All Windows 11 Bloatware May 2026

The first and most perplexing category of Windows 11 bloatware consists of . The poster child for this category is Cortana . Once touted as the future of Windows, Cortana was officially killed as a consumer assistant in 2023. Yet, on a fresh install of Windows 11, the Cortana icon lingers in the Start menu, launching a vestigial app that merely opens a help document explaining it no longer works. Similarly, Internet Explorer is disabled, but its underlying engine remains in the form of IE Mode in Edge, while the Windows Mail & Calendar apps persist even though Microsoft is actively trying to force users into the web-based Outlook. Other examples include the People bar (which no one uses) and the Math Input Panel (a relic of the tablet era). These apps are digital fossils—unused, unloved, but taking up space on the SSD and cluttering the Start menu’s "All Apps" list.

The second, and more commercially aggressive, category is . Microsoft has transformed the Start menu into a billboard for its own ecosystem and third-party partners. A clean installation of Windows 11 typically includes functional shortcuts that are, in reality, advertisements for paid services. These include Spotify (which prompts for a subscription), Disney+ , Netflix , Amazon Prime , and Adobe Express . Even more egregious are the Microsoft-owned services that feel forced upon the user: Clipchamp (a video editor that requires a Microsoft 365 subscription for premium features), Microsoft To Do (a decent app, but redundant if you use Google Keep or Apple Reminders), and Microsoft Teams (Chat) . The consumer version of Teams is now so deeply embedded into the taskbar that removing it requires multiple registry edits. Additionally, Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) prompts users to subscribe on first launch, and the Phone Link app constantly nags Android users to link their device, even if they have no interest. all windows 11 bloatware

The cumulative impact of this bloatware is not trivial. While a single app like Spotify takes only 150 MB, the collection of 30+ unnecessary applications can consume over 5 GB of storage—significant on a budget 128 GB laptop. More importantly, background processes like the Xbox Game Bar and Teams startup tasks can delay boot times by 15-30% and consume system resources. On low-end hardware, this manifests as a sluggish, unresponsive interface. The psychological impact is also real: a user who buys a new computer expects a clean slate, not a digital garage sale of trial offers. The first and most perplexing category of Windows