How to use Windows 11’s built-in policy to remove bloatware

On Windows 11, network administrators using Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions can enable the “Remove Default Microsoft Store packages from the system” Group Policy to debloat the operating system for new user accounts.
If you’re on Windows 11 Home, you can still use the Registry to say goodbye to bloatware in new accounts.
It’s important to note that this does not uninstall apps or affect existing user accounts.

Windows 11 25H2 and version 24H2 now have an option to remove most bloatware from the operating system. However, it’s not an option available during the installation or through the Settings app. Instead, it’s a new policy for Windows 11 Pro, Education, and Enterprise that allows network administrators to prevent the installation of built-in Microsoft Store apps when creating a new account.

The policy is known as “Remove Default Microsoft Store packages from the system,” and according to the description, once it’s enabled, those built-in applications will be automatically uninstalled from the computer.

In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to configure Group Policy to debloat Windows 11 for new user accounts on version 25H2 and 24H2 (with the latest updates installed). I’ll also include the steps to use the Registry, which can be used on both Windows 11 Pro and Home, as this version doesn’t have access to the Group Policy Editor. However, on Windows 11 Home, this may or may not work.

Debloat Windows 11 using Group Policy
Debloat Windows 11 using Registry

Warning: It’s important to note that modifying the Windows Registry can cause serious problems if not used properly. It’s assumed you know what you’re doing and have created a full backup of your system before proceeding.

Debloat Windows 11 using Group Policy

To debloat Windows 11 using Group Policy, follow these steps:

Open Start.
Search for gpedit and click the top result to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

Browse the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates >  Windows Components > App Package Deployment

Double-click the “Remove Default Microsoft Store packages from the system” option.
Check the Enabled option.
Check all the applications to remove from the operating system under the “Options” section.
Click the Apply button.
Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the policy will be saved, and the next time you create a new account, Windows 11 will uninstall those applications automatically from the computer for a more bloatware-free experience.

Debloat Windows 11 using Registry

To debloat Windows 11 using the Registry, follow these steps:

Open Start.
Search for regedit and click the top result to open the Registry.

Browse the following path:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx

Right-click the Appx key, select New, and then click Key.
Confirm the RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages name for the new key and press Enter.
Right-click the recently created key, select New, and then click the “DWORD (32-bit) Value” option.
Confirm the Enabled name and press Enter.
Right-click the Enabled key and choose the Modify option.
Change the value from 0 to 1.
Click the OK button.
Right-click the RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages key, select New, and then click Key.
Confirm the exact system name for the application you want to remove from new accounts. For example, “Clipchamp.Clipchamp_yxz26nhyzhsrt” to uninstall the Clipchamp app and press Enter.
Right-click the recently created key, select New, and then click the “DWORD (32-bit) Value” option.
Confirm the RenamePackage name and press Enter.
Right-click the RenamePackage and choose the Modify option.
Change the value from 0 to 1.
Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, when creating a new account, the system will remove the package you configured inside the “RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages” key.

You can try using this option on Windows 11 Home, but there’s a chance that it may not work.

In the above instructions, I’m only including one example, but if you want to remove all the available built-in applications, you’ll have to create a new Registry entry for each application.

Currently, these are all the system names you can configure through the Registry:

Feedback Hub: Microsoft.WindowsFeedbackHub_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft 365 Copilot: Microsoft.Copilot_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft Clipchamp: Clipchamp.Clipchamp_yxz26nhyzhsrt
Microsoft News: Microsoft.BingNews_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft Photos: Microsoft.Windows.Photos_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft Solitaire Collection: Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft Sticky Notes: Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft Teams: MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft To Do: Microsoft.Todos_8wekyb3d8bbwe
MSN Weather: Microsoft.BingWeather_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Outlook for Windows: Microsoft.OutlookForWindows_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Paint: Microsoft.Paint_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Quick Assist: MicrosoftCorporationII.QuickAssist_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Snipping Tool: Microsoft.ScreenSketch_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Windows Calculator: Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Windows Camera: Microsoft.WindowsCamera_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Windows Media Player: Microsoft.ZuneMusic_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Windows Notepad: Microsoft.WindowsNotepad_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Windows Sound Recorder: Microsoft.WindowsSoundRecorder_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Windows Terminal: Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Xbox Gaming App: Microsoft.GamingApp_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Xbox Gaming Overlay: Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Xbox Identity Provider: Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Xbox Speech To Text Overlay: Microsoft.XboxSpeechToTextOverlay_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Xbox TCUI: Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI_8wekyb3d8bbwe

If you want to create a script to configure Windows 11 to remove all the available built-in apps, copy and paste the following in Notepad and save it as “debloat_windows11.bat”:

@echo off
:: Enable policy
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx\RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages" /v Enabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

:: Remove default apps
for %%A in (
"Clipchamp.Clipchamp_yxz26nhyzhsrt"
"Microsoft.BingNews_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.BingWeather_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.Copilot_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.GamingApp_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.MicrosoftOfficeHub_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.OutlookForWindows_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.Paint_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.ScreenSketch_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.Todos_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.Windows.Photos_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.WindowsCamera_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.WindowsFeedbackHub_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.WindowsNotepad_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.WindowsSoundRecorder_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.XboxSpeechToTextOverlay_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"Microsoft.ZuneMusic_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"MicrosoftCorporationII.QuickAssist_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
"MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
) do (
    reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx\RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages\%%~A" /v RemovePackage /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
)

echo All registry entries have been applied successfully.
pause

Once you have created the script, right-click the batch file and select the “Run as administrator” option.

It’s important to note that the newly discovered policy only removes Microsoft’s applications, not those promotional apps that may come pre-installed on a new computer. Additionally, the policy will only apply and run when creating a new account. It won’t work for existing accounts.

Although this is a welcome addition for the operating system, it should be available for both the Pro and Home editions through the Settings app. Also, the company should have an option through the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) to select the apps that end users want to install and disregard any other applications.