Debloat and Optimize Windows 11 With Chris Titus Tech Utility

To debloat and optimize an existing Windows 11 installation, open Terminal as Administrator and run irm https://christitus.com/win | iex to launch the Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility. Select the “Standard” tweaks preset to disable telemetry, remove bloatware, and reduce background processes — no installation required, everything runs through PowerShell.

Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) — all editions | Last updated: April 2, 2026

Key Takeaways

• The Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility runs entirely through PowerShell — nothing gets installed on your computer. Launch it with irm https://christitus.com/win | iex in an elevated terminal.
• The “Standard” tweaks preset disables telemetry, consumer features (ads), activity history, location tracking, Wi-Fi Sense, and sets non-essential services to manual — reducing background process count significantly.
• The Install tab lets you batch-install software via WinGet. You can export your selections as a JSON preset and import it on other machines to save time during setup.
• MicroWin creates a custom debloated Windows ISO — similar to Tiny11 Builder — with options to remove Edge, Defender, telemetry, and the Microsoft account requirement.
• For a fresh install, UnattendedWinstall automates all of this during Windows setup. The Chris Titus utility is best for computers that already have Windows installed with files and software in place.

Quick Steps

1. Right-click the Start button and select “Terminal (Admin)” or “PowerShell (Admin)”
2. Paste irm https://christitus.com/win | iex and press Enter to launch the utility
3. Go to the Tweaks tab and click “Standard” to select the recommended optimizations
4. Optionally select advanced tweaks (remove Edge, OneDrive, Store apps, disable Copilot)
5. Click “Run Tweaks” and restart when finished

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What Is the Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility?

The Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility (WinUtil) is an open-source PowerShell tool that debloats, optimizes, and configures Windows without installing anything on your system. It fetches a script from the internet and runs it directly in PowerShell — when you close the window, nothing remains on the machine.

This makes it ideal for cleaning up existing Windows installations where users already have their software, files, and settings in place. If you are setting up a fresh install instead, my UnattendedWinstall answer files automate the same debloating and optimization during the Windows installation itself — so you start with a clean system from the beginning.

How to Launch the Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility

Right-click the Start button and select “Terminal (Admin)” on Windows 11 or “PowerShell (Admin)” on Windows 10. If User Account Control prompts you, click Yes.

Paste this command and press Enter:

irm https://christitus.com/win | iex

The utility will load in a separate GUI window. Nothing gets downloaded or installed — it runs entirely through the PowerShell session. If the window does not fit your screen, double-click any empty white space in the title area to maximize it.

Tip: The utility gets frequent updates, so the interface may look different from the screenshots here. The core functionality — Install, Tweaks, Config, Updates, and MicroWin — stays the same.

How to Batch Install Software With the Install Tab

The Install tab lets you select multiple applications and install them all at once using WinGet (Windows Package Manager). Select the software you need — 7-Zip, a browser, media players, development tools — and click “Install/Upgrade Selected.” The utility handles WinGet updates and dependencies automatically.

If you set up computers regularly, the preset system saves significant time. Select all the utilities you normally install, click the gear icon, and choose Export to save a JSON file. On the next machine, import that preset to auto-select everything, then click install. This works for both the Install tab selections and any Tweaks tab selections — the entire configuration exports into one file.

How to Debloat and Optimize Windows With the Tweaks Tab

The Tweaks tab is where most of the optimization happens. Click the “Standard” button at the top to select the recommended set of tweaks. This automatically checks options including:

• Create a restore point — selected by default so you can roll back if needed
• Disable telemetry — reduces data collection by Windows
• Disable consumer features — removes ads and suggested apps
• Disable activity history and location tracking — privacy improvements
• Set services to manual — this is what lowers the background process count. Non-essential services start only when needed instead of running at boot
• Run disk cleanup — frees up space from temp files and caches
• Replace PowerShell 5 with PowerShell 7 — upgrades to the modern version

Hover over any tweak to see a tooltip explaining what it does. Once you are satisfied with the selection, click “Run Tweaks.” The PowerShell window behind the GUI shows real-time progress — disk cleanup in particular can take several minutes.

Advanced Tweaks

Below the standard options, you will find advanced tweaks for more aggressive optimization. These include removing Microsoft Edge (which I cover in detail in my uninstall Microsoft Edge guide), removing OneDrive, removing all Microsoft Store apps, disabling Copilot, disabling notifications (note: this also disables the calendar flyout), and setting the display for performance mode.

A lot of these are the same tweaks I include in my UnattendedWinstall answer files. The difference is that the answer file applies them during installation, while this utility applies them to an existing Windows installation.

Warning: Removing Microsoft Edge always leaves some remnants — shortcuts, registry entries, and the Edge Update service. You will need to manually unpin Edge from the Start menu and taskbar after removal. If you want the cleanest Edge removal possible, I recommend using Winhance instead, which handles removal via scheduled tasks and catches more remnants.

