Feature Request: Add Debloating for Unnecessary Scheduled Tasks

[dikiprawisuda]

Hi all,

I've been using Win11Debloat on my Windows 11 setup and appreciate how it streamlines the OS. One area I think could benefit from expansion is the Task Scheduler. In my experience, installing/uninstalling apps often leaves behind scheduled tasks that run in the background, potentially causing lag or unnecessary resource usage. My desktop rarely shuts down, and I use it mostly in the PM hours, but I've noticed random slowdowns tied to these tasks firing off at inconvenient times (e.g., during logon or at specific intervals).

To address this, I've manually shifted some tasks to AM hours (when I'm likely asleep) or disabled non-essential ones triggered on logon. This has made my system feel snappier, but I admit it could be placebo—I'm not ruling out bias or future issues like "time bombs" from disabling critical tasks. That's why any implementation should be cautious, perhaps with user-selectable options (e.g., lite/moderate/aggressive modes) and clear warnings about risks.

As a starting point, I've put together a simple PowerShell snippet to export all scheduled tasks to a CSV for easy review. This could be integrated into the script as a diagnostic step, or expanded to auto-disable common bloat tasks (e.g., from Microsoft apps like OneDrive auto-updates, telemetry reporters, or third-party remnants). Here's the code:

# Get all scheduled tasks
$all_tasks = Get-ScheduledTask

# Create an empty list to hold our custom objects
$task_report = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[PSObject]

foreach ($task in $all_tasks) {
    # Get detailed info including triggers
    $detail = Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName $task.TaskName -TaskPath $task.TaskPath
    
    # Extract the first trigger's text (or 'Multiple' if many)
    $trigger_info = if ($detail.Triggers.Count -gt 1) { "Multiple Triggers" } 
                    elseif ($detail.Triggers) { $detail.Triggers[0].ToString() } 
                    else { "No Trigger" }

    # Create a simple object for analysis
    $object = [PSCustomObject]@{
        TaskName    = $task.TaskName
        Path        = $task.TaskPath
        State       = $task.State
        LastRunTime = ($detail | Get-ScheduledTaskInfo).LastRunTime
        NextRunTime = ($detail | Get-ScheduledTaskInfo).NextRunTime
        Trigger     = $trigger_info
        Author      = $detail.Author
    }
    $task_report.Add($object)
}

# Export to CSV on your desktop for analysis
$task_report | Export-Csv -Path "$home\Desktop\imsut_desktop_tasks.csv" -NoTypeInformation

Write-Host "Extraction complete! Check imsut_desktop_tasks.csv on your desktop." -ForegroundColor Cyan

I added a check for multiple triggers to make the output more accurate. Users could review the CSV, identify bloat (e.g., tasks from uninstalled apps or telemetry), and the script could offer to disable them via Disable-ScheduledTask.

What do you think? Would this fit into the project's scope? Happy to discuss or provide more details.

Thanks!

[Raphire]

This is certainly something that might work for the script, although I think it would work best as a UI where you can easily see and manage those tasks.

[zaxlofful]

I really like this idea. If it was added as another "task" that can be performed and defaults set to a few things windows has by default, that suck.