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Jeffrey edited this page May 10, 2026 · 27 revisions

Reinstalling apps

Nearly all applications removed by Win11Debloat can easily be reinstalled through the Microsoft Store or via their respective websites. Alternatively they can also be reinstalled via WinGet. To my knowledge, the only apps that cannot (easily) be reinstalled are the Microsoft Store itself and the XboxSpeechToTextOverlay.

Tip

Some apps like Xbox Game Bar cannot be found through the Microsoft Store search, even though these apps are actually available on the store. If this is the case for the app you want to reinstall, try looking for the app in the Microsoft Store Library tab or search for a direct link to the app's Microsoft Store page by other means.

If you removed the Microsoft Store itself please refer to this guide to reinstall it.

If you uninstalled any Xbox-related services, I advise using the official Microsoft Gaming Service Repair Tool to reinstall all required services for games.

Restoring system registry backup

Starting with release 2026.05.10, Win11Debloat creates a backup of your system registry settings before applying any changes. You can use this registry backup to easily restore all of the system settings that were modified by the script.

Click here for instructions
  1. Open the Options menu in the top right, and select the Restore backup option.
Restore
  1. Next, select Restore Registry Backup.
Restore Registry
  1. Click Select backup file and select your desired registry backup file.
Restore Registry 2
  1. Carefully read through the changes summary and click Restore from backup.
Restore Registry 3
  1. Restart your PC and confirm that the changes have been reverted. Some features, like Widgets and Bing Web Search also require their respective apps to be reinstalled from the Microsoft Store.

Restoring Start Menu pinned apps layout

Your old Start Menu pinned apps layout can be easily restored by using Win11Debloat's Restore Backup feature.

Click here for instructions
  1. Open the Options menu in the top right, and select the Restore backup option.
Restore
  1. Next, select Restore Start Menu Backup.
Restore Start
  1. Choose for which user(s) you want to restore the Start Menu pinned apps layout. Optionally uncheck the Automatically find Start Menu backup if you want to manually select a backup.
Restore Start 2
  1. Click Restore backup, or if you opted to manually select a backup click Select backup file and choose your desired backup file.

Manual Method

You can also manually restore the pinned apps in your Start Menu using the backup created by the script.

Click here for instructions
  1. Open Windows Explorer
  2. Copy and paste the path below into the addressbar to navigate to the correct folder:
%localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\
  1. In this folder you should see at least 2 files: start2.bin and start2.bin.bak. Rename the start2.bin file to something else, like start2.bin.old
  2. Next, copy and paste the start2.bin.bak file inside the folder to duplicate it and name the copy start2.bin
  3. Lastly sign out of your user account or restart your PC. After logging back in your old start menu layout should be back!

Manually reverting changes

Re-enable Bing Web Search

Bing Web Search in Windows Search can be restored by running the Enable_Bing_Cortana_In_Search.reg file that is provided by the script. You can find it by navigating to Win11Debloat > Regfiles > Undo. You can alternatively download this registry file here.

If your Windows Region is set to a country within the EEA (European Economic Area) you may also need to reinstall the Web Search from Microsoft Bing app. Ensure this app is enabled in the Windows Search settings.

Please note that you may need to sign out of your user account or restart your PC to apply the changes.

Re-enable Widgets

Win11Debloat completely disables the Widget service from running and locks the setting for all users on the machine using a local machine policy. To re-enable the option you can run the Enable_Widgets_Service.reg file that is provided by the script. You can find it by navigating to Win11Debloat > Regfiles > Undo. You can alternatively download this registry file here.

You may also need to reinstall the Start Experiences App, Widgets Platform Runtime and Windows Web Experience Pack to return the full functionality of the Widgets panel.

Please note that you may need to sign out of your user account or restart your PC to apply the changes.

Re-enable the Home, Gallery and OneDrive sections in File Explorer

Win11Debloat adds an option that allows you to show/hide the Home, Gallery and OneDrive sections easily via the File Explorer folder options. These can be found by simply searching for File Explorer Options in Windows Search. You can also access them within File Explorer by clicking the three dots in the top bar.

Once opened, navigate to the view tab and scroll all the way down. Here you can find the toggles to show/hide the Home, Gallery and OneDrive sections. If you don't see these options, please use the method described below.

image

Please note that you may need to sign out of your user account or restart your PC to apply the changes.

Re-enable settings in Microsoft Edge

Win11Debloat may have disabled/locked certain settings in Microsoft Edge, this depends on the settings you used when executing the script.

You can unlock these settings by using the registry files: Enable_Edge_Ads_And_Suggestions.reg and Enable_Edge_AI_Features.reg. You can find these files by navigating to Win11Debloat > Regfiles > Undo. You can alternatively download the registry files individually here and here.

You will need to fully restart Microsoft Edge to apply the changes.

Reverting other changes

All of the other changes can be reverted by using the registry files that are provided with the script, these registry files can be found by navigating to Win11Debloat > Regfiles > Undo. Alternatively these registry files can be individually viewed and downloaded here.

Simply run the registry file that applies to the setting you want to revert, and you're done! You can find an overview of all features and the related registry files here.

Please note that you may need to sign out of your user account or restart your PC to apply the changes.

System restore

Are you encountering issues that are not resolved by following the instructions above? You may be able to perform a system restore using a restore point created by Win11Debloat. A system restore does not restore user data or documents, so it will not cause you to lose your files, e-mail, browsing history, or favorites. It will however remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore point was made.

For more information about how to do a system restore, please refer to this detailed guide.

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