How to build your own tiny11 – THE definitive guide on how to create the perfect lightweight windows image (2024)

Remember when Windows used to be a dependable and straight-to-the-point operating system? Well, it still is pretty dependable, but if the system requirements of Windows 11 tell us something, it’s that Windows has become quite big. This is somewhat to be expected, as there are lots more new and advanced technologies in Windows 11 than say, Windows XP (obviously). But do you really need every single thing that Windows has to offer by default? Wouldn’t it be nice for the user to choose what they want, when they want?

Well, if you follow my work, you might have seen that this is actually quite possible. In case you didn’t know, in the recent years I released every once-in-a-while what I call tiny10 and tiny11 which, as their name suggests, are quite a bit smaller images compared to the standard release of Windows.

How is that even possible? Doesn’t Windows break when you delete stuff from it? Isn’t everything interconnected and protected from removal?

Actually, Windows is much more modular than you think.

Since Windows Vista, Microsoft implemented what is now known as Component-Based Servicing, which allows the user/OEM/Microsoft to modify whatever components they want to include in their image. This is how you can add features like Hyper-V or .NET 3.5 only if necessary. It’s also the mechanism that allows upgrading from different SKUs, like Home to Pro.

Now, we’re going to leverage the use of this powerful tool and show you to create your very own tiny11, tailored to your own needs.

I will try to explain the reasoning behind every single step so that you can decide whether if you want to do it or not.

So, without further ado, let’s go!

but first, let’s choose our tools.

NTLite (Download – NTLite)

If you ever tried doing a lightweight/modified Windows image, you might have heard of NTLite. This is by far the most powerful (at least according to my experience) Windows image customization tool. The only issue is that its free version is severely limited compared to the full, paid version. However, it is a pretty good starting point for removing some of the most basic stuff like unnecessary apps or doing things like integrating updates and creating unattended answer files quickly.

This will be our first layer of customization.

MSMG Toolkit (Downloads (msmgtoolkit.in))

Another very popular Windows customization utility is MSMG toolkit. While it isn’t as user friendly and complete as NTLite, it’s of tremendous help in removing what the free version of NTLite doesn’t allow us to.

This will be our second layer of customization.

(optional) Manual removals

While utilities do their fair share of work, you can still gain quite a lot of free space by removing redundancies.

step 1 – getting the windows image

First of all, we have to download Windows. You can do this either by downloading it using Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool, or by downloading the latest updated image using UUPDump or UUP Media Creator.

For the purpose of this article we’re going to use UUPDump.

1. Go to uup.ee
2. If you want to download the latest stable Windows 11 release, select “Latest Public Release build”.
   
   If you have a standard computer, select x64. If you have a Windows on Arm device (like Surface X or a laptop with a Qualcomm CPU), select arm64.
3. Select the Windows build that you want to download.
   
4. Select your language.
   
5. Select what SKU (edition) you want to use.
   
6. Leave everything as default and press “Create download package”
   
   You will see that you will get a .zip archive
7. Unzip the archive and run the downloader
   
   Note: you might see a SmartScreen notification when you open this file. Click “more info” and then “Run anyway”.
   
   You might also get a security warning, and you have to press “r” to allow the script to run.
8. Wait.
   This might take a while, depending on various factors like the CPU speed as well as the internet speed.
   What the script is doing now is that it downloads the various bits and pieces that form the Windows image and combines them into a unified image. This is also what Windows Update does when updating Windows to a new build (or “feature update”)
   
9. Done!
   If everything went well, you should be able to see a Windows ISO, like the one in the picture below. Notice that it has over 7GB.
   

Step 2 – cutting the fluff

After you downloaded the Windows ISO, you have to either mount the disc image and copy its contents to a new folder, or extract it like an archive using 7zip or your favorite archival software. In the end, you should have something like this.

Now we’re ready to go!

We’ll start by using NTlite.

Open NTlite and on the upper left corner, select Add, then Image Directory.

Then, select the folder where you extracted the Windows 11 ISO.

After that, double-click on your preferred SKU and wait about a minute for the WIM image to mount.

