How to Completely Remove AI Telemetry and Background Bloatware from Windows 11

If you want to remove AI telemetry from Windows 11, you’re not alone. A fresh Windows 11 install in 2026 comes loaded with more unwanted software, background services, and data collection than ever before. Copilot, Recall, Click to Do, Bing baked into the taskbar, Start menu ads, widgets, and dozens of apps you never asked for — Candy Crush, TikTok, Instagram, Spotify, Netflix, Clipchamp — all running quietly in the background from day one.

This isn’t about being paranoid. It’s about control. Your CPU cycles, your RAM, your network bandwidth, and your usage data belong to you. This guide walks through every method — from quick Settings changes to PowerShell scripts and dedicated debloat tools — so you can get a genuinely clean, fast, private Windows 11 installation.

What Windows 11 Is Actually Doing in the Background

Before touching anything, it helps to know what you’re actually dealing with.

By 2026, Windows 11 collects and transmits several categories of data by default:

Diagnostic telemetry — app usage statistics, crash reports, hardware inventory, and driver lists sent to Microsoft continuously
Inking and typing data — keystrokes and handwriting patterns used to improve AI tools like Copilot and Cortana
Activity history — a log of what apps you open, files you access, and websites you visit
Copilot telemetry — the Copilot AI service runs background processes and transmits data even when you’re not using it, consuming around 80–120 MB of RAM at idle
Windows Recall — a feature introduced in 24H2 that takes periodic screenshots of everything on your screen and indexes them using AI

The good news is that almost all of this can be disabled or removed. Some of it lives in Settings. Some requires the registry or Group Policy. And the deepest stuff needs a PowerShell script or a dedicated tool.

Step 0: Create a System Restore Point First

Before making any changes, create a restore point. This takes two minutes and gives you a complete safety net if anything breaks.

Press Windows + S, search for Create a restore point, and open it
Select your C: drive and click Create
Name it something like “Before Debloat” and click Create

If something goes wrong after any of the steps below, you can roll everything back instantly without reinstalling Windows. Do not skip this.

Step 1: Start with Settings — The Safe Foundation

Most of the AI tracking in Windows 11 can be reduced significantly through the built-in Settings app. These changes are reversible and carry zero risk.

Turn Off Diagnostic Data Collection

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Diagnostics & Feedback
Under Diagnostic data, select Required only — this is the minimum level
Turn off Tailored experiences — this disables Microsoft using your data to suggest ads and features
Turn off Improve inking and typing — this stops keystrokes from being sent to Microsoft

Disable Activity History

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Activity history
Turn off Store my activity history on this device

Disable Windows Recall

If your device has Recall enabled (most Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X, Lunar Lake, or newer AMD/Intel NPUs), this is one of the highest-priority things to disable.

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Recall & Snapshots
Toggle off Save snapshots
Click Delete snapshots to remove anything already captured

Turn Off Location Services

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location
Toggle off Location services entirely, or leave it on and go through the per-app list to revoke access from anything that doesn’t need it

Disable Advertising ID

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → General
Turn off Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID
While you’re here, turn off all four toggles on that page — they control suggestions, content recommendations, and Start menu tracking

Remove Copilot and Widgets from the Taskbar

Go to Settings → Personalization → Taskbar
Turn off Copilot and Widgets
This removes the icons and stops the services from loading at startup

Step 2: Uninstall Bloatware Apps Manually

Windows 11 ships with a long list of apps that run background processes and serve no purpose for most users. You can remove these directly from Settings.

Go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps, search for each of the following, and uninstall them:

Safe to remove for most users:

Clipchamp (Microsoft’s video editor)
Microsoft News / BingNews
Microsoft Solitaire Collection
Get Help
Feedback Hub
Microsoft Tips
Weather (if you use another app)
Microsoft Teams (personal version)
Xbox Console Companion
Xbox Game Bar (if you don’t use it for clips or overlays)
Cortana
OneNote (if you use a different notes app)
Microsoft To Do (if you don’t use it)
Mail and Calendar (if you use a browser or different client)

Third-party bloat installed by OEMs or Microsoft Store:
Depending on your PC manufacturer, you may also find trial antivirus suites, shopping apps, media tools, and manufacturer utilities. All of these are safe to remove.

Do not uninstall Microsoft Edge yet if it’s your only browser. Install Chrome, Firefox, or another browser first, then deal with Edge separately.

Step 3: Disable Background App Permissions

Even apps you keep installed don’t need to run in the background constantly.

Go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps
Click the three-dot menu next to any app
Select Advanced options
Under Background apps permissions, select Never

Do this for any app that doesn’t need real-time updates — mail, news, social apps, and so on. It’s an easy, reversible fix that takes effect immediately.

Also check startup apps:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
Go to the Startup apps tab
Right-click anything you don’t recognize or don’t need at boot and select Disable

Step 4: Disable Telemetry Through the Registry (All Editions)

The Settings app reduces telemetry, but it doesn’t fully stop it. For a deeper block, use the Registry Editor.

Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Then navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection

If the DataCollection key doesn’t exist, right-click Windows, select New → Key, and name it DataCollection.

Inside that key, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named AllowTelemetry and set its value to 0.

This sets telemetry to the minimum permitted level and overrides what any future Windows update might reset in Settings.

Block the Recall AI Feature via Registry

Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI

Create the WindowsAI key if it doesn’t exist. Then add two DWORD values:

DisableAIDataAnalysis = 1
AllowRecallEnablement = 0

This blocks Recall at the policy level, which survives most Windows updates.

Disable Copilot via Registry

Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot

Create the key if needed, then add a DWORD:

TurnOffWindowsCopilot = 1

Then navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Find or create a DWORD called ShowCopilotButton and set it to 0.

