De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
EU digital competition rules are forcing Microsoft to offer a stripped‑down Windows 11 in Europe, with Bing, Edge bundling, some telemetry, and other preinstalled components made removable or disabled. Commenters see this both as a rare example of regulators actively improving a mainstream OS and as a symptom of how enshittified Windows has become, prompting many to switch to Linux or macOS, or rely on debloated enterprise/LTSC builds and third‑party scripts. The thread also explores whether such regulation will meaningfully change big tech behavior globally, or just lead to region locks and further workarounds.
Reactions to the EEA / “de‑crufted” Windows 11
- Many welcome the ability to strip out Bing, Edge integration, and bundled apps, seeing it as overdue.
- Several plan to claim an EU/EEA region (e.g., Ireland, “English (Europe)”) during install to get the cleaner variant, even outside Europe.
- Concern that Microsoft may later counter this with location‑detection daemons (likened to Apple’s “countryd”) to restrict EEA features to actual EU users.
- Some note that region choice is locked after install and only a reset changes it.
Existing Workarounds and Windows Editions
- Users report current tricks that already reduce bloat:
- Setting region to “English (World/Europe)” so OEM “bloatware” definitions don’t apply.
- Using “[email protected]” during setup to force creation of a local account.
- PowerShell debloater scripts, Tiny11, AtlasOS, AME wizard, O&O ShutUp10++ and AppBuster.
- Criticism that these require constant re-running after major updates and can silently break apps or services.
- Discussion of cleaner SKUs:
- Enterprise, LTSC, IoT, and “Pro Education N” are seen as far less cluttered, but are hard or semi‑illegal for consumers to obtain.
- “N” editions’ missing codecs cause confusing failures; Media Feature Pack installs are inconsistent, sometimes lagging new Windows releases.
Alternatives: Linux, macOS, and Others
- Many report that Windows 11’s direction pushed them to Linux or macOS for daily use, keeping Windows only for specific games or legacy software.
- Linux desktop is described as increasingly viable (especially with Proton for gaming), though anti‑cheat/DRM and some specialist tools remain pain points.
- macOS users praise lack of ad‑like clutter, strong hardware, and trackpads; critics dislike window management, global menu bar, Apple Music nags, and paid “fix‑it” utilities.
- Some advocate OpenBSD or Qubes OS for security‑focused users.
Privacy, Telemetry, and User Experience
- Strong sentiment that modern Windows acts as an ad/telemetry platform: Start/menu search tied to Bing, Edge being forced, tabloid‑style news in UI surfaces, full‑screen nags, and bundled third‑party apps.
- One side sees disabling these as a minor one‑time setup; the other describes a long, brittle checklist, frequent regressions after updates, and opaque privacy settings.
- Concerns about Windows waking machines at night, data sent to Microsoft even with many switches off, and Microsoft’s attempts to block tools that redirect system URLs away from Edge.
EU Regulation, DMA, and Cookie Rules
- The changes are widely attributed to the EU’s Digital Markets Act and seen as a rare case of regulators removing features instead of adding friction.
- Several praise the EU’s relative independence from US big‑tech lobbying and its “Brussels Effect” (global changes driven by EU rules).
- Others warn of “malicious compliance” patterns (like obnoxious cookie banners) and argue that regulators should have gone further by banning tracking outright rather than requiring consent popups.