When the image is successfully mounted, you should see the sidebar being populated with a plethora of options.

Now, go to Remove – Components

Let’s begin!

Open the Apps Section. You will see a long list of apps. Let’s discuss each one of them so you can decide what to keep and what to not keep. I will also put a ✅ for apps that I recommend being kept, ❌ for apps that I deem removable and ❓for those that are up to you.

1. ❌ Clipchamp – this is Microsoft’s web-based video editor. It’s quite limited in its free version and there are MUCH better options available.
2. ❌ Cortana – as part of the Microsoft Copilot launch, Cortana was discontinued, even though its app was not removed from Windows. It’s as useful as a paperweight.
3. ❓Dev Home – introduced with the latest 23H2 update, Dev Home has some pretty cool features for developers, like integration with GitHub or some nifty Widgets. If you remove it, however, you can install it back from Microsoft Store.
4. ❌ Feedback Hub – unless you plan on being a Windows Insider, you can safely uninstall this app.
5. ❌ Get Help – the name basically tells it all. You can find much better information online than on this application.
6. ✅ HEVC extensions – these are used for decoding H.265 video, and it uses less than 5MB.
7. ❌ Mail and Calendar – these 2 apps (which are basically the same app package with two functionalities) will soon be discontinued by Microsoft and replaced with the new Outlook app.
8. ❓Microsoft Engagement Framework – if you plan on using applications from the Store, you might want to consider keeping this application, as it allows for features like A/B testing and sending feedback. However, if that’s not your cup of tea, it can be removed safely.
9. ❌ Microsoft Family – Parental controls for Windows. If you don’t have children that require supervising, you can safely remove this.
10. ❌ Microsoft News – once again, the name is self-explanatory, it’s just… news.
11. ❌ Microsoft People – this is a relic from the old Windows 8/10 days, back when Microsoft put a lot more emphasis on social features. It’s basically just a stub nowadays, and it doesn’t really do anything
12. ❓Microsoft Photos – if you plan on using other apps as your default photo viewer, you can safely remove it.
13. ❌ Microsoft Solitaire Collection – I mean… do I need to say anything here?
14. ❓Sticky Notes – a useful tool, and I usually keep it in my tiny11 releases.
15. ❌ Microsoft Teams – this is actually NOT the Microsoft Teams that most of us are familiar with, but the “home” variant that Microsoft tried to push back when Windows 11 was launched.
16. ❌ Microsoft To Do
17. ❌Movies and TV – this is used for renting, you guessed it… movies and TV shows from Microsoft Store. It’s been pretty neglected in the recent years, having the old Windows 10 design language.
18. ❌ MSN Weather – Another webview application that recently also started showing… news! On the weather app… make that make sense.
19. ✅Notepad – even though it can be removed, I strongly advise against it.
20. ❌ Office – it’s just a wrap for the online Office applications.
21. ❓Outlook for Windows – this is the successor to the also included Mail and Calendar application bundle. If you don’t plan on using it, you can remove it safely.
22. ✅Paint – in the recent months Paint has become better than ever, and it is also useful as a last-resort image viewer!
23. ❌ Power Automate – this is an application used to do automations, similar to how the Shortcuts app works on iOS or IFTTT.
24. ❌ Quick Assist – do you remember the old Remote Assistance application from Windows XP? No? And even if you do, did you ever use it?
25. ✅Raw Image Extension – this allows you to view .RAW/.DNG files in the Photos application. Just like with the HEVC extension it’s very small and doesn’t affect everyday usage in any way.
26. ✅ Snipping Tool – an incredibly useful tool for taking screenshots, and recently it has also been updated with screen recording!
27. ✅Store Experience Host – this application is critical to the proper functioning of the Microsoft Store, and should not be removed.
28. ❌Tips (Get Started) – this app has been recently deprecated, and will soon be removed by Microsoft itself, so why don’t you take the head start?
29. ✅Web Media Extensions – useful for opening .webp files
30. ✅Windows Calculator – you wouldn’t remove an application that has been a staple of Microsoft Windows since 1985, would you?
31. ❓Windows Camera – this is used to take pictures with your webcam. Removing it does not mean that you can’t use your webcam anymore.
32. ✅Windows Clock – it’s a clock. It also has Pomodoro timers!
33. ❓Windows Defender – well, this is a tricky one. If you are absolutely certain that you don’t need an antivirus, you can remove it. However, in general, I strongly encourage you to keep it.
34. ❌ Windows Maps – it’s been pretty neglected in the recent years, and by the end of this year support for offline maps will also be removed, which adds further uncertainty to its future.
35. ❓Windows Media Player – formerly known as Groove Music, this is the new Windows Media Player application that Microsoft introduced in Windows 11. If you plan on having another default media player, you can safely remove it.
36. ✅ Windows Terminal – it’s a great extension of the classic Command Prompt, with nifty features like tabs, transparency and much more.
37. ❌ Windows Voice Recorder – unless you plan on using your computer as a glorified notes recorder, you can safely remove it
38. ❓Windows Web Experience Pack – this is used for the Widgets panel
39. ✅WindowsAppRuntime.1.3 – this is used for some of the new Windows App SDK applications (formerly known as WinUI 3)
40. ❓Xbox* – if you plan on playing Xbox games or games that require the Xbox infrastructure, like Minecraft, it’s best to keep it. However, if you want to remove the Xbox functionality but to be able to enable it back later, you MUST NOT delete the Xbox Identity Provider service!
41. ❓Your Phone – unless you plan on using the Your Phone app for notification mirroring from your phone to your PC, among other things, you can delete this app.

