Reverting Changes
Nearly all applications removed by Win11Debloat can easily be reinstalled through the Microsoft Store or via their respective websites. Alternatively they can also be reinstalled via WinGet. To my knowledge, the only apps that cannot (easily) be reinstalled are the Microsoft Store itself and the XboxSpeechToTextOverlay.
Tip
Some apps like Xbox Game Bar cannot be found through the Microsoft Store search, even though these apps are actually available on the store. If this is the case for the app you want to reinstall, try looking for the app in the Microsoft Store Library tab or search for a direct link to the app's Microsoft Store page by other means.
If you removed the Microsoft Store itself please refer to this guide to reinstall it.
If you uninstalled any Xbox-related services, I advise using the official Microsoft Gaming Service Repair Tool to reinstall all required services for games.
You can manually restore the pinned apps in your start menu using the backup created by the script.
To do this, please follow these steps:
- Open Windows Explorer
- Copy and paste the path below into the addressbar to navigate to the correct folder:
%localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\ - In this folder you should see at least 2 files:
start2.binandstart2.bin.bak. Rename thestart2.binfile to something else, likestart2.bin.old - Next, copy and paste the
start2.bin.bakfile inside the folder to duplicate it and name the copystart2.bin - Lastly sign out of your user account or restart your PC. After logging back in your old start menu layout should be back!
Bing Web Search in Windows Search can be restored by running the Enable_Bing_Cortana_In_Search.reg file that is provided by the script. You can find it by navigating to Win11Debloat > Regfiles > Undo. You can alternatively download this registry file here.
If your Windows Region is set to a country within the EEA (European Economic Area) you may also need to reinstall the Web Search from Microsoft Bing app. Ensure this app is enabled in the Windows Search settings.
Please note that you may need to sign out of your user account or restart your PC to apply the changes.
Win11Debloat completely disables the Widget service from running and locks the setting for all users on the machine using a local machine policy. To re-enable the option you can run the Enable_Widgets_Service.reg file that is provided by the script. You can find it by navigating to Win11Debloat > Regfiles > Undo. You can alternatively download this registry file here.
You may also need to reinstall the Start Experiences App to return the full functionality of the Widgets panel.
Please note that you may need to sign out of your user account or restart your PC to apply the changes.
Win11Debloat adds an option that allows you to show/hide the Home and Gallery sections easily via the File Explorer folder options. These can be found by simply searching for File Explorer Options in Windows Search. You can also access them within File Explorer by clicking the three dots in the top bar.
Once opened, navigate to the view tab and scroll all the way down. Here you can find the toggles to show/hide the Home and Gallery sections. If you don't see these options, please use the method described in the next section.
Please note that you may need to sign out of your user account or restart your PC to apply the changes.
Win11Debloat may have disabled/locked certain settings in Microsoft Edge, this depends on the settings you used when executing the script.
You can unlock these settings by using the registry files: Allow_Edge_Telemetry.reg, Enable_Edge_Ads_And_Suggestions.reg and Enable_Edge_AI_Features.reg respectively. You can find these files by navigating to Win11Debloat > Regfiles > Undo. You can alternatively download the registry files individually here, here and here.
You will need to fully restart Microsoft Edge to apply the changes.
All of the other changes can be reverted by using the registry files that are provided with the script, these registry files can be found by navigating to Win11Debloat > Regfiles > Undo. Alternatively these registry files can be individually viewed and downloaded here.
Simply run the registry file that applies to the setting you want to revert, and you're done! You can find an overview of all features and the related registry files here.
Please note that you may need to sign out of your user account or restart your PC to apply the changes.
Are you encountering issues that are not resolved by following the instructions above? You may be able to perform a system restore using a restore point created by Win11Debloat. A system restore does not restore user data or documents, so it will not cause you to lose your files, e-mail, browsing history, or favorites. It will however remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore point was made.
For more information about how to do a system restore, please refer to this detailed guide.