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NTDev’s Nano11 Is a Digital Fast—No Fluff, Just Function

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Mollie Dominy | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 6:43 PM ET

Let’s talk about the nano11. In the world of software development, there are the people who build bigger, more feature-packed applications, and then there are the digital sculptors who see a massive block of code and ask, “How much of this can I chip away?” One such master sculptor is NTDev, a developer who seems to treat the Windows operating system less like a sacred text and more like a block of marble for their own personal David. Their latest creation? A version of Windows 11, dubbed nano11, that’s so small it makes the official version look comically bloated.

We’re talking about cramming a modern operating system into a file size of just 2.29 GB. For context, the standard installation for Windows 11 can easily top 7 GB. This isn’t just trimming the fat; this is a full-on digital liposuction, leaving behind only