You Can Install Windows Without Viruses

Windows is a great OS, but it’s not without its drawbacks, namely the frustrating level of viruses that PC users have to deal with. Removing these unnecessary apps one by one is annoying, and while there are workarounds to get rid of them all at once, wouldn’t it be better to not deal with bloat at all?

As it turns out, there’s a way to install a fresh copy of Windows 10 or 11 on your computer without any of the BS apps, from Candy Crush to TikTok, that you probably don’t need on your computer. And even if you need one of these apps on your PC, like Netflix or Spotify, it’s always better to install them yourself, as you’ll only download the ones you really need.

This tip comes fromYouTube tech blogger ThioJoe , who credits Ctrl.blog for the original report . The method is surprisingly simple: since Windows differentiates the malware it installs based on your region (meaning different regions will get different pre-installed apps), the solution is to temporarily install your region to an unrecognized location. The best way to do this is to select “English (Worldwide)” as the time and currency format:

Do this and Windows won’t know which apps to download for that unrecognized region, so it will just skip them all. What you’re left with is the most accessible Windows experience, which is still not perfect: the company still makes sure to install all of its third-party apps like Office, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Solitaire Collection. regardless of region, so you’ll have to deal with them yourself if you don’t need them.

Keep in mind, however, that you cannot set the time and currency to English (worldwide) and keep them forever. This is normal during installation, but some Windows features, most notably the Microsoft Store app, will not work with this region setting. However, Daniel Alexandersen of Ctrl.blog recommends that you wait to change this setting until you have all user profiles configured; if you change it before setting up a new profile, Windows may take it as a green light to install its malicious applications into this account.

After setting up your profiles, go back to Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region > Region > Country or Region and update your location.