Win11Debloat Bloatware Categories: The 12 Removal Groups Explained

Win11Debloat organizes its removal features into 12 logical bloatware categories defined in Config/Features.json, including Privacy settings, AI services, Gaming features, and Taskbar customizations that drive both the GUI and CLI interfaces.

The open-source Raphire/Win11Debloat project uses a category-driven architecture to group Windows 11 debloating options by functional area. These categories control the layout of the graphical interface and determine how PowerShell scripts target specific OS components for removal or configuration.

The 12 Bloatware Categories in Win11Debloat

According to the Config/Features.json source file, Win11Debloat divides its features into the following functional groups, each represented by a Unicode icon in the user interface:

Privacy & Suggested Content

Settings that suppress telemetry, targeted advertisements, suggestions, and other data-collection features. This category uses the  icon in the GUI cards.

System

Core OS tweaks including Drag-Tray fixes, Storage Sense configuration, fast-startup controls, and BitLocker auto-encryption behavior. Represented by icon .

Start Menu & Search

Customizations for Start menu layout, search box appearance, Bing integration removal, and Microsoft Store suggestions. Uses icon .

AI

Disables Microsoft Copilot, Windows Recall, Edge AI features, Paint AI, and Notepad AI services. This category addresses AI-related privacy concerns and uses icon .

Windows Update

Controls feature update delivery methods, including options to prevent receiving updates immediately upon release. Marked with icon .

Taskbar

Alignment options, search box styles, widget disabling, end-task button enablement, and multi-monitor taskbar behavior. Uses icon .

Appearance

Visual tweaks including dark mode enforcement, transparency effects, and animation settings. Represented by icon .

File Explorer

Default launch locations, folder visibility controls, navigation pane items, and shortcut arrow handling. Uses icon .

Gaming

Removes Xbox Game Bar, disables DVR recording, Game Bar integration, and related gaming telemetry. Marked with icon .

Multi-tasking

Snap Assist configurations, snap layouts, window snapping behaviors, and Alt-Tab tab handling settings. Uses icon .

Optional Windows Features

Manages optional Windows components like Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), Hyper-V, and other modular features. Uses icon .

Other

Catch-all category for miscellaneous tweaks including the Settings app "Home" page removal. Represented by icon .

How Categories Drive the Win11Debloat Interface

The categories defined in Config/Features.json serve as the single source of truth for both the graphical and command-line interfaces.

In Scripts/GUI/Show-MainWindow.ps1 (see lines 405-425), the script reads the JSON file and dynamically generates a "card" interface for each category. The $featuresJson.Categories array determines the display order and grouping. The CLI counterpart in Scripts/CLI/ShowCLIMenuOptions.ps1 parses the same JSON structure to present an identical category organization in text-based menus.

Programmatically Accessing Bloatware Categories

You can inspect these categories directly from the source configuration using PowerShell, as implemented in the project's Scripts/FileIO/LoadJsonFile.ps1 helper.

List all categories with their corresponding icons:

# Load the JSON configuration

$featuresPath = "$PSScriptRoot\..\Config\Features.json"
$features = Get-Content $featuresPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json

# Output each category name and its icon

$features.Categories | ForEach-Object {
    "{0}  {1}" -f $_.Name, $_.Icon
}

Retrieve a specific category's configuration (e.g., "Taskbar"):

$category = $features.Categories |
            Where-Object { $_.Name -eq 'Taskbar' }

"Icon for Taskbar: $($category.Icon)"

The entry point Win11Debloat.ps1 loads these definitions during initialization, ensuring both UI modes present consistent bloatware removal options.

Summary

• Win11Debloat defines 12 bloatware categories in Config/Features.json that organize removal features by functional area.
• Categories range from Privacy & Suggested Content and AI removal to Gaming tweaks and File Explorer modifications.
• Both the GUI (Show-MainWindow.ps1) and CLI (ShowCLIMenuOptions.ps1) consume the same JSON configuration to ensure consistent option presentation.
• Each category includes a Unicode icon (e.g.,  for Privacy) used in the visual interface cards.
• The category-driven architecture allows users to target specific Windows 11 subsystems without navigating unrelated settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bloatware categories does Win11Debloat include?

Win11Debloat includes 12 distinct bloatware categories covering Privacy, System, Start Menu & Search, AI, Windows Update, Taskbar, Appearance, File Explorer, Gaming, Multi-tasking, Optional Windows Features, and Other miscellaneous tweaks.

Where are the bloatware categories defined in the Win11Debloat source code?

All categories are defined in Config/Features.json at the repository root. This file specifies each category's name, description, icon, and the features contained within it. The Scripts/GUI/Show-MainWindow.ps1 file reads this JSON to build the user interface dynamically.

Can I use Win11Debloat categories from the command line without the GUI?

Yes. The Scripts/CLI/ShowCLIMenuOptions.ps1 script parses the same Config/Features.json file used by the GUI, presenting the identical category structure in a text-based menu format for headless or automated deployments.

What is the "AI" bloatware category in Win11Debloat?

The AI category specifically targets Microsoft Copilot, Windows Recall, Edge AI features, Paint AI, and Notepad AI for removal or disabling, addressing growing privacy concerns around artificial intelligence integration in Windows 11.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}