As a tech reviewer, I have the privilege of using multiple platforms, including macOS, Windows, Android, Linux, ChromeOS, and more. But every time I use Windows, I get frustrated by how cluttered the experience still is.
Windows is still the dominant player, with more than 70% market share, but Apple is pushing hard to take as much as it can. Microsoft is trying different ways to keep Windows users stuck with Windows and protect its market share, and it has finally admitted that Windows offers a cluttered experience and that it needs to improve faster and provide a cleaner experience.
However, despite Microsoft rolling out plenty of updates and making some useful changes, that experience is still cluttered. And Microsoft forces users to use plenty of unwanted features, such as OneDrive, Microsoft Copilot, multiple setups, forced Windows updates, and more.
However, fortunately, if you are a power user of Windows, you can get rid of most of that clutter and bloatware from Windows 11. As I said, you need to be a power user to remove unwanted applications on Windows because it involves many command-line tools and technical setup.
Fortunately, with AI tools like Claude, you can simply use natural English to remove the unwanted clutter and improve the Windows experience. I have already shared a detailed guide on debloating Android TV, and this guide is for Windows users to debloat and speed up Windows 11.
For this guide, I am using Claude Code. You can use any AI model, but use the top model so it won’t break anything during this process. Most AI tools require an upfront subscription. For example, Claude Code requires a $20 subscription per plan, which is more than enough for most users. So without any further ado, let’s get started.
How to Debloat and Speed Up Windows 11 Using Claude Code
Install Claude and open Claude Code
Step 1: First, install Claude on your Windows PC. Go to claude.com/download and download the Windows version. If you are using the latest Windows on ARM with a Snapdragon chip, click the button labeled Windows on ARM instead.
Step 2: Once the file downloads, click Open File.
Step 3: The installer will run automatically. Wait for Claude to finish installing. It generally takes about a minute.
Step 4: Once done, click on Get Started.
Step 5: Now, sign in with your Claude account. If you don’t have one, enter your email or use your Google account to create a new Claude account. Keep in mind that Claude sends a verification link to your email to confirm you have access to it.
Step 6: Once done, open the Claude app on Windows and go to Claude Code. You can click on the Code tab at the top left
Step 7: Now Claude works inside a folder. In the Claude Code interface, tap on Choose folder, tap on Open folder, and select the folder you want Claude to use. If you haven’t created one, you can create one.
Step 8: Choose the folder you created.
Step 9: You can create a new folder and select it.
Step 10: Now Claude will ask whether it’s a trusted folder. Since you have created it, click on Trust workspace, and Claude saves its notes and Windows scripts here.
Analyze all Bloatware files on your Windows
Once you have set up Claude on Windows 11, next you need to analyze the bloatware and temporary files on your Windows device. Remember, this is the most important step, so don’t let Claude Code change anything yet.
Step 1: Now enter this prompt and press Enter.
Hi Claude, this is my Windows 11 laptop, and it feels slow and full of ads. Can you check what starts with Windows, which preinstalled apps I probably don’t need, what’s using memory, and which ads, tips, and tracking settings are turned on? Also, do a quick security check. Only look for now; don’t change anything. Then give me a short list of what’s safe to remove or turn off. Please don’t touch Windows Update, Microsoft Defender, the Microsoft Store, or Edge WebView2.
Step 2: Wait for Claude Code to analyze files on your Windows device. This may take some time, depending on the files and bloatware on your Windows device.
Step 3: Once finished, Claude will generate a detailed report of the bloatware on your Windows PC, plus the temporary files and settings you can safely turn off. In my case, Claude found 16 apps that were safe to remove, which include Clipchamp, News, Weather, Solitaire, and the new Outlook and Copilot. It also found that Edge was set to start hidden every time I signed in, and that most ad and tracking settings are also turned on by default.
Make a restore point
Next, you need to create a restore point. For those who are unaware, a restore point is where, if something goes wrong, you can undo everything. Since you are using an AI model, it can make mistakes and break Windows, so it’s better to create a restore point. Follow the steps below to do that.
Step 1: Open Windows Search and search for “Create a restore point” in the Control Panel
Step 2: Go to Protection settings and check the C: drive under Protection settings. If protection is set to Off, tap Configure below.
Step 3: Now, in System Protection for Local Disk, tap Turn on system protection, set the Max Usage slider to 5%, and tap OK to save
Step 4: Now system protection is turned on. Finally, tap Create restore point next to Create.
Step 5: Now, while creating a restore point, give it a name. Since we are using Claude to make changes, enter a name like “Before Claude Cleanup” so you can easily find and restore it.
Step 6: Now wait until you see the message that says the restore point was created successfully. Once done, you can close this window.
Now, use Claude to remove bloatware
Once the restore point is created, go back to Claude to start debloating your Windows device. However, before that, ask Claude to create a restore point so it can restore Windows properly if this process breaks anything.
Step 1: Open Claude Code, enter this prompt, and click Enter
Step 2: Now wait for a few minutes until Claude creates a restore point. Once it is finished, click on Restore Point Done.
Step 3: And that’s it. When you are done, Claude will start debloating your Windows 11.
