Enabling and Disabling Windows Features

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 15, 2019)

Windows includes a ton of built-in features designed to be used by a wide variety of people. Of course, there is a good chance that you may not need all the features provided by Windows, or there may be some features that are disabled by default and you want to enable.

To enable or disable features, follow these steps:

  1. Display the Control Panel.
  2. Click the Programs link. Windows displays a screen showing what program-related tasks you can perform.
  3. Click the Turn Windows Features On or Off link, under the Programs and Features heading. Windows displays all the Windows Features dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Windows Features dialog box.

  5. Use the check boxes at the left side of each feature to indicate whether the corresponding feature should be enabled (checked) or disabled (unchecked).
  6. Click OK. Windows updates itself according to your selections. (Some changes may require restarting Windows.)

Note that you may see some checkboxes in the features list that aren't clear and, conversely, they don't contain a check mark. Instead, they are filled with a gray color. These aren't individual features but, instead, are categories of features. Click the plus sign next to such items and they expand to show you individual features in that category that can be enabled or disabled.

It's a good idea to only disable those Windows features that you know you really don't need. If you are in doubt about a particular feature, study up on it to make sure it is one you really want to disable.

 This tip (10133) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Appending to a Non-Document Text File

Your macros can easily add information to the end of an existing text file. This is done by opening the target file in ...

Discover More

Keeping the Flash Drive Occupied

Working on a document stored on a flash drive can have some unintended consequences. Here's some help in understanding ...

Discover More

Creating an AutoText List

The AUTOTEXTLIST field is one of those esoteric fields that you may know nothing about. The cool thing it does is it ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Using Desktop Themes

Desktop themes allow you to quickly and easily personalize your system so that what you see and hear while working can be ...

Discover More

Change Your Pointer

Windows 10 uses a default mouse pointer size and color. With a quick setting change, you can customize the mouse size and ...

Discover More

Limiting Bandwidth for Updates

Use a new advanced feature in Settings to limit upload bandwidth usage. By setting the absolute bandwidth an update can ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 0 + 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips