Optional Windows Features | Harden System Security

Full Customization

In this page, the Harden System Security app offers a fully featured list of every single Windows Feature and Capability with searching and sorting functionalities, allowing you to easily enable or disable each of them with real time progress display.

Recommended Configurations

Use the 3 apply, undo or verify buttons in this page to apply the security configurations states explained below. They enable/disable only specific Windows Features and capabilities to provide optimal security for your system:

• The Harden System Security app disables the following rarely used features in Windows optional features (Control Panel):

  • PowerShell v2: because it's old and doesn't support AMSI.

  • Work Folders client: not used when your computer is not part of a domain or enterprise network.

  • Internet Printing Client: used in combination with IIS web server, old feature, can be disabled without causing problems further down the road.

  • Windows Media Player (legacy): isn't needed anymore, Windows 11 has a modern media player app.

  • Microsoft Defender Application Guard, it's deprecated. Learn more about Microsoft Edge Security Features here.

• Uninstalls these optional features (Windows Settings -> Apps -> Optional Features):

  • Notepad (system): legacy Notepad program. Windows 11 has multi-tabbed modern Notepad app.

  • VBSCRIPT: a legacy deprecated scripting engine component, Microsoft does not recommend using this component unless and until it is really required.

  • Internet Explorer mode for Edge browser: It's only used by a few possible organizations that have very old internal websites.

  • WMIC: Old and deprecated, not secure and is in Microsoft recommended block rules.

  • WordPad: Old and deprecated. None of the new features of Word documents are supported in it. Recommended to use Word Online, Notepad or M365 Word.

  • PowerShell ISE: Old PowerShell environment that doesn't support versions above 5.1. Highly recommended to use Visual Studio Code for PowerShell usage and learning. You can even replicate the ISE experience in Visual Studio Code. You can access Visual Studio Code online in your browser without the need to install anything.

  • Steps Recorder: it's deprecated.

• Enables these optional features (Control Panel):

  • Windows Sandbox: install, test and use programs in a disposable virtual operation system, completely separate from your main OS

  • Hyper-V: a great hybrid hypervisor (Type 1 and Type 2) to run virtual machines on. check out this Hyper-V Wiki page