
The term “debloat” refers to the process of removing those unnecessary apps and services from Windows 11 (in this case) that you may not find necessary, invasive, or otherwise would be wasting system resources.
Unfortunately, even if you do a clean installation, Windows 11 still comes with a bunch of software and services that may continuously run in the background, wasting system resources and battery life and collecting usage data (telemetry) without an option to turn them off.
Although you could spend hours trying to figure out the things you can remove and more time using PowerShell commands, a tool known as “JunkCtrl” makes it easy to debloat Windows 11 quickly. The tool is available through GitHub, and it’s a simple piece of software to uninstall many components, including those not available through the “Installed apps” settings page.
In this guide, you will learn the steps to use a simple to make Windows 11 as lean as possible by removing components you may not need.
Remove bloatware apps from Windows 11
To remove all the bloatware apps from a Windows 11 installation, use these steps:
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Under the “Assets” section, click the Junkctrl.zip option to save the file.
Quick note: Microsoft Defender Antivirus may block the download, so you may have to allow the file from the Windows Security app manually. -
Open the downloaded file.
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Click the Extract all button from the command bar.
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Click the Extract button.
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Open the uncompressed Junkctrl folder.
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Double-click the Junkctrl.exe files to launch the application.
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Click the More info option and the Run anyway button (if applicable).
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Click the “Skip and use assistant” option.
Quick note: You can use the “Autoscan for bloatware” and “Manual scan” options and click the “Search” button to show a list of suggested bloatware apps you can remove. -
(Optional) Hold the “Ctrl” key and select each app you want to remove.
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Click the Move button.
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(Optional) Click the Move all button to debloat all the apps.
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(Optional) Click the “Show system apps” option to show system apps, including apps you usually can’t uninstall from Windows 11, such as Widgets, Your Phone, Xbox, etc.
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(Optional) Hold the “Ctrl” button and select each app you want to remove.
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Click the Move button.
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Click the Uninstall button.
Once you complete the steps, the tool will run the necessary scripts to remove the selected apps and services to debloat the system.
Although the tool works well, it cannot remove many components like Microsoft Edge as they are essential, and removing them will break other features that depend on those components.
The tool was initially known as “ThisIsWin11” (TIW11), then the name changed to “LoveWindowsAgain,” then it changed to “Debloos,” and now, due to some conflicts with the Microsoft Store, it’s been renamed to “JunkCtrl.” This guide has been updated to reflect the latest name and the new process.