Just uninstall any apps you don’t use/want.

Bloat removing pretty much went away with NT-based Windows since it’s much harder to hide garbage.

About the only utility I consider trustworthy for adjusting Windows is Winaero Tweaker. It’s not for uninstalling apps, but for adjusting how Windows works - UI settings and a few system settings.

This one seems pretty active: github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat

Definitely do not pay for a bloatware remove tool… That sounds like paid malware.

Also be careful with any advertisement that says it will remove bloatware. It’s likely also malware

There are some popular open source / source available scripts that are more reliable. Someone else mentioned one in this thread

The only thing I would trust for that is a clean install of the OS and then using Chris Titus’s WinUtil to remove the now standard windows bloat.

Hate that I have to run it after every Windows update now since they reactivate the crap.

Obligatory; It’s called linux

🐧

I try not to use anything other than canned air dusters

Never a good idea to use a computer with the preinstalled operating system whether new or used. Always do a clean install, then you know exactly what’s on it.

Piggybacking off this, is Ccleaner still any good?

Originally read that as “bioware”.

I am not sure about the bloatware, but this seems good even for Windows users (I use this regularly on my Linux boxes, but have not used Windows in years): www.bleachbit.org/features

Assuming you are on windows. Backup your files first. Then follow this video to get a cleanish install of windows. How to install windows

It’s impossible to get a clean install these days, as microslop insists on a bad user experience. But the above method is as good as it gets.

Debian.org

The top tool and the only tool open source

christitus.com/windows-tool/

These sorts of software tend to cause as many problems as they solve.

ooshutup10 . has a nice copiolet removal tab to.

I used this one the other day. No idea what everyone’s thoughts are on it. But it worked for the machine I ran it on.

github.com/builtbybel/Winslop

I don’t know if they’re still any good, but my go to suite back when I used to do this kind of thing regularly included C Cleaner, Revo Uninstaller, Malwarebytes, Hitman Pro, and a couple others that I’ve forgotten the names of. Each tool had a specific function or two that I needed for fixing various issues.

Of course, a wipe and reinstall is the more effective option, and since windows itself is bloatware these days I’d recommend some flavor of linux. Personally, I’m having a good time with Mint.

Alrhought it’s kind of a multi tool if you’re willing to spend 10 minutes reading through the options the tor scripts is pretty great for this, will handle windows un-privacy things, bloatware, mostly unwanted software people have laying around.

It does the whole “auto clean” thing and you can basically run it once and be done with it (I rerun it once a year because it’s also an amazing multi antivirus tool).

Just don’t run it unless you’re willing to understand what the options you pick do, many people overdo it or run into issues and then complain, that said it’s really an easy read and anyone could do it.

Another amazing tool is revo uninstaller, more of a thing you keep in your pc and use it, but it can be used to find bloatware and permanently delete it.