Step 4: Sit back, relax, and watch what Claude does. However, since Claude cannot access user account control settings, you need to manually approve a few permissions. So whenever Windows asks for permission, click Yes. However, if you don’t recognize the change, click No and ask Claude what it is before making any changes.
Step 5: If Claude misses anything, you can also enter a new prompt for the apps you want to remove. In my case, I also explicitly told Claude to remove Copilot, the new Outlook, and the Xbox Overlay app, and to stop OneDrive from starting automatically with Windows.
Step 6: You can also manually remove the apps you don’t want. Sometimes you don’t need Claude to make these changes. For instance, if your Start menu is cluttered, you can unpin unnecessary apps such as Xbox, LinkedIn, and more to clean it up.
Step 7: This is how my Windows Start page looked once I removed all the unnecessary apps
Use Claude to Speed Up Windows
Once the unnecessary apps are removed from Windows 11, you can use Claude to speed up Windows. Remember, this won’t significantly boost performance because your device’s performance depends on your Windows 11 hardware.
However, removing temporary and unwanted files and closing background processes can help. Also, reducing Windows 11 visual effects can make it slightly faster and snappier. You can use Claude to make all those changes.
Step 1: Now, to speed up your Windows device in the same session, enter this prompt and press Enter
Now let’s speed it up. Check how much space temporary files and old Windows Update files are using, which apps are allowed to run in the background, and my visual effects settings. Also look at the Windows services, but don’t change any of them. Only look for now.
Step 2: Now wait for some time while Claude analyses, and once done, it offers a detailed report of temporary files, data, and unwanted background processes running on your Windows. In my case, Claude found about 2.5 GB of temporary files, 15 apps that didn’t need to run in the background, and information about my animation and transparency effects settings on my Windows device.
Step 3: Claude also offers a list of critical services that require no modification. Keep those services running in the background. You can also explicitly tell Claude to keep important background services running so it won’t break anything.
Step 4: Ask Claude to create a detailed script you can run yourself to stop unwanted background processes and remove unnecessary apps. Since Claude can’t directly modify your Windows settings, it will generate a script you can run in PowerShell.
Step 5: Next, open PowerShell on Windows 11. Click Search and type Windows PowerShell.
Step 6: Now paste the script that Claude provided you with here and press Enter
Step 7: Now let’s clear temporary files. Open Settings, go to System > Storage, and click Temporary files.
Step 8: Now select the files you want to clean up on your Windows PC. You can select Thumbnails, Delivery Optimization Files, Temporary Internet Files, DirectX Shader Cache, and all others except Downloads.
Step 9: Once done, tap on Remove files to remove all the temporary files from your Windows PC
Step 10: Once the temporary files are removed, you need to disable unnecessary animation effects, which can put pressure on the CPU and slow down your Windows device. To do that, open Settings and go to Accessibility and tap on Visual Effects. From here, you will see Transparency and Animation Effects. Now, if they are turned on, turn them off.
That’s it. So far, you have removed unwanted bloatware, stopped unnecessary background processes, removed temporary files, and turned off visual effects. These settings can significantly improve your Windows device’s performance.
Restart and check that it worked
Once everything is done, restart your Windows device and check if everything works. However, in my case, both Edge and OneDrive started again once Windows 11 booted. So, I went back to Claude and asked why both of them turn themselves on.
However, Claude suggested disabling some Windows performance settings to keep them closed. If it happens to you, you can follow these steps to turn off Edge and ask Claude to completely uninstall OneDrive from your Windows device.
Step 1: First, let’s turn off system and performance settings in Microsoft Edge. To do that, open the Microsoft Edge browser and go to Settings. From here, tap on the system and performance settings, and turn off Startup boost and Continue running in the background extensions and apps when Edge is closed.
Step 2: Also, the privacy and recommendation offers were still on in my Windows settings, so I asked Claude to generate a script that turns off all this personalization, recommendation, and ad settings on my Windows device
Step 3: You can also manually turn off those settings. However, if you want Claude to do that, ask it to generate a script, open Microsoft PowerShell, paste the script, and click Enter.
Step 4: Go back to the recommendation settings and confirm everything is turned off. If it didn’t, manually turn off the settings that didn’t turn off automatically.
Block Copilot for good
We have already disabled Microsoft Copilot on Windows; however, future Windows updates can bring it back. But you can block Copilot from appearing in the future. Open Claude and enter this prompt.
Step 1: Now Claude will generate a script to disable future Microsoft Copilot on your device. Copy the script, open Windows PowerShell, paste the script, and press Enter.
Final Thoughts: A Cleaner and Faster Windows 11
That’s it. We have successfully done all the steps to debloat unnecessary apps and ads and also disable Copilot on my Windows device. However, if you want to restore everything, you can run the Claude undo script stored in your cleanup folder.
If you don’t want to use Claude, open PowerShell from the Start menu, paste this command
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File “$env:USERPROFILE\Documents\Windows cleanup\Undo-WindowsCleanup.ps1”
Once done, Press Enter. If Windows asks for permission, click Yes.
This is how you can remove bloatware and speed up your Windows 11 using Claude code. while. Most methods existed before Claude Code, but it makes it easy even for beginners to perform these tasks with natural prompting without dealing with the terminal or complex setup. If you face any issues while doing this, let me know in the comments below.