The developers of Tiny11 (a slimmed-down third-party version of Windows 11) have released a new version of their Tiny11 Builder, a tool that enables you to modify and customize your own version of Windows 11 to make it more trimmed-down.
This version will allow you to make Windows 11 ISOs (installation media) with disabled telemetry – basically, Microsoft’s inbuilt automated data collection and communication process for monitoring, analysis, and reporting of your system. Disabling telemetry has multiple implications for increasing user privacy, using fewer system resources to run Windows 11, and getting greater control over your user data.
Tiny11 Builder is essentially an open-source script that you can run on your device to make it possible to slim down your Windows 11 for a smoother user experience. You can get the script for Tiny11 from the developers’ GitHub page by copying and pasting the code into a Windows PowerShell window, or by downloading the script file (which will have a .ps1 extension), right-clicking the file, and selecting ‘Run with PowerShell.’
For the uninitiated, PowerShell is a Microsoft tool that allows you to automate tasks and processes in the Windows operating system. The easiest way to find it is simply by searching for it in Windows Search, but it’ll open automatically if you follow the second method listed above.
How Tiny11 Builder works to unlock Windows 11’s efficiency
Running Tiny11 Builder this way will prompt your system to use Microsoft-made tools to remove items that aren’t essential, but that you wouldn’t be able to remove in its default state.
This process isn’t as straightforward as downloading an official Microsoft ISO from its dedicated website, but according to Neowin, the resulting IOS image comes out clean and fully functional. It also allows you to bypass issues like needing a Microsoft account and certain hardware requirements, as well as permitting you to kill off Microsoft Edge, Get Started, OneDrive, and any other Windows bloatware that you might consider unnecessary.
The updated version of the Tiny11 Builder script allowing for disabled telemetry was put up on GitHub on April 29, 2024, and announced by Tiny11 creators NDTEV on X. If you’re concerned about how much of your user data is collected and shared with Microsoft, this is a popular option with many people who share such concerns. It allows you to curb the sharing of data through Windows functionalities like Application Compatibility Appraiser, Customer Experience Improvement Program, and others.
The first update to tiny11 builder is now up! It disables telemetry as well as some of the scheduled tasks associated with it.Go check it out and let me know how it works!https://t.co/qmtOcmkPdO https://t.co/cvkCllUma3April 29, 2024
The ability to remove telemetry looks like the only change to this iteration of Tiny11 Builder, but NDTEV seems to have plans to give Tiny11 additional capabilities as per the developers’ GitHub repository. Future plans include enhanced language detection, more flexibility in managing which Windows 11 features to keep and purge, and maybe even a unique new user interface.
This is maybe one notch above ‘beginner’ when it comes to implementing software on your PC, but if you’re interested in it, I’d encourage you to try it. With Microsoft’s recent onslaught of ads, I can see tools and solutions like this becoming more popular, and for all of our sakes, I hope Tiny11 Builder stays open-source.