builtbybel / NixThis

# NixThis
**NixThis is not another Windows tweaker. It is a filter engine for Windows itself.**
Windows has a habit of adding things nobody asked for. Ads, suggestions, a Chat button, Bing in
Search, another full-screen "here's what's new" page after an update.
I got tired of looking up what Microsoft calls each of these things, finding the right setting,
then doing it all again on the next PC. Most debloaters did not really solve that problem for me
either. They gave me 300 checkboxes and expected me to understand all of them.
So I built NixThis. Point at the annoying thing, and it looks for the setting behind it.
---
## Install
Grab the latest build from the Releases page,
extract it somewhere you can write to, run `NixThis.exe`. That's it, it's portable.
Needs Windows 10 or 11 and .NET Framework 4.8.
---
## Using it
There are two ways, and you can mix them freely.
### Point at something
| | |
|---|---|
| **1** | Click **Pick an element**, or press Ctrl + Shift + Space from anywhere |
| **2** | Move the pointer over the thing that annoys you |
| **3** | A **green frame** means NixThis recognises it. Click it |
| **4** | Read what will change, then block it or leave it alone |
The click is caught by NixThis, so it does not accidentally activate the button underneath. Windows
gives a shortcut to whoever asked for it first, so if another app already owns
 Ctrl + Shift + Space , the button is the way in.
> [!NOTE]
> A **grey frame** means NixThis does not know that element yet. The sighting is recorded locally
> so it can become a filter later. Nothing is changed.
### Use the filter list
Open it with **More**, and fold it away again with **Less**.
The list shows everything NixThis currently knows about, including things that are not visible on
screen right now. Search it, tick what should go, choose **Apply changes**. Each row tells you where
the item lives and what will actually change.
This is also where installed apps appear. Apps required by Windows are protected. Everything else is
shown as a choice, rather than pretending every preinstalled app is automatically "bloat".
### Changed your mind
Open **What you blocked**. Registry changes remember their previous value, so **Bring it back**
restores exactly what was there before.
> [!IMPORTANT]
> Removed Store apps are the exception. Windows offers no real undo for an uninstall, so NixThis
> opens the matching Microsoft Store page instead.
---
## Under the hood
 What NixThis actually changes 
Most filters write one documented or well-known Windows registry value. NixThis does not patch
system files, disable random services, or run a giant mystery script behind an "Optimize" button.
Some machine-wide settings need administrator rights. NixThis first tries the change normally. If
Windows refuses it, the app explains why and can restart itself with administrator rights.
Preinstalled apps are removed through Windows PowerShell. A protected package list prevents core
components such as the Store, App I