Microsoft Finally Realizes Nobody Wants Its Windows 11 Preinstalled Bloatware

Tldr: Remote desktop, Cortana, camera, people app are all getting uninstall buttons.

The more steam deck and proton get games working on linux, the less need I have for this bloated windows.

I'm all for less bloat ware, but come one. The camera app or remote desktop are the least shitty ones. Its borderline to call them even bloatware.

Let's cut the crap: it's not that they "realized" nobody wants it -- it's that they've come to accept the blowback against their reputation has gotten too big to outweigh the potential pros of preinstalled bloatware supporting their strategy.

They always knew, they just didn't care.

Realized?? They knew all the time, and didn't give a shit.

It's more likely that they have pushed too far, and users are pushing back. They will dial it back a bit, and hope people forget.

That, and stop dumbing down the UI. Gradeschoolers in 1999 could operate windows, it doesn't need to get dumber

They've always realized, they've just never cared.

Using Windows primarily for gaming, I eventually got tired of some of the issues I had with it (ads appearing in the start menu). I gave Linux a try and it was so so for a while. I kept going back and forth but it's been 2 years now and I haven't had Windows installed and can play 90% of my games without issue. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. But for those that primarily use their computer for gaming and non-windows specific applications (like web browsing or other various things), Linux is offering some competition for desktop people.

I don't give a shit, I'll use other programs to uninstall whatever I want.

Call me when I can use a vertical task bar. Until then, I'm sticking with win10.

This is all so foreign to me now. I'm not forced to keep anything on Linux.

a beta build of Windows 11 in the Canary Channel includes the option for the first time to uninstall the Camera app, Cortana app, Photos app, People app, and the Remote Desktop client.

Still no Microsoft edge though...

it's crazy to think that you can't just uninstall some apps in the first place even though it would be technologically possible

Is there a way to disable the ads, news and recommendations yet? Until then I'm not upgrading.

It's the integrated AI spying on you that is real concern

Permanently Deleted

Wait: They are saying you can remove the Remote Desktop client? You mean the client you cannot use to connect to a Windows Home license because you cannot run remote desktop without a higher license?

Interesting flex there Microsoft.

Good, maybe in two or three more years Windows 11 will be useable. Right on time for Windows 12 to roll out and drag Microsoft users back to the Stone Age again.

I'm a CG artist and I dual boot Fedora on my workstation and run it on my file/license server. I'm very familiar with Linux and it's great for a lot of things.

A ton of my software runs much better than on windows and I would stay in it if I could, but unfortunately I have software needs that don't run on Linux and can't work in a VM in full capacity.

If I could also get the ability to disable internet search results from the start menu that'd be great. So sick of looking for a file or app, hitting enter a second too soon, and having Edge slowly eat my resources to display a Bing search result that I never wanted.

Windows 11 Pro, now with NOTHING installed. Windows 11 Pro plus, now with firefox pre-installed so you can clame your system never had edge on it!

They always knew. When the time comes they'll force everything back with even more bloatware and even less freedom to choose because that's the corpo way. This is just another long-term power grab.

Linux is miles better

every few reboots it asks me to install it and it's really fucking annoying and I have a feeling I'm not going to have a choice at some point. my wife installed it accidentally and now she's fucked. the thing fucking sucks.

What about one drive and edge?? Last time I had to do updates on the SOs computer I told her I'm switching her to Linux as soon as gaming just gets a little more stable (she plays halo infinite, which sometimes isn't that polished on Linux)

Alternatively, you can get a copy of Win 10 LTSC that doesn't have any bloatware pre-installed.

Wake me when you can uninstall the Chat app without powershell (which I assume is a thing but don't use Win11 so I don't know)

Mmm that's not really realizing anything.

You know what sort of tom fuckery I had to get into to get my gaming laptop working? I had to find a sketchy windows 10 LTS IOT ISO, run some registry hack then find and install all my drivers just because the regular working consumer edition of windows is such a bag of bloat..

For hardware I paid for..! Next time I'm just going with system76 right out of the gate. I just kept reading reviews about things not working right or still being in development so I bought a mainstream laptop with a warranty.

A lot of linuxy or FOSS sort of stuff is still buggy despite being better than it was ten years ago. No one talks about it. Purism phone, pine phone, Linux gaming, the steam deck, etc. They all have major flaws or sometimes breaks in functionality. Where mainstream has breaks 1/10 even the best Linux setup has breaks 1/5 of the time minimum. And that's great but it still sucks that you have to look elsewhere because mainstream is a monetization sponge in all senses of the phrase.

