---
title: "These are the first 10 things I do with every Windows 11 install"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/fefc614c-a2da-4445-b8b3-cb70bba7c476
source_url: "https://www.howtogeek.com/these-are-the-first-things-i-do-with-every-windows-11-install/"
stack: https://stacklist.com/c/technology/stack/bf7ba824-0025-419b-8f5d-40d645a4f580
summary: "This tutorial covers the first 10 recommended steps to take after installing Windows 11, including installing updates, creating a restore point, and removing bloatware. The author, Goran Damnjanovic, also highlights tools like Winhance and Rufus for creating cleaner Windows 11 installations with unwanted features disabled."
tags: "windows-11, post-installation, system-setup, windows-update, system-restore, bloatware, tutorial"
key_entities: "Goran Damnjanovic (person), Windows 11 (technology), Winhance (technology), Rufus (technology), Microsoft Copilot (technology), Microsoft OneDrive (technology), Microsoft Teams (technology), How-To Geek (organization), TechSpot (organization), TechPowerUp (organization), Novi Sad (location), System Restore (concept)"
classification: "tutorial"
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status: "final"
---

# These are the first 10 things I do with every Windows 11 install

By  Goran Damnjanovic Published May 27, 2026, 7:30 AM EDT Ever since he got his first smartphone, the legendary Nokia 6600, back in 2005, Goran became obsessed with technology. This obsession had only gotten worse after he received his first gaming PC a couple of months later. He fell in love with video games in the early '90s, shortly after embarking on his gaming journey with the Sega Master System II and SNES. Since then, he has built dozens of PCs, played thousands of games, and authored hundreds of articles about PC hardware, gaming hardware, and video games. He knows everything there is to know about the PC gaming and PC hardware space, and while his console gaming knowledge isn't as comprehensive, he considers himself a console veteran. Goran has almost a decade of experience writing about tech and video games for numerous web publications including TechSpot , TechPowerUp , and EsportsHeadlines . He has been writing for How-To Geek since December 2022. When he isn't gaming or deciding which component of his PC to upgrade next, you can find him strolling around Novi Sad while listening to music and contemplating what to play next. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Personally, I use Winhance to create a custom Windows 11 ISO free of Windows bloatware, so I don't have to spend hours disabling and deleting superfluous apps and features after installing Windows. You can use Rufus instead if you'd like, since the utility not only allows you to install Windows 11 with a local account , but also to disable unwanted Microsoft apps and features such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot, and so on. However, when I install Windows 11 on someone else's PC the usual way, these are the first 10 things I do after installation. I recommend that most people do most of the things listed below, but you should decide for yourself whether you want to perform some of them, such as disabling Microsoft OneDrive or removing Microsoft Copilot. Note that before doing all this, I sign in with a Microsoft account if the person whose PC I'm installing Windows 11 on has one, but you can use a local account if you've taken the Rufus route. Windows 11 Pro $29.99 $199 Save $169.01 Operating system Windows 11 Pro Smart assistants Microsoft Copilot Get Windows 11 Pro and elevate your PC experience. You'll likely have to do some post-installation tidying up, though. $29.99 at StackSocial Expand Collapse Install updates Updating Windows 11 right after installing it is par for the course Credit: Jason Fitzpatrick / How-To Geek After you finish installing Windows 11 and reboot to the sparkling new desktop, you can bet there will be some pending updates you'll need to install. So before I do anything else, I finish the updating process. All you have to do is open the Settings app, go to Windows Update, and check for updates. If updates are available (and chances are they are), click the Download and Install button. You should then wait for all updates to install and for the PC to reboot, check for updates again just in case, and once there are no more updates left to install, continue with the post-installation setup. Create a restore point Better safe than sorry Once you finish installing updates, it's time to enable System Restore, which is disabled by default on many Windows installations. It's handy to have it enabled because if something goes wrong, you can roll back your system files and settings, which can often solve the issue without having to restore a full backup of your PC. To enable it, simply type “View advanced system settings” into the search bar and open the result. Next, open the System Protection tab, select the C: drive where your Windows 11 installation is located, and click Configure. On the next screen, enable system protection, then click Apply followed by OK. Now you should create a new restore point by clicking the Create button in the System Protection tab and following the on-screen instructions. That's it. Back up the BitLocker recovery key You're going to need it sooner or later Microsoft now enables BitLocker encryption by default on many fresh Windows 11 installations, so after I install updates and create a restore point, I make sure to back up the BitLocker recovery key if the person whose PC I'm setting