Windows 11 was barely usable until I changed these 6 default settings

Windows defaults are a mess. Out of the box, it's barely usable because it feels more like a billboard than an operating system. I change these settings right away to make it calmer, more private, and more usable.

Rip out Copilot

The Copilot app is always running in the background and slowing down your computer in the process. It also collects your data and "sees" what's on your screen, which is a huge privacy risk. To free up system resources and make your device more private, it's best to rip Copilot out of Windows.

You can either uninstall the app and make a few changes to the Windows Registry to keep it from re-installing with the next Windows Update.

Uninstalling Copilot using the Settings app.

The settings app in Windows lets you delete the Copilot app, but the Copilot integrations, likeCopilot in Notepad, are baked into the OS. There's no native way to get rid of those, but you can run a script designed for removing even those components. However, make sure to audit the code, so you know exactly what the script is doing. It's never safe to run unverified scripts that can make system-level changes.

Script that removes Windows AI components.

Disable ads and spam

A fresh installation of Windows makes it feel like a billboard more than an operating system. Luckily, you can change the default settings to get rid of some of the ads and spam.

Minimizing ads and spam on Windows.

Open the Windows Settings app and go to the Privacy and Security tab. Switch off all the toggles here. Disabling these settings turns off some of the tracking and spam.

Then head over to the Personalization tab and switch off all the toggles here too (except for the Show Recent Apps button). After that, scroll down and click "Taskbar." Next to Personalize Your Lockscreen, select "Picture" from the drop-down menu. Changing this setting gets rid of the Bing wallpapers and spam on the lock screen.

Changing Windows settings to disable lockscreen spam.

Disable OneDrive

OneDrive is enabled by default on Windows, which automatically links your PC to the cloud and starts uploading your files to OneDrive. If you don't use OneDrive, it's just a waste of resources and bandwidth. It's better to disable it entirely.

First, let's unlike the PC. Click the tiny cloud icon on the taskbar to open the OneDrive dashboard. Then click the gear icon and select "Settings" to open OneDrive settings. You can disable the sync and backup features here. You can also go to the Account tab and click "Unlink this PC."

OneDrive settings on Windows 11.

Even after you stop syncing OneDrive, Windows Explorer might send you push notifications to enable it from time to time. To stop these ads, open Windows Explorer, click the three dots on the ribbon, and select "Options." Uncheck "Show sync provider notifications" and click "Apply."

Disabling OneDrive notifications in Explorer.

To keep OneDrive from launching automatically on startup, you can open the Task Manager, go to the Startup Apps tab, and disable OneDrive.

Minimize telemetry and tracking

Here are some toggles you can easily disable for better privacy on Windows 11. Start by opening Settings and navigating to Privacy & Security > Diagnostics & Feedback.

Disable all the features here and choose "Only Send Required Data" for the Diagnostic Data setting.

Minimizing data collection in Windows.

Then jump to the General tab and disable all the toggles here too. Next, scroll to the Search tab and disable all search features here too.

Finally, we'll disable the "Connected User Apps and Telemetry" service. Open the Services panel by pressing the Windows and R key at the same time. Type in "services.msc" and hit Enter.

Using the Windows Services panel to disable telemetry and tracking.

Look for the service titled "Connected User Apps and Telemetry," right-click on it, and click "Properties." For Startup Type, select "Disabled."

Tweak startup apps

By default, Windows auto-launches a bunch of apps which slows down the startup. Here's how I stop them.

Right-click on the taskbar and select "Task Manager" to open Task Manager. Alternatively, you can search for "task manager" in Windows search and launch it.

Using Task Manager to disable startup apps.

Switch to the Startup Apps tab. Right-click on any app and click "Disable" to keep it from automatically launching during the boot sequence. I usually disable Copilot, OneDrive, Xbox, Teams, and Microsoft Edge.

Turn off Bing in Windows search

I don't want the Bing feed or Bing search in my Windows search bar, but it's turned on by default, and there's no quick toggle to disable it. There used to be a toggle for switching it off, but recent updates have removed it. The only way to disable it now is through the Windows registry.

Search for "Registry" in the search bar and launch the Registry Editor. Alternatively, you can press Windows+R keys to open Windows Run, type in "regedit" and press Enter.

Navigate to the following directory or copy-paste it in the address bar to jump to it directly.

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

Searching for Windows Registry returns web results.

Under the Search key, look for the value labeled "BingSearchEnabled." Right-click on this value to modify it. Change its hexadecimal value to "0" and it should immediately disable the Bing feed and Bing web searches.

With these settings changed, Windows 11 should feel like a sane place where Microsoft isn't constantly pushing AI services, Bing or OneDrive.