How to Improve Privacy With O&O ShutUp 10

Inside the Tweaks tab, there is a “Run O&O ShutUp 10” button. This launches a separate privacy tool that gives you granular control over Windows telemetry and data collection settings. You can apply settings for the current user or the entire local machine.

O&O ShutUp 10 offers three preset levels:

• Recommended only — safe settings that will not break anything
• Recommended + Somewhat recommended — may cause issues with some apps
• All settings — most aggressive, some features will stop working

Always create a system restore point before applying settings (there is a button for this in the app). Some of these privacy settings may revert after Windows updates, so it is worth re-running O&O ShutUp 10 after major updates.

Preferences, Config, and Update Settings

The Tweaks tab also includes a Preferences section for quick toggles — dark theme, Bing search in Start menu, file extensions visibility, num lock on startup, mouse acceleration, and activating the Ultimate Performance power plan.

The Config tab provides access to optional Windows features (.NET Framework, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Windows Sandbox) and legacy Control Panel screens that are harder to find in modern Windows — network connections, user accounts, and the power options panel.

The Fixes section includes tools for resetting Windows Update, running a system corruption scan (SFC + DISM), resetting network settings, and removing Adobe Creative Cloud.

Under the Updates tab, you can configure Windows Update behavior:

• Default — standard Windows Update behavior (all updates)
• Security (recommended) — delays feature updates and only installs security patches. This is the same approach I use in my answer files.
• Disable all — stops all updates entirely (not recommended, as you lose security patches)

If you want more control over Windows Update behavior, I have a dedicated guide on disabling or controlling Windows updates via the registry.

How to Create a Custom Debloated ISO With MicroWin

The MicroWin tab lets you create a custom Windows 11 ISO with bloatware, telemetry, and tracking removed before installation. You provide a stock Windows ISO file, and MicroWin mounts the Windows image in DISM, applies the removal scripts, and repacks it into a smaller ISO file.

MicroWin options include removing Edge, Defender, Teams, telemetry, the Microsoft account requirement, and the Wi-Fi requirement during setup. You can also inject drivers into the image — useful if you deploy Windows to hardware that needs specific storage or network drivers during installation.

This works similarly to Tiny11 Builder and other custom Windows ISO tools. If you prefer a different approach to custom ISOs, I have a guide on creating a custom Windows ISO with pre-installed programs as well.

Re-run the Utility After Windows Updates

Windows updates have a habit of re-enabling telemetry, consumer features, and other settings that this utility disables. After any major Windows update, it is a good idea to re-run the Chris Titus utility and reapply your tweaks. If you saved a preset file, this takes about 30 seconds — import the preset and click run.

The same applies to O&O ShutUp 10 privacy settings — some of those will also revert after updates.

Alternative: Use Winhance for a GUI-Based Approach

If you want a dedicated application with a persistent GUI instead of a PowerShell script, Winhance is a Windows enhancement utility I built that handles debloating, privacy tweaks, Edge removal, power plan management, and dozens of other optimizations. It is designed to be a one-stop tool for cleaning up Windows without needing to run commands or import presets.

Both tools are free and work well — the Chris Titus utility is great for quick, scriptable optimization (especially across multiple machines), while Winhance provides a more permanent, app-based experience with additional features like scheduled Edge removal and granular control over individual Windows components.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility install anything on my computer?

No. The utility runs entirely through PowerShell and is fetched from the internet each time you run the command. When you close the PowerShell window, nothing remains on your system. The only exception is if you use the Install tab to install software — those applications are installed normally via WinGet.

Is it safe to use the advanced tweaks?

The standard tweaks are safe for all users. Advanced tweaks like removing Edge, disabling notifications, or removing all Store apps can change your Windows experience significantly. The utility creates a restore point before applying tweaks (enabled by default), so you can roll back if something breaks. I recommend applying standard tweaks first, restarting, and only then deciding if you want the advanced options.

Does this work on Windows 10?

Yes. The Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, all editions. Some tweaks are Windows 11-specific (like disabling Copilot or Widgets), but the utility handles this automatically and only shows relevant options for your OS version.

How often should I re-run the utility?

After every major Windows update. Feature updates in particular tend to re-enable telemetry, consumer features, and other settings that the utility disables. If you saved a preset file, re-running takes under a minute. The same applies to O&O ShutUp 10 privacy settings.

What is the difference between this utility and UnattendedWinstall?

The Chris Titus utility optimizes an existing Windows installation — it is meant for computers that already have Windows running with your files and software. UnattendedWinstall is an answer file that applies debloating and optimization during a fresh Windows installation, so you start clean from the beginning. If you are doing a fresh install, use UnattendedWinstall. If you are cleaning up an existing install, use this utility.