up wants encryption enabled. We have a handy guide that includes multiple ways to back up your BitLocker recovery key. Now, if they don't want their drive encrypted, I'll disable BitLocker , which I also did on my desktop PC, because I'm not worried someone will snatch it. Disable and uninstall OneDrive If you want Credit: Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek I've had multiple negative experiences with Microsoft OneDrive, so I suggest that you disable and uninstall it on a fresh Windows 11 installation and use an alternative file-syncing solution if you need that functionality. You can use Proton Drive , which is a pretty solid option with free and paid plans, or a free and open-source alternative such as Syncthing . If you haven't used Microsoft OneDrive before, you should be fine because there won't be any synced files to worry about, and you can go ahead and disable it. If you do have synced files, log in to your OneDrive account in a browser before disabling it, open the My files tab, select everything aside from the Personal Vault, and download the files. Files stored online should still be available even after you unlink your account from OneDrive, but it's better to download them beforehand just in case. Close Once you've downloaded your files, click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar and open the OneDrive dashboard. From there, click the gear icon and then Settings. Next, open the Account tab and click Unlink this PC. Once the confirmation dialog window opens, click Unlink account. Now you can uninstall OneDrive, which is fairly simple. All you need to do is open Settings, go to Apps > Installed apps, locate OneDrive (or search for it), click the three-dot menu, and select Uninstall. Proton Drive 6 /10 Number of Accounts 1 Price Per Month Starting at $5 Proton Drive is a cloud storage service that protects your files with high-end encryption. See at Proton Expand Collapse Remove Copilot Another optional procedure I recommend doing Credit: Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek | Microsoft I really don't need Copilot on my PC, and I also recommend that most people using Windows 11 disable it as well. You can use AI chatbots in your browser instead of having one deeply integrated into every nook and cranny of your PC. Now, ripping out Copilot isn't always that simple, so I recommend reading the guide on removing Copilot created by my colleague Faisal. It's very well done and also includes steps needed to prevent Microsoft from reinstalling Copilot with a future Windows update. Uninstall bloatware Highly recommended Credit:  Lucas Gouveia / Jason Montoya / How-To Geek This is one of the most tedious parts of the process. Unless you use a Windows debloating tool, you'll have to do it manually. Just open the Settings app, go to Apps > Installed apps, and start uninstalling unwanted apps one by one. Disable ads and search highlights Windows 11 is full of them Credit: Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek | Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock This is another procedure that takes some time and involves clicking all around Windows Settings, but it's definitely worth doing if you don't want to see annoying Windows ads. We have a detailed guide on how to disable Windows 11 ads that covers all the bases. Just make sure not to skip any steps. Turn off Windows telemetry, location, and custom typing dictionary Make Windows 11 more private Close To prevent your PC from sending optional diagnostic data to Microsoft's servers, which can include private data, open Settings, go to Privacy & security > Diagnostic & feedback, and disable the toggles there, such as Send optional diagnostic data, Diagnostic Data Viewer (found under View diagnostic data), and Improve inking and typing. You can also set Feedback frequency to Never. Next, open Privacy & security > Inking and typing personalization and disable Custom inking and typing dictionary. Lastly, if you want, you can also disable location services by opening Settings > Privacy & security > Location and turning off Location services. Customize the Start menu and taskbar to my liking It's definitely worth it Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek Now it's time to tweak the Start menu and taskbar-related settings to your liking. You can find these settings under Personalization > Start, and Personalization > Taskbar. I usually set Taskbar alignment to Left and change a number of other settings, but you should customize everything to suit your personal preferences. Deactivate startup apps You'll be surprised by how many apps launch at startup by default Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek At this point, I recommend installing all your must-have apps and updating drivers if needed. Once you're done installing everything, open Settings, go to Apps > Startup, and disable every app you don't want launching automatically when you boot up the PC. You can use Winutil or Winhance to do most of these things While I've just shown you how to do all these things manually, you should know that you can expedite the process by using one of the popular Windows debloat tools, such as Winutil or Winhance . Both of these tools are excellent and fairly straightforward to use. My personal favorite is WinUtil, but you can use whichever you prefer; as I said, both are great. Chris Titus, the lead developer behind WinUtil, regularly updates his WinUtil showcase and tutorial whenever he releases a major update for the app, so I'll leave his latest video below for you to peruse. Close