Step 5: Use Group Policy Editor (Windows 11 Pro and Above)

If you’re running Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, Group Policy gives you a cleaner and more permanent way to enforce these settings. Home users should stick to the registry method above.

Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.

To disable telemetry:
Navigate to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Data Collection and Preview Builds. Double-click Allow Diagnostic Data, set it to Enabled, and choose Diagnostic data off from the dropdown.

To disable Copilot:
Navigate to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows Copilot. Double-click Turn off Windows Copilot and set it to Enabled.

Group Policy settings take precedence over what users can change in the Settings app, making these changes more durable after major Windows updates.

Step 6: Use Win11Debloat for a Deeper Clean

For removing the deeper layers — scheduled tasks, service endpoints, Spotlight telemetry, and pre-installed UWP packages — the most reliable open-source tool in 2026 is Win11Debloat.

The June 2026 update of Win11Debloat added a graphical interface, making it accessible without touching PowerShell manually. It now includes specific categories you can toggle:

Remove Bloatware Apps — strips over 60 pre-installed packages in one pass
Disable Telemetry — kills diagnostic data collection, activity history, app-launch tracking, and advertising IDs
Block AI Features — fully uninstalls the Copilot app package and disables Recall at the system level
Fix Spotlight — stops the lock screen and desktop from showing Microsoft advertising
Remove Bing from Search — Windows Search will only show local results

To run it, open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

powershell

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm "https://win11debloat.raphi.re/")))

A GUI window will open. Check only the categories you want to apply, review the tooltips explaining each option, and click Apply.

By default, Win11Debloat leaves Calculator, Camera, Photos, Notepad, Terminal, Paint, and the Microsoft Store intact. The Microsoft Store is intentionally preserved — removing it breaks app reinstallation and there’s no clean way to get it back.

Step 7: Use WinUtil for an All-in-One Approach

WinUtil (by Chris Titus Tech) is another well-maintained open-source tool that handles bloatware removal, telemetry, performance tweaks, and software installation from a single interface.

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

powershell

iwr -useb https://christitus.com/win | iex

When the GUI loads:

Go to the Tweaks tab
Select a preset — Standard for most users, Minimal for a lighter pass
Under Essential Tweaks, check Disable Telemetry, Disable Activity History, and Remove Widgets
Under Customize Preferences, toggle off Bing Search in Start Menu and Recommendations in Start Menu
Click Run Tweaks and restart when done

WinUtil is especially useful right after a fresh Windows 11 install before you’ve added personal files or applications.

What Not to Remove

Aggressive debloating can break important things. There are several components you should leave alone.

Do not remove or disable:

Windows Update — essential for security patches
Microsoft Defender — your primary antivirus, removing it leaves your system unprotected
Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) — required for Windows Update to function
Microsoft Store — removing it breaks app reinstallation with no clean recovery path
Microsoft Edge — until another browser is fully installed and set as default, don’t touch it
Windows Security Center — disabling this can cause Defender to stop working properly

The goal is to remove what doesn’t serve you, not to make Windows as minimal as possible. Crossing certain lines creates more problems than the bloatware did.

Will These Changes Survive Windows Updates?

Some will, some won’t. This is one of the most frustrating realities of Windows 11 in 2026. Microsoft has been known to re-enable certain features during major feature updates — particularly Copilot and Spotlight settings.

Registry and Group Policy changes are generally more durable than Settings toggles. After every major Windows update (24H2, 25H2, etc.), it’s worth running through the Settings section of this guide again to check that nothing got re-enabled.

Win11Debloat and WinUtil can be re-run after major updates without any issues — they’re designed to be idempotent, meaning running them multiple times doesn’t cause problems.

FAQ: Removing AI Telemetry and Bloatware from Windows 11

Is it safe to disable Windows 11 telemetry?
Yes, with some nuance. You can safely disable optional and diagnostic telemetry without affecting Windows Update or Windows Defender. All methods in this guide keep the minimum required telemetry level that keeps security updates functioning.

Will removing Copilot break anything?
No. Copilot is an add-on service, not a core system component. Removing or disabling it has no effect on other Windows features. If you change your mind, it can be reinstalled from the Microsoft Store.

What is Windows Recall and should I disable it?
Recall is an AI feature that periodically takes screenshots of your screen and indexes them using AI so you can search past activity. It’s a major privacy concern and should be disabled unless you specifically want it.

Can I undo all these changes if something breaks?
Yes. Registry changes can be reverted by deleting the keys you added or setting values back to their defaults. Group Policy settings can be set to “Not configured.” Apps removed from Settings can mostly be reinstalled from the Microsoft Store. The restore point you created in Step 0 covers everything else.

Do debloat tools like Win11Debloat touch Windows Update?
No. Win11Debloat and WinUtil intentionally do not touch Windows Update, the Microsoft Store, Windows Defender, or core servicing components. Only telemetry, AI features, advertising, and pre-installed UWP apps are affected.

How often do I need to redo these steps?
After every major Windows feature update, check your Settings toggles — some may have been reset. Registry and Group Policy changes are more durable but still worth verifying annually. Re-running your debloat script after a major update takes just a few minutes.

Does disabling telemetry make Windows noticeably faster?
It can, yes. Fewer background processes mean more RAM and CPU headroom for what you actually use. The improvement is most noticeable on systems with 8 GB of RAM or less, where background services compete directly with foreground applications.

Taking back control of Windows 11 doesn’t require drastic action or a complete reinstall. Start with the Settings changes, remove the apps you don’t use, apply the registry tweaks, and run one of the debloat scripts for the deeper cleanup. Done in the right order, the whole process takes under an hour and leaves you with a Windows installation that’s faster, quieter, and actually yours.