visual effects

This will disable animations and some visual effects in Windows, which can make the interface feel snappier, especially on older hardware.

Disable 'Drag Tray' for sharing & moving files

The Drag Tray is a new feature for sharing & moving files in Windows 11, it appears at the top of the screen when dragging files.

Use classic Windows 10 context menu style

This will restore the classic Windows 10 style context menu, which is normally hidden behind the 'Show more options' entry in the new Windows 11 context menu.

Disable Enhance Pointer Precision (mouse acceleration)

This will disable mouse acceleration which is enabled by default in Windows. This makes mouse movement more consistent and predictable.

Disable Sticky Keys keyboard shortcut (5x shift)

This will prevent the Sticky Keys dialog from appearing when you press the Shift key 5 times in a row.

Disable Storage Sense automatic disk cleanup

This will disable Storage Sense, which automatically frees up disk space by deleting temporary files, emptying the recycle bin and cleaning up files in the Downloads folder.

Disable fast start-up

Fast Start-up helps your PC start faster after shutdown by saving a system image to disk. Disabling Fast Start-up can help with certain issues, but may result in slightly longer boot times.

Disable BitLocker automatic device encryption

For devices that support it, Windows 11 automatically enables BitLocker device encryption. Disabling this will turn off automatic encryption of the device, but you can still manually enable BitLocker encryption if desired.

Disable Modern Standby network connectivity

By default, devices that support Modern Standby maintain network connectivity while in sleep mode. Disabling network connectivity during Modern Standby can help save battery life.

Disable window snapping

This will turn off the ability to snap windows to the sides or corners of the screen.

Disable showing app suggestions when snapping windows

This will turn off app suggestions when you snap windows to the sides or corners of the screen.

Hide snap layout flyout at top of screen and on maximize button

This will turn off the snap layout flyout that appears when you hover over the maximize button or drag windows to the top of the screen.

Hide tabs from apps when snapping or pressing Alt+Tab

Show 3 tabs from apps when snapping or pressing Alt+Tab

Show 5 tabs from apps when snapping or pressing Alt+Tab

Show 20 tabs from apps when snapping or pressing Alt+Tab

Left taskbar alignment

By default, Windows 11 has the taskbar buttons centered. Enabling this setting will move the taskbar buttons to the left, similar to previous versions of Windows.

Hide Search Hide search icon from the taskbar

Show Search Icon Show search icon on the taskbar

Show Search Label Show search icon with label on the taskbar

Show Search Box Show search box on the taskbar

Hide 'Task view' button on the taskbar

This will disable the 'Task view' button on the taskbar, which allows you to see all your open windows and virtual desktops.

Disable widgets on the taskbar & lock screen

This will disable the widgets features in Windows, including the widgets button on the taskbar and the widgets that can appear on the lock screen. This feature uses policies, which will lock down certain settings.

Hide Chat (meet now) icon on the taskbar

This will disable the Chat (meet now) icon on the taskbar.

Show 'End Task' option in taskbar context menu

When enabled, adds an 'End Task' option to the right-click context menu for apps in the taskbar, allowing you to quickly force close apps.

Enable 'Last Active Click' behavior for taskbar apps

When enabled, clicking on an app in the taskbar will switch to the last active window of that app, instead of only showing the thumbnail preview.

Combine Taskbar Always Always combine taskbar buttons and hide labels for the main display

Combine Multi-Monitor Taskbar Always Always combine taskbar buttons and hide labels for secondary displays

Combine Taskbar When Full Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels when taskbar is full for the main display

Combine Multi-Monitor Taskbar When Full Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels when taskbar is full for secondary displays

Never Combine Taskbar Never combine taskbar buttons and show labels for the main display

Never Combine Multi-Monitor Taskbar Never combine taskbar buttons and show labels for secondary displays

Show All Taskbar Icons Show app icons on all taskbars

Show Taskbar Icons Main + Active Show app icons on main taskbar and on taskbar where the windows is open

Show Taskbar Icons Active Only Show app icons only on taskbar where the window is open

Explorer to Home Change the default location that File Explorer opens to 'Home'

Explorer to This PC Change the default location that File Explorer opens to 'This PC'

Explorer to Downloads Change the default location that File Explorer opens to 'Downloads'

Explorer to OneDrive Change the default location that File Explorer opens to 'OneDrive'

Show file extensions for known file types

This will show file extensions for known file types. By default, Windows hides file extensions for known file types which can lead to confusion and security risks.

Show hidden files, folders and drives

By default, Windows hides certain files, folders and drives to prevent accidental modification or deletion. Turn this on to show all files in File Explorer.

Hide 'Home' from navigation pane

Hides the 'Home' section from the File Explorer navigation pane.

Hide 'Gallery' from navigation pane

Hides the 'Gallery' section from the File Explorer navigation pane.

Hide duplicate removable drive entries

By default, Windows shows removable drives both under 'This PC' and in the navigation pane with its own entry. Enable this setting to only show removable drives under 'This PC'.

Add common folders back to 'This PC' page

This setting will add common folders like Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos back to the 'This PC' page in File Explorer.

Hide 'Include in library' option in the context menu

Hides the 'Include in library' option from the File Explorer context menu.

Hide 'Give access to' option in the context menu

Hides the 'Give access to' option from the File Explorer context menu.

Hide 'Share' option in the context menu

Hides the 'Share' option from the File Explorer context menu.

Hide 'OneDrive' folder from navigation pane

Hides the 'OneDrive' folder from the File Explorer navigation pane.

Hide '3D objects' folder under 'This PC'

Hides the '3D objects' folder from the File Explorer navigation pane.

Hide 'Music' folder under 'This PC'

Hides the 'Music' folder from the File Explorer navigation pane.

Prevent getting updates as soon as they're available

This will prevent your PC from being among the first to receive new non-security updates. Your PC will still receive these updates eventually.

Prevent automatic restarts after updates while signed in

This will prevent your PC from automatically restarting after updates while any user is signed in.

Disable sharing downloaded updates with other PCs

This will prevent your PC from sharing downloaded updates with other PCs on the local network or on the internet. This also prevents your PC from downloading updates from other PCs.

Enable Windows Sandbox

Windows Sandbox is a lightweight desktop environment for safely running applications in isolation. Software installed inside the Windows Sandbox environment remains 'sandboxed' and runs separately from the host machine. Only supported on Windows 11 Pro, Workstation, and Enterprise editions.

Enable Windows Subsystem for Linux

Windows Subsystem for Linux allows you to run a Linux environment directly on Windows without the need for a virtual machine.