How to Remove Bloatware from Windows 11 — 40+ Apps to Remove
A fresh Windows 11 install comes with over 40 preinstalled apps you never asked for. Candy Crush, TikTok, Spotify, Disney+, Xbox apps, Clipchamp, Microsoft News — all consuming RAM, CPU, disk space, and network bandwidth in the background.
Here's how to remove every piece of bloatware from Windows 11 using PowerShell, plus services and scheduled tasks to disable for maximum performance.
Microsoft Apps to Remove
These are Microsoft's own apps that most gamers don't need. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run these commands:
Communication & Productivity
Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.People* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.WindowsMail* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.WindowsCalendar* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.Todos* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.Office.OneNote* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Clipchamp* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.PowerAutomateDesktop* | Remove-AppxPackage
Entertainment & Media
Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.ZuneMusic* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.ZuneVideo* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.WindowsSoundRecorder* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection* | Remove-AppxPackage
News, Weather & Maps
Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.BingNews* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.BingWeather* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.WindowsMaps* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.BingFinance* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.BingSports* | Remove-AppxPackage
Third-Party Bloatware
These are third-party apps that Microsoft bundles with Windows 11. They reinstall themselves after feature updates unless you block them.
Get-AppxPackage *SpotifyAB* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Disney* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *TikTok* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Instagram* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Facebook* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Twitter* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Amazon* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Netflix* | Remove-AppxPackage
Games to Remove
Windows 11 installs casual games that nobody asked for:
Get-AppxPackage *CandyCrush* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *BubbleWitch* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *MarchOfEmpires* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Minecraft* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *HiddenCity* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *FarmHeroes* | Remove-AppxPackage
Remove all bloatware in one click
DRX Optimizer identifies and removes all bloatware automatically — with a backup so you can restore anything you need.
Download FreeXbox & Cortana
Xbox apps and Cortana are deeply integrated but can still be removed:
Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxApp* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxGameOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxSpeechToTextOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.549981C3F5F10* | Remove-AppxPackage
Warning: If you play games from the Microsoft Store or use Xbox Game Pass on PC, keep the Xbox Identity Provider and Xbox Game Overlay packages.
Bulk Remove Everything
Want to remove all bloatware in one command? This script removes all non-essential apps:
$keep = @("WindowsStore","WindowsTerminal","WindowsCalculator","ScreenSketch","Photos")
Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object {
$dominated = $false
foreach ($k in $keep) { if ($_.Name -match $k) { $dominated = $true } }
-not $dominated -and $_.NonRemovable -eq $false
} | Remove-AppxPackage -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Warning: Review the list before running bulk removal. This removes everything except Store, Terminal, Calculator, Snipping Tool, and Photos. Add any app you want to keep to the
$keep array.Services to Disable
These Windows services consume resources and aren't needed for gaming:
# Disable telemetry and diagnostics Set-Service -Name "DiagTrack" -StartupType Disabled Set-Service -Name "dmwappushservice" -StartupType Disabled # Disable Windows Search indexing Set-Service -Name "WSearch" -StartupType Disabled # Disable Fax service Set-Service -Name "Fax" -StartupType Disabled # Disable Remote Registry Set-Service -Name "RemoteRegistry" -StartupType Disabled # Disable Windows Error Reporting Set-Service -Name "WerSvc" -StartupType Disabled # Disable Connected User Experiences (telemetry) Set-Service -Name "CDPUserSvc" -StartupType Disabled
Scheduled Tasks to Disable
Windows runs many scheduled tasks that cause background CPU and disk spikes:
# Disable telemetry tasks Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser" Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\ProgramDataUpdater" Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Microsoft\Windows\Customer Experience Improvement Program\Consolidator" Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Microsoft\Windows\Customer Experience Improvement Program\UsbCeip" # Disable unnecessary maintenance Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Microsoft\Windows\DiskDiagnostic\Microsoft-Windows-DiskDiagnosticDataCollector" Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Microsoft\Windows\Maps\MapsToastTask" Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Microsoft\Windows\Maps\MapsUpdateTask"
Pro tip: After removing bloatware, restart your PC and check Task Manager. You should see noticeably lower RAM usage and fewer background processes.
Full cleanup. One click. Reversible.
DRX Optimizer removes bloatware, disables telemetry services, and cleans up scheduled tasks — all with built-in backup and one-click revert.
Download DRX Optimizer — FreeFrequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to remove bloatware?
Yes. The apps listed in this guide are non-essential and can be safely removed. Windows core functionality is not affected. If you accidentally remove something you need, you can reinstall it from the Microsoft Store.
Can I reinstall removed apps?
Yes. Any app removed with
Remove-AppxPackage can be reinstalled from the Microsoft Store. Search for the app name and click "Install". The only exception is if you used provisioning removal (Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage), which prevents the app from reinstalling on new user accounts.Will this speed up my PC?
Yes. Removing bloatware frees up RAM (typically 500MB-1.5GB), reduces CPU background usage, and eliminates random disk I/O. You'll notice faster boot times, fewer stutters in games, and more responsive overall system performance. The impact is most noticeable on systems with 8-16GB RAM.