For many users, Windows isn't ready to use out of the box, and one of the most frustrating parts isn't the actual install itself, but everything that comes after. Fixing the bad defaults, renaming the PC, and shedding the AI snake-skin can take up valuable time, and while none of it is particularly difficult, it's monotonous, PowerShell scripts can solve this problem quickly by making quick, one or two line changes to settings that would otherwise take multiple minutes of fishing through GUIs. These scripts remove friction and get Windows "out of my way" so I can actually begin to use my computer.

Create a restore point

The first thing you should always do before making big changes

Before touching anything else, even if it's something I've done successfully many times in the past, I always create a restore point. Windows 11 is constantly changing update to update, and I don't want to risk the chance of having to reinstall. To create a restore point, use the following PowerShell command, replacing the Description field with what you want the restore point to be named.

Checkpoint-Computer `
 -Description "Fresh Windows Install" `
 -RestorePointType "MODIFY_SETTINGS"

While it's not a backup, and it certainly won't save you from any kind of hardware failure, it's a great idea to make a restore point anyway, because it will save you from a bad registry tweak, a corrupted driver, or even another script that doesn't behave like you thought it would.

Change the timezone and computer name

Easy, one line changes you can add to a bigger script

Renaming your system and changing the timezone takes just a few seconds with PowerShell commands, and hunting through the GUI for these commands just became too bothersome for me.

Rename-Computer -NewName "DESKTOP-NAMEGOESHERE" -Force
Set-TimeZone -Id "Eastern Standard Time"

Both changes usually require a reboot anyway, so they fit naturally at the beginning of the setup process. Get them done once and you never have to think about them again.

Chris Titus' "Ultimate Windows Utility" script

Too good not to recommend

Perhaps one of the most popular scripts among Windows power users, Chris Titus' "Ultimate Windows Utility" is simply too good not to recommend. It's a curated collection of Windows tweaks presented in one, easy-to-use GUI interface. Things like removing OneDrive, disabling Game Bar and Telemetry, creating a restore point, and many other useful one-click tweaks. You can also install frequently used applications through Winget or Chocolatey.

To run the script, simply paste the following into a PowerShell window running as administrator:

irm "https://christitus.com/win" | iex

That said, this script deserves a disclaimer: this script is running code pulled from the internet, and it's executing it directly on your system. This particular tool is safe, but you should never run scripts like this one blindly. Read the source of what you're running before doing so. There are also tweaks within that are risky to perform if you don't know what you're doing, but they're marked accordingly. It's an awesome tool that I always run on every Windows install.

Raphire’s Win11Debloat script

A way to pick and choose the bloat you want gone

It wouldn't be controversial to say that Windows 11 is the most bloated version of Windows, and as a result, there are a ton of tools out there to rid your OS of preinstalled apps, Copilot features, and telemetry, but a lot of them have a "nuke everything" approach that isn't always helpful. Raphire's Win11Debloat script is a must-have because it lets you choose which parts of the OS you want debloated. You could clone the GitHub repo and run the script from there, but the provided one-line activation is a lot easier. The same disclaimer applies here, this tool is safe, but don't blindly trust all scripts of this nature.

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm "https://debloat.raphi.re/")))

The script will walk you through a series of options, allowing you to choose exactly which parts of the operating system you want to change. You can choose to remove Copilot features from some or all parts of the system, change taskbar features, start menu settings, and much more. It takes a few minutes to go through all the options, but doing so manually would take much longer.

PowerShell scripts are a great way to make a lot of changes quickly

Most of Windows’ biggest frustrations aren’t bugs, they’re defaults. PowerShell scripts can give you an easy way to perform tasks like creating restore points and overriding those defaults quickly and consistently, without digging through layers of UI every time you reinstall your OS.