WinTools

PowerShell toolkit for setting up a clean, debloated Windows 10/11 machine from scratch. Inspired by Chris Titus Tech's debloat scripts, extended with additional tools and apps I install on every machine I use.

Customizing

Fork the project and comment out anything you don't want. The intended way to skip something is # — blocks already commented out in the repo are optional or risky items.

Running everything

Run as Administrator in PowerShell:

iex (irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/levicm/win-tools/master/config-all.ps1)

Before running: disable Tamper Protection in Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Manage settings, so debloat-defender.ps1 can fully disable Windows Defender.

config-all.ps1 creates a system restore point, then runs all scripts below in order.

What it does

Debloat

Script	What it removes
debloat-apps.ps1	Microsoft AppX bloatware (Teams, Xbox, Bing apps, Zune, etc.), third-party sponsored apps (CandyCrush, Facebook, Netflix, etc.), Widgets (Win11)
debloat-defender.ps1	Windows Defender — 5 layers: Set-MpPreference, scheduled tasks, services, Group Policy registry, direct registry
debloat-services.ps1	~45 services set to Manual (telemetry, Xbox, Google/Edge updaters, HP/Dell OEM, geolocation, push notifications, CDP, Intel Energy Server, etc.). Windows Search fully disabled.
debloat-scheduled-tasks.ps1	Orphan scheduled tasks: .NET NGEN, SmartScreen, PushToInstall, Remote Assistance, Xbox, Intel telemetry, Edge updater, Google Updater, MiniTool, WinSAT, and others

Tweaks

Script	What it configures
tweak-privacy.ps1	Telemetry, application suggestions, activity history, location tracking, maps, feedback, tailored experiences, advertising ID, error reporting, diagnostics, shared experiences — registry settings + related scheduled tasks
tweak-performance.ps1	F8 boot menu, storage sense, hibernation, sleep, CloudStore cleanup, Ultimate Performance power plan, Edge preloading

UI & features

Script	What it does
customize.ps1	Dark mode, Explorer opens to This PC, shows hidden files and extensions, hides taskbar search and Bing, disables Cortana, unpins taskbar icons, disables News & Interests and Meet Now
enable-features.ps1	Enables Hyper-V, WSL, Windows Sandbox, Telnet, VirtualMachinePlatform (all with -NoRestart)

App installation

install-apps.ps1 sets up PSWindowsUpdate, installs Chocolatey, then runs:

Script	Installs
install/install-essential-apps.ps1	PowerShell, Windows Terminal, PowerToys, Notepad++, Sublime Text 4, Chrome, Firefox, Adobe Acrobat Reader, 7-Zip, Bitwarden
install/install-dev-apps.ps1	Git, VS Code, Python 3.10, OpenJDK 17, Eclipse
install/install-office-apps.ps1	MS Office 365, LibreOffice, CutePDF Writer, PDFsam, Notion
install/install-media-apps.ps1	Spotify, WhatsApp, Telegram, VLC
install/install-tool-apps.ps1	Speedtest CLI
install/install-oh-my-posh.ps1	Oh My Posh, CascadiaCode Nerd Font, Terminal-Icons, PSReadLine, PowerShell profile

Utility scripts (scripts/)

Standalone helpers not part of the main pipeline — run individually when needed:

Script	Purpose
scripts/Restart-Explorer.ps1	Force-restart Explorer after registry changes
scripts/fix-hidden-taskbar-icons.ps1	Fix missing tray icons
scripts/fast-indexing-disable.ps1	Disable Windows Search aggressive indexing
scripts/fast-indexing-enable.ps1	Re-enable fast indexing
scripts/former-context-menu-enable.ps1	Restore Windows 10 right-click menu in Win11
scripts/former-context-menu-disable.ps1	Revert to Win11 context menu
scripts/vs-code-context-menu.ps1	Add "Open with VS Code" to file/folder context menus

Running individual scripts

Every script is self-contained and can be run alone:

iex (irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/levicm/win-tools/master/tweak-privacy.ps1)
iex (irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/levicm/win-tools/master/debloat-services.ps1)
# etc.

All scripts require PowerShell running as Administrator. A single reboot after config-all.ps1 is recommended.