5 annoying Windows features that you should turn off
While Windows is more than a decent operating system, the recent deluge of AI features that no one asked for, coupled with a number of rather boring features enabled by default, can clutter the user interface and ruin the everyday Windows experience.
Fortunately, you can disable just about any Windows feature that annoys you, even those that are rather difficult to get rid of at first glance. The last time I installed Windows on my PC, I used Winhance to create a Windows ISO without bloat, without features I don’t want, such as Copilot, OneDrive, and ads appearing everywhere, among others.
The good news is that you can disable most of these features even after installing Windows, either directly from the Windows Settings menu, through the Windows Registry Editor, or using third-party tools. Below you’ll find instructions on how to disable five Windows features that I find particularly annoying.
No Windows widget for me, thank you very much
Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek
I just don’t see the point of Windows 11’s widgets panel. I read the news and check the weather on my phone or in a desktop browser, and I rarely use my Windows desktop for anything other than gaming, so I don’t need some of the genuinely useful widgets, like Phone Link or the To-Do widget. This is why I completely disabled the widgets panel on my custom Windows 11 ISO that I created with Winhance.
If like me you’re annoyed by the widgets panel, you can disable it quite easily right from the Settings app. All you need to do is open Settings, click Personalization, locate the Widgets toggle and turn it off. This will make the widget panel disappear from the taskbar, but widget-related services will continue to run in the background.
If that’s okay with you, you can continue with your day. But if you prefer to ban everything related to the widget panel, check out our guide on how to completely remove the Windows 11 widget panel and its related services.
Notifications
Windows, please don’t bother me
Notifications are another feature I have no use for. If you’re not a fan either, turning them off is very easy. Simply click the date and time in the lower right corner of the taskbar or press Windows key + N, which is one of many handy Windows keyboard shortcuts. All you have to do now is click the Do Not Disturb button and Windows will stop sending you notifications altogether.
Do Not Disturb works pretty well because notifications will only appear when you manually turn it off. However, if you want, you can turn off notifications completely from the Settings menu. To do this, open Settings, click the System tab, and then click Notifications. Once there, simply turn off the Notifications button.
The Notifications menu offers a range of options for people who want to continue receiving Windows notifications while maintaining full control. You can set Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically or in certain scenarios (like when playing a game), you can turn notifications on or off for an individual app, allow notifications but turn off sound alerts, and more.
Co-pilot
I don’t need a co-pilot
Copilot is another Windows feature that I didn’t include in my custom Windows ISO because I don’t want unnecessary AI features that I’ll never use, eat up resources, and just get in the way.
Now, unlike most Windows features, you can’t turn off Copilot with a few clicks or flipping a few toggles. The procedure is more involved, but you can complete it in a jiffy by following our step-by-step guide, which includes several ways to get rid of Copilot.
Alternatively, you can use Chris Titus’ Windows utility, which lets you say goodbye to Copilot relatively easily. The video below, courtesy of Chris Titus Tech’s YouTube channel, provides a detailed guide on using the tool, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking to unlock Windows 11.
Announcements and recommendations
Ads on Windows? Why, I’ve never seen them
Lucas Gouveia / Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
I’ve never seen a single ad on my Windows desktop because I got rid of it before I even started Windows 11 for the first time. I paid for my Windows 11 license and I don’t want to see any ads anywhere in Windows. If you are annoyed by Windows ads that appear equally on the left and right, you can easily get rid of them.
First, remove any suggested applications from the Windows Start menu that appear even if they are not installed on your computer. These can include WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and others.
Removing suggested apps is just the first step in the process; the rest is covered in our detailed guide, which ensures you’ll never see an ad in Windows again.
OneDrive
OneDrive only caused problems when I was using Windows 10, so I disabled it in Windows 11
I made the mistake of letting OneDrive roam freely on Windows 10, but I didn’t make the same mistake after moving to Windows 11. I deleted OneDrive from my custom Windows 11 ISO, but you can easily delete it whenever you want.
Before deleting OneDrive, make sure to back up all important files, as OneDrive may have automatically moved some to the cloud while deleting them locally.
To upload your OneDrive files and folders, sign in to OneDrive, open the My Files tab, and click the check mark next to the Name column. Now scroll down until you find the Personal Vault folder and uncheck it. The download button should now appear at the top. Just click on it and upload your files. You are now ready to delete OneDrive. Open the Settings app, then click Apps > Installed apps and find OneDrive. Now just click on the three-dot menu and then click Uninstall.
I got tired of OneDrive, so I replaced it with something better
You’re not stuck with OneDrive forever.
Your daily Windows experience will be much better without these features
By removing or disabling these features, Windows will become less cluttered and much more pleasant to use. You won’t be bombarded with notifications, ads, and suggested apps appearing in the Start menu, Copilot won’t jump around every corner trying to force you to use it, and OneDrive won’t upload your files to the cloud while deleting them locally, sync files you didn’t ask it to sync in the first place, or move your files without your knowledge.