So much drama. Anyone still using Windows must not dislike the behavior enough to switch.

I've used Linux for over 10 years now because I disliked this Microsoft culture even back then with Windows 8 or whatever it was back then. Why are people still using Windows today when Linux is easier than ever?

Windows 7 was a good OS, it tended to not spy on the user. You can see the difference in installation options if you put it into a virtual machine and run it. Compare with today's windows.

Then compare Linux distros 10 years ago with current ones. Only gotten easier to use and much better looking.

My laptop updating itself to Windows 11 is the reason why I'm switching back to Linux.

Other than Corrana I use these on a daily basis. I'd rather they stop opening edge whenever I mistype in the start menu.

PSA: If you need windows, and you can install it yourself, install the Education version. It comes with slightly less crap preinstalled. (For the license just massgrave.dev that shit...)

Removing the RDP client is an interesting one. May just be bizarre to me because I use it on a daily basis.

no shit.

Hope they don't take away the sandbox. It is very handy for testing sketchy software.

I ignore them. Since January 2022 I've used exclusively macOS & Linux and you can't go wrong with that. macOS for my daily driver work laptop (M1 MacBook Pro) and Arch Linux for my home server, though I do enjoy using it a lot for work and if this mac ever stops working I will definitely build a framework Linux laptop. Nothing comes close to FoSS, don't have to put up with most of this proprietary business-oriented software.

Ms paint is the only truly necessary default windows app

How is this company finding that out only just now lol

I would love to see/feel Windows is reaching the point where it's a small program with tons of optional programs, but god damn, I'm so sick of these bloated fucking OSes.

Android now takes 20+ gigs, Windows takes massive amounts of hard drive. And I know someone will say there's a way to configure it, but the amount of bloat that people just accept on programs is insane.

It's silly when Call of duty Warzone requires 150 GB, it's a bigger problem when windows continues to consume more and more memory with out a good reason other than pushing new products and services most customers don't want/use.

While I'm not mad at all that they've killed Cortana as a service, I am a little ticked that they used the name for their C- Siri and are now calling their AI service Bing AI instead of using the Cortana name for that

They've known since all their other shitty windows. It's been ass since xp

They’ve realized nothing. Have you opened Edge lately? A gazillion new privacy-invading features that could be relegated to web plugins. Bloat bloat bloat.

I'd pay extra for a windows that has nothing except the settings, task manager and the file explorer.

Does anyone want windows 11 at all?

Not seen a single new feature in windows I cared about since XP 64 bit.

Every two windows version is a disaster. 95 nice, 98 sucked, XP was great, vista was a flop, 7 wow, 8 eurk, 10 marvelous, 11 is shit... They don't learn. But this time the goal is to make more money through adds, widgets and preinstalled bloatware.

They really got trained well... Removing shit bloatware is not a "feature"

Thanks daddy satya. Visionary

I stuck Windows 10 LTSC on there, removed Edge and turned off all telemetry and it already comes with basically none. Never have been happier. No telemetry or bloatware.

In other news the sky is blue and water is wet.

Truly, we are on the cusp of great discoveries.

Imagine paying $200 for that

The photos app on windows 11 is very good. It can read raw files and display them and has a pretty good auto-colour correct function. I wouldn't uninstall it.

Now if only we could remove all the ads they are pushing…

The people app has been an abomination since the start and was barely updated since.

Is there something like LTSC/LTSB for Windows 11?

I have Win10LTSC installed on a separate partition for games and the thought of having to "upgrade" to Windows 11 at some point in the future is nightmare inducing.

I'm using Windows 11 with Edge and nothing removed because it doesn't impact my life.

I said what I said.

What about winget? I ripped out a whole bunch of stuff (like cortana) from W10 when winget became available. Best thing MS has done for windows in years

How about insta- crap and so on? Any idea to prevent it from having it in any new profile?

They always knew

Microsoft realizes... And promptly moves it to Windows 12.

Eagerly waiting for Windows 11 LTSC in later half 2024

I will gladly install windows 12 beta immediately after it is released so I can help Microsoft perform bug testing for free.

soon we will have windows 11 but with ltsc levels of bloat. cannot come soon enough!

Nobody wants a smartphone-like function on an OS for pc/laptop. Also giving users back the control over would be nice looking at you defender.

more like they finally found a large source of revenue compared to their OS, so they can stop selling out... duh?

Give me taskbar labels and I'll switch..

Once I cared about preinstalled bloatware. As long as it is inactive and small I stopped caring. The named apps together aren't even 200MByte.