Now that we’re done with the Apps, we’re going to go onto our next section of interest.

In general, I strongly recommend leaving the Drivers and Hardware support sections as they are, since it’s really not worth the hassle of having an unbootable system for some MBs of space.

If you want your ISO to be able to upgrade older versions of Windows, leave the ISO image section untouched as well.

Now, let’s go to the Language Section.

Here, there are a few things that can be removed safely, as long as you are not actively using them.

If you are NOT planning on using Windows in Asian languages, you can safely remove support for Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean as well as the Input Method Editor (IME)

Now, let’s go to the Multimedia section.

While there aren’t many available options (a limitation of the free tier of NTLite), we can still remove some things, such as:

1. ❌APX speaker and microphone driver – removing this should not affect the audio experience in any way.
2. ❌Wallpapers – you can safely remove the Windows wallpapers. If you still want to have the default Windows wallpaper, untick only the Wallpapers (Themes) option.
   
3. ❌ Windows Personalization Themes – this only removes the preinstalled Windows themes, but does not remove the dark/light mode functionality or the ability to add your own themes.
4. ❌ Windows TIFF filter (OCR) – this, as the name implies, removes the ability to do OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on .tiff files.
5. ✅ Xbox (core) – this removes the Xbox Identity Provider, so it’s best to keep it.

Now, let’s go to Network.

Here, there is only one feature worth looking at:

1. ❓Internet Explorer – although Internet Explorer has been discontinued, there are still applications that use its engine as base for their webview functionality. One prominent example is Roblox. I don’t use Roblox, you’ll most likely be fine removing it.
   

Now that we’re done with Network, we can go to the System Apps section, where we have a bit more to talk about.

Since there are so many applications and most of them have important functionality, we’re only going to be focusing on those that are removable:

1. ❌ Add Folder Suggestions Dialog – from what I could gather, this was used in older versions of Windows 10 to suggest, well… adding folders in the Library folder, but in a Windows 10-like UI. Easily removable.
2. ❌ App Resolver – this app is so old and deprecated that it hasn’t been updated since Windows 10 build 19640.
3. ❌ AsyncTextService – used for “additional extensions for the People and Maps applications”… whatever that means, but since we removed those two apps, we can also remove this without any hassle.
4. ❓Call – this is exactly what it says, it’s a phone UI for Windows. So, unless you are trying to create a Windows image for say, a Lumia 950, you can delete this.
5. ❌ Content Delivery Manager – this is the app that brings you “beloved” features like Candy Crush or Spotify on the Start Menu.
6. ❌ Eye Control – this is for some accessibility hardware that allows you to control your PC using only your eyes. Cool idea, but I’m pretty certain it’s a very niche one.
7. ❌ File Explorer (Legacy) – this is the old and hidden Windows 10 File Explorer app that has very limited functionality.
   
