Updated: November 14, 2025
Over time, Microsoft Windows has steadily become more annoying, less fun. Windows 11 is the epitome of this sad trend, exhibiting tons of smartphone-like "experiences" that completely ruin the very idea of what the desktop ought to be. You can work around many of these nonsense features, but it takes time and patience.
In the past couple of years, I've written tons of tutorials on how to tame this unruly beast, how to make Windows 11 less stupid. All of these articles were made for the typical desktop use, with interactive changes via the Settings, Control Panel, services and some registry. As it turns out, there's a superior way. You can actually install your Windows "enterprise style", in an unattended mode, which lets you clean and prune about 90% of useless garbage without any interaction whatsoever. Let me show you how you can accomplish this.
Basic explanation on unattended installations
The concept isn't new or Microsoft-specific. Every operating system has a method that allows hands-free installations. This is particularly useful for business environments, data centers and large fleet of systems, where you can't have someone clicking through endless menus 24/7. Instead, you create a recipe of setup instructions, in one format or another (like XML or JSON), and the system installer parses this recipe automatically. These instructions cover partitioning, user creation and more.
The unattended method means you can theoretically have a fully installed box with no manual work at all. This makes the process faster, more consistent, less error-prone, and most importantly, it gives you additional "powers" that interactive installation wizards often lack, as they are geared toward a more "common" user. With Windows 11, this means you could install the system and skip all the pseudo-modern BS like online account, ads, location and other low-IQ questions lobbed your way by the installer.
Sounds like a winning option. Let's explore it some more.
Windows autounattend.xml
There are multiple ways you can configure Windows using the unattended installation method. These include working from a PE setup, using the XML-based autounattend.xml file, or using the provisioning packages (ppkg). I shall focus on the middle one, as it's the easiest one to master, so to speak.
Basically, you need to create a file called autounattend.xml. You can do it manually, or use a generator that will help you format things nicely. The file contains declarations that tell the operating system HOW to install itself. For example, inside this file, you may see things like:
<OOBE>
<ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC>
<HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
<HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>false</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>
<HideOnlineAccountScreens>true</HideOnlineAccountScreens>
</OOBE>
Or perhaps:
<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
<Order>1</Order>
<Path>powershell.exe -WindowStyle Normal -NoProfile -Command "$xml =
[xml]::new(); $xml.Load('C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml'); $sb = [scriptblock]::Create(
$xml.unattend.Extensions.ExtractScript ); Invoke-Command -ScriptBlock $sb -ArgumentList
$xml;"</Path>
</RunSynchronousCommand>
Of course, doing all this manually is quite hard, but if you have a nice template, you can get going quickly and efficiently. Luckily for all of us, there are some true heroes out there.
The Unattend Generator is a beautiful website that lets you create your own XML. You answer questions in a human format, e.g.: username, system name, which apps you want or not, whether to configure Wi-Fi, and then some, and from these questions, from this online form, the site will create the autounattend.xml file for you. It can also wrap the file into an ISO archive, so you can use it with other products.
All right, once you have the file ready, then:
- Download autounattended.xml if you intend to use it with physical media (e.g.: USB drive).
- Download unattended.iso if you intend to use it with virtualization products, or at least, first test your recipe in a virtual machine before moving on to an actual physical installation.
If you opt for a physical setup, then:
- Copy the autounattended.xml file to the root of your USB drive, e.g.: D:\.
- You can also unpack the Windows 10/11 installation media (with DISM), add the file there and then repack the ISO, but this is less trivial, and so less recommended for most users.
Test, practice, make adjustments
All right. So I used the generator for my setup. I based the answers in the form on my own usability guide. I want Windows 11 to be as little online as possible, meaning no "apps", no pointless services, no nonsense. Just straightforward desktop use. I then downloaded both the XML and the ISO files, and used the latter for an initial test in VirtualBox. The site explains how to mount the image and use it in conjunction with the actual installation media.
To be a bit more precise, for the test, I did the following:
- I created the XML and the ISO.
- I created a new Windows 11 virtual machine.
- I added the Windows 11 24H2 installation media and the unattended.iso as bootable media.
- I started the installation.
Right away, you could see the difference. There were fewer screen popping, and those that did, they looked decidedly more "serious". I chose to be cautious, so I purposefully left out some of the answers in my recipe. Namely, I opted for manual partitioning and user creation (albeit local, as it should be).
Then, there was some silly noise after all:
Magic happens ... oh oh.
Then, I created my local user, no stupid questions asked. After that, Windows 11 updated itself going from 24H2 to 25H2. This was a relatively quick affair, in line with my findings of fresh install and reset procedures. Lastly, the desktop loaded.
Results!
Solid. I had a custom wallpaper, the right system theme, no pointless apps, no silly services (like Defender). For all practical purposes, five minutes of work with the XML generator saved me something like two hours of pointless tweaking. Not bad at all.
But ... I still had to go through EVERY setting and make sure things were set up correctly. The unattended installation will take care of system cruft, but it won't tweak any user permissions. Thus, you still need my usability guide, and you still need to go through the options and toggle off things like typing and inking and permissions and all that.
The Settings app in Windows 11 25H2 no longer has window controls. Because you must join the Borg, the resistance is futile, and the more the desktop "resembles" a phone, the easier it is for big companies to control the filthy, unruly peasant, I mean, the end user.
On the apps front, there was one unneeded app there, and it was something called Microsoft Edge Game Assist. I had to manually remove it. I kept Edge (as the generator mentions potential problems), and I kept Calculator, as I might need it now and then. But all of the other silly touch apps are gone.
I also had to install Firefox and such, but basically, the unattended setup has saved me some 75% of time that would be wasted undoing Windows 11 crap.
And that, my friends, is how you do it.
Conclusion
My first attempt with the autounattend.xml was excellent. Sure, I could have been even more aggressive, but there's no harm doing the partitioning and user setup manually, to be on the safe side. But I ended up with a local-only machine, no cloud crap, no Defender, no BitLocker, no apps, nothing. Beautifully done. The best part, the setup is fast, consistent and clean, so you won't have that dirty feeling of endlessly tweaking. This way, you don't lose that sweet sense of control.
I still think you shouldn't use Windows 11. Get a Linux, buy a Mac, use Windows 10 if you like, send a loud and clear message that you won't tolerate pointless, anti-user tools and software. That's the best way to make sure stupid trends don't stay around. After all, Microsoft tried with their "tiles" in Windows 8. They are trying again with Windows 11 and "online accounts". It is up to you to choose what sort of computing future you'd like to have.
Anyway, the unattended recipes are a superb method of making your Windows installations docile, quiet and obedient, without any modern drama. It's like old work setups, and that XML means business, literally and figuratively. If you have the skill and patience, use the tooling, you will benefit immensely. Time, precision, control, privacy, all there. Hopefully, this tutorial shall come handy, even though, paradoxically, it gives you yet more reasons to use an operating system that ought not to be used. But if you must, then please, XML away!
Cheers.