How To Install or Uninstall Optional Features in Windows 11

Windows 11 has several optional features that are not installed by default. Here’s how you can install or uninstall optional features in Windows 11.

Most don’t know this, but Windows 11 includes several features that aren’t installed by default. These are generally called Optional Features. For example, features such as Hyper-V and Sysmon need to be manually installed using the Windows Optional Features tool. Of course, if a specific optional feature is outdated or no longer needed, you can uninstall it just as easily using the same tool. The best thing is that the entire process is seamless, and Windows does everything for you. You just need to point towards the optional features that you want to install or uninstall.

In this quick and easy guide, I will show you three methods to install (or uninstall) Optional Features in Windows 11. Let’s get started.

Before You Start

• Administrator rights are required to uninstall or install optional features.

1. Install or Uninstall Optional Features Using Settings

1.1. Install Optional Features

1. Open Settings by pressing the “Windows key + I” shortcut.
2. Go to the “System” tab on the sidebar.
3. Scroll down the right panel and select “Optional Features“.
4. Click the “View features” button.
5. Click the “See available features” option.
6. Now, select the checkboxes of the features you want to install.
7. Click “Add“.
8. With that, the optional feature is installed.
9. After installing, restart your computer if prompted.

1.2. Uninstall Optional Features

1. Open Settings by pressing the “Windows key + I” shortcut.
2. Go to the “System” tab on the sidebar.
3. Scroll down the right panel and select “Optional Features“.
4. Click the “View features” button.
5. Now, select the checkboxes of the features you want to uninstall.
6. Click the “Remove” button.
7. With that, the optional feature is uninstalled.
8. After installing, restart your computer if prompted.

2. Install or Uninstall Optional Features Using PowerShell/Terminal

Alternatively, you can use the terminal or PowerShell to install or uninstall optional features. All you have to do is run a couple of commands, and you are good to go. Here’s how.

Note: Terminal opens with Windows PowerShell by default. If not, click the down-arrow icon in the title bar and select “Windows PowerShell”.

2.1 PowerShell Command to Install an Optional Feature

1. Right-click the Start button on the taskbar.
2. Select the “Terminal (Admin)” option.
3. Run the following command to list all the available optional features. Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online
4. Select and copy the “FeatureName“.
5. Next, run the following command while replacing “FeatureName” with the actual feature name you copied earlier. Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature –FeatureName "FeatureName" -All -Online
6. This will install the optional feature.
7. After that, close the Terminal window and restart your computer.
8. With that, you’ve installed the optional feature in Windows 11.

2.2 PowerShell Command to Uninstall an Optional Feature

1. Right-click the Start button on the taskbar.
2. Select the “Terminal (Admin)” option.
3. Run the following command to list all the available optional features. Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online
4. Select and copy the “FeatureName“.
5. Next, run the following command while replacing “FeatureName” with the actual feature name you copied earlier. Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature –FeatureName "FeatureName" -Online
6. This will uninstall the optional feature.
7. After that, close the Terminal window and restart your computer.
8. With that, you’ve uninstalled the optional feature in Windows 11.

3. Install or Uninstall Optional Features Using Control Panel

Other than the Settings and PowerShell, you can also do this using the good old “Windows Features” tool. In fact, though this method is old, it is still the fastest way to install or uninstall optional features. Here’s how.

1. Press the “Start” button to open the Start menu.
2. Search for “windows features“.
3. Click the “Turn Windows features on or off” option.
4. Select the checkboxes of features you want to install.
5. Uncheck the checkboxes of features you want to uninstall.
6. Click the “OK” button.
7. This action installs/uninstalls the selected features.
8. Once done, close the “Windows Features” dialog.
9. Restart your computer.
10. With that, you’ve installed/uninstalled the selected optional features.

That is all. It is that simple to install or uninstall optional features in Windows 11. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.