8. ❌ File picker – related to the UWP File Explorer.
9. ❌ Microsoft Edge DevTools Client – this are the Developer Tools for the old Microsoft Edge (not the current one that is Chromium based).
10. ❌ Microsoft family features – parental controls
11. ❌ Network Connectivity Status Indicator – the name is pretty self-explanatory
12. ❌ PinningConfirmationDialog – in Windows 10, this was used for asking the user if they want to pin a live tile of a certain app on the Start Menu
13. ❌ Windows Barcode Preview – unless you have a POS (Point of Service), you can remove this
14. ❓Xbox Game UI – if you plan on keeping the full Xbox experience by default, you should leave this on

Now, we can go on the last section – System.

Here, we also don’t have a lot that we can remove, other than:

1. .❌ NET assembly cache – this helps us make the final image a bit smaller.
   
2. ❌ 57-bit linear addressing – this is a new kind of kernel that is only used for devices that support la57 and 5-level paging, which as of now are only high end server CPUs like Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC.
3. ❌ Application Virtualization (App-V) – “an application virtualization and application streaming solution from Microsoft.”

And we’re done!

With the “components” section of NTLite, that is.

Now, we are going to do some optimizations before we remove some more things using MSMG, by going to the Configure – Settings section.

There are literally hundreds of settings that can be modified from here, but here are the ones that I use when I make my own images:

With this, we should be done with the NTLite part of our configuration. To apply all the changes, go Finish – Apply.

There, select “Remove nonessential editions” and at the “Reapply tasks across editions” section, click on Configure – Settings. This ensures that the options to bypass TPM and the RAM and storage requirements are applied in WinPE, so you can do a clean install on any PC, even though it doesn’t have the necessary system requirements to run Windows 11.

Then, click “Process” and wait for a bit. You might be asked to disable Windows Defender to speed up the process.

After this is done, you can close NTLite.

step 3 – cutting the fluff even further

Now, we’re going to use MSMG toolkit to clean up the image even further.

After you downloaded the archive, unzip it. Then, you have to copy/move the contents of the Windows ISO that we just modified inside the DVD folder of the MSMG Toolkit.

Now, we can start the toolkit, by going to the root of the folder and opening the start.cmd script. Once again, you might get a SmartScreen prompt.

When you open the script, you’ll notice that it’s text-based, but don’t worry, the interface is pretty easy to use.

After pressing any key, select [1] – Source.

Here, once again, press hit 1, for the first option [1] – Select Source from Folder

Then, select your Windows SKU.

When asked this question, hit yes.

When asked to mount the Windows Setup Boot Image and Windows Recovery Image, press N.

The Windows image will then mount.

After the image is mounted, press any key and you will be returned to the main screen. Now, press 3, for the Remove menu

Then, press 1.

Then, press C, for the Compatibility screen . Then, press A.

If everything done right, you should have dashes (‘-‘) instead of pluses (‘+’) next to each category, like above,

Then, press X, and then 1 to go into the “Select Windows Components” list.

Here, you will have a list of categories, similar to NTLite.

Here we go again.

You will see in every page something similar to this:

You will have to type the number of the option that you want removed. You can also type more options at the same time, with a space between them.

So, without further ado, let’s go!

[1] – Internet

• ❓Edge Chromium – if you want to remove Edge you can, but you will lose some features like Copilot. You can, however, install it back using Winget
• ✅ Edge WebView – it’s recommended that you keep it, since there are more and more applications that depend on it for their webview functionality.

