Personally, I use Winhance to create a custom Windows 11 ISO free of Windows bloatware, so I don’t have to spend hours disabling and deleting superfluous apps and features after installing Windows. You can use Rufus instead if you’d like, since the utility not only allows you to install Windows 11 with a local account, but also to disable unwanted Microsoft apps and features such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot, and so on.

However, when I install Windows 11 on someone else’s PC the usual way, these are the first 10 things I do after installation. I recommend that most people do most of the things listed below, but you should decide for yourself whether you want to perform some of them, such as disabling Microsoft OneDrive or removing Microsoft Copilot.

Note that before doing all this, I sign in with a Microsoft account if the person whose PC I’m installing Windows 11 on has one, but you can use a local account if you’ve taken the Rufus route.

Install updates

Updating Windows 11 right after installing it is par for the course

Credit: Jason Fitzpatrick / How-To Geek

After you finish installing Windows 11 and reboot to the sparkling new desktop, you can bet there will be some pending updates you’ll need to install. So before I do anything else, I finish the updating process.

All you have to do is open the Settings app, go to Windows Update, and check for updates. If updates are available (and chances are they are), click the Download and Install button. You should then wait for all updates to install and for the PC to reboot, check for updates again just in case, and once there are no more updates left to install, continue with the post-installation setup.

Create a restore point

Better safe than sorry

Once you finish installing updates, it’s time to enable System Restore, which is disabled by default on many Windows installations. It’s handy to have it enabled because if something goes wrong, you can roll back your system files and settings, which can often solve the issue without having to restore a full backup of your PC.

To enable it, simply type “View advanced system settings” into the search bar and open the result. Next, open the System Protection tab, select the C: drive where your Windows 11 installation is located, and click Configure. On the next screen, enable system protection, then click Apply followed by OK.

Now you should create a new restore point by clicking the Create button in the System Protection tab and following the on-screen instructions. That’s it.

Back up the BitLocker recovery key

You’re going to need it sooner or later

Microsoft now enables BitLocker encryption by default on many fresh Windows 11 installations, so after I install updates and create a restore point, I make sure to back up the BitLocker recovery key if the person whose PC I’m setting up wants encryption enabled. We have a handy guide that includes multiple ways to back up your BitLocker recovery key.

Now, if they don’t want their drive encrypted, I’ll disable BitLocker, which I also did on my desktop PC, because I’m not worried someone will snatch it.

Disable and uninstall OneDrive

If you want

Credit: Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek

I’ve had multiple negative experiences with Microsoft OneDrive, so I suggest that you disable and uninstall it on a fresh Windows 11 installation and use an alternative file-syncing solution if you need that functionality. You can use Proton Drive, which is a pretty solid option with free and paid plans, or a free and open-source alternative such as Syncthing.

If you haven’t used Microsoft OneDrive before, you should be fine because there won’t be any synced files to worry about, and you can go ahead and disable it. If you do have synced files, log in to your OneDrive account in a browser before disabling it, open the My files tab, select everything aside from the Personal Vault, and download the files. Files stored online should still be available even after you unlink your account from OneDrive, but it’s better to download them beforehand just in case.

Once you’ve downloaded your files, click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar and open the OneDrive dashboard. From there, click the gear icon and then Settings. Next, open the Account tab and click Unlink this PC. Once the confirmation dialog window opens, click Unlink account.

Now you can uninstall OneDrive, which is fairly simple. All you need to do is open Settings, go to Apps > Installed apps, locate OneDrive (or search for it), click the three-dot menu, and select Uninstall.

6/10

Number of Accounts

1

Price Per Month

Starting at $5

Proton Drive is a cloud storage service that protects your files with high-end encryption.

Remove Copilot

Another optional procedure I recommend doing

Credit: Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek | Microsoft

I really don’t need Copilot on my PC, and I also recommend that most people using Windows 11 disable it as well. You can use AI chatbots in your browser instead of having one deeply integrated into every nook and cranny of your PC.

Now, ripping out Copilot isn’t always that simple, so I recommend reading the guide on removing Copilot created by my colleague Faisal. It’s very well done and also includes steps needed to prevent Microsoft from reinstalling Copilot with a future Windows update.

Uninstall bloatware

Highly recommended

Credit: 

Lucas Gouveia / Jason Montoya / How-To Geek

This is one of the most tedious parts of the process. Unless you use a Windows debloating tool, you’ll have to do it manually. Just open the Settings app, go to Apps > Installed apps, and start uninstalling unwanted apps one by one.

Disable ads and search highlights

Windows 11 is full of them

Credit: Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek | Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock

This is another procedure that takes some time and involves clicking all around Windows Settings, but it’s definitely worth doing if you don’t want to see annoying Windows ads. We have a detailed guide on how to disable Windows 11 ads that covers all the bases. Just make sure not to skip any steps.

Turn off Windows telemetry, location, and custom typing dictionary

Make Windows 11 more private

To prevent your PC from sending optional diagnostic data to Microsoft’s servers, which can include private data, open Settings, go to Privacy & security > Diagnostic & feedback, and disable the toggles there, such as Send optional diagnostic data, Diagnostic Data Viewer (found under View diagnostic data), and Improve inking and typing. You can also set Feedback frequency to Never.

Next, open Privacy & security > Inking and typing personalization and disable Custom inking and typing dictionary. Lastly, if you want, you can also disable location services by opening Settings > Privacy & security > Location and turning off Location services.

Customize the Start menu and taskbar to my liking

It’s definitely worth it

Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek

Now it’s time to tweak the Start menu and taskbar-related settings to your liking. You can find these settings under Personalization > Start, and Personalization > Taskbar. I usually set Taskbar alignment to Left and change a number of other settings, but you should customize everything to suit your personal preferences.

Deactivate startup apps

You’ll be surprised by how many apps launch at startup by default

Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek

At this point, I recommend installing all your must-have apps and updating drivers if needed. Once you’re done installing everything, open Settings, go to Apps > Startup, and disable every app you don’t want launching automatically when you boot up the PC.

You can use Winutil or Winhance to do most of these things

While I’ve just shown you how to do all these things manually, you should know that you can expedite the process by using one of the popular Windows debloat tools, such as Winutil or Winhance. Both of these tools are excellent and fairly straightforward to use.

My personal favorite is WinUtil, but you can use whichever you prefer; as I said, both are great. Chris Titus, the lead developer behind WinUtil, regularly updates his WinUtil showcase and tutorial whenever he releases a major update for the app, so I’ll leave his latest video below for you to peruse.