How to Install Windows 11 using Autounattend.xml – Cleanest Setup Ever

Watch this first if you want to install Windows 11 completely clean, with no bloatware. In the video above I show, step by step, how to install Windows 11 using an answer file (autounattend.xml), the method Microsoft itself supports for automating Windows Setup. It removes the preinstalled Microsoft apps and can bypass the Windows 11 requirements during setup.

The result is lighter and cleaner than the LTSC version of Windows 11. I recommend this method especially for an old or unsupported PC where Windows 11 feels slow and uses too much RAM and CPU.

An answer file (also called an unattend file) changes Windows settings during Setup. It can also run scripts after the first user creates their account and picks a language, so your PC is ready and debloated from the first boot.

What You Need

• A Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft (download button below).
• The autounattend.xml answer file (download it, or generate your own).
• A USB flash drive and Rufus to make it bootable.

Steps

1. Download the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft (see the button below). Choose the language you want.
2. Download the autounattend.xml file from the UnattendedWinstall project, or create your own with the generator (both links are below). You can open the file first to see exactly what it changes.
3. Create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive with Rufus. In Rufus, do not add extra answer-file options, because that can overwrite the UnattendedWinstall file.
4. Copy the autounattend.xml file to the root of the bootable USB drive (not inside a folder).
5. Boot from the USB drive and do a clean install as normal. The answer file bypasses the TPM, Secure Boot and CPU checks and removes the bloatware automatically. You will see a PowerShell window flash several times during setup. That is the script doing its work.
6. When Windows starts, it is clean and has almost no preinstalled apps.

Note: The standard answer file also removes Microsoft Edge. If you need a browser right away, use the included WinUtil desktop script (download below) to install Chrome or Edge. Run it in PowerShell as administrator.

Downloads and Tools

Project on GitHub: github.com/memstechtips/UnattendedWinstall

Prefer a method without an answer file? See my guide on installing Windows 11 on an unsupported PC with setupprep.exe, or read about the Windows 11 LTSC version for old computers.