[2] – Multimedia

• ❌ Games Explorer – this is a relic from the old Vista days, where you would see all your games in one place in Windows Explorer
• ❌ Lock Screen Background
• ❌ Screen Savers
• ❌ Sound themes
• ❌ Speech recognition – unless you are using it for accessibility reasons, you can safely remove it
• ❌ Wallpapers
• ❓Windows Media Player – this is the “Legacy” Windows Media Player application, and there are still a few applications that require the use of it.
• ❌ Windows Photo Viewer – this is the old Windows 7 Photo Viewer
• ❌ WinSAT – this was used for the “Windows Experience Index” feature which was deprecated in Windows 8.1

[3] – Network

• ❌ Wallet Service – this is a component of the Microsoft Pay feature introduced back in the Lumia days
• ❌ Windows Mail

[4] – Privacy

• ❌ Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) – telemetry.
• ❓Windows Insider Preview – if you are not planning to enroll into the program, you can remove this feature

[5] – Remoting

• ❓OneDrive Desktop Client – if you don’t plan on using OneDrive, you can delete this

[6] – System

• ❌ Steps Recorder – this feature has been deprecated in recent versions of Windows and will be removed in the future anyway.

[7] – System Apps

• ❌ Map Control
• ❌ Microsoft Edge – this is the old Edge (Spartan) browser that has been replaced.
• ❌ Retail Demo Content
• ❌ Safely Remove Device – unless you have an eGPU or a device like Surface Book with a detachable GPU
• ❌ Skype ORTC – this does not affect the ability to use Skype
• ❌ Windows Mixed Reality
• ❌ Xbox Callable User Interface

[8] – Apps

This one offers basically the same list as NTLite, so if you already removed what you wanted, there should be no need to do anything here.

After you selected everything that you want to remove, press X.

Then, press 2. MSMG will start removing the components that you selected.

If everything went as it should, you should see the image above.

Then, go back to the main page, and type 6, to enter the “Apply” menu.

After that, type 1, wait for the image to be cleaned up, then type 2, so that the new image is saved.

As you can see, we managed to get the compressed (!) image a whopping 2GBs smaller!

After this, you can exit MSMG, by going to the main screen and pressing X.

Now, we can perform some final touches.

step 4 – performing final touches.

Right now, our image (install.wim) is about 4.4GB. But we can go even smaller by compressing the image even further.

Apart from .wim, there is also another method of storing Windows images, called .esd, which is quite smaller.

What we’re going to do now is we’re going to export the .iso image so that we can put in on a USB drive or burn it on a DVD.

For this… we’re going back to NTLite.

Mount the image that you just created with MSMG (in the DVD folder).

Then, go to the Finish – Apply section.

For the image format, select ESD, and at the bottom select “Create ISO”. You will be asked to provide a name for the ISO. Then, press, “Proceed” up top.

The compression process is rather CPU-intensive, and might take a while.

Aaaaand we’re done!

We have successfully created a lightweight Windows 11 image!

Depending on your configuration, the image should have around 9-12GB when installed (without pagefile).

what’s next?

Well, believe it or not, there are ways of making things even smaller. However, as of now, this is basically as lightweight an image can be without breaking anything.

In an upcoming blog post I will write about how you can go even lower by using some more unorthodox methods.

final thoughts

As you can see, Windows has a lot of redundant applications kept most likely for the sake of keeping compatibility with whatever application was unfortunate enough to use them.

It is also a lot more modular than one might think, and it’s definitely not the monolithic beast that it is usually reported.

As a matter of fact, almost everything that has been done today can be done using only Microsoft tools like DISM, like I once did in my script-based tiny11 builder a while back. However, using apps like NTLite and MSMG is a much more user-friendly way of doing such customizations.

Thanks for taking your time in reading this!

I’m trying to publish stuff a bit more often here (if the feedback is positive, of course), and I even changed the old domain from ntdotdev.wordpress.com to a paid one, ntdev.blog so that it is a bit more easier to remember and access.

If you found this useful and want to see more articles like these and want to show your gratitude, consider supporting me and this website through any of these links: http://paypal.me/ntdev2, http://ko-fi.com/ntdev or http://patreon.com/ntdev.

Once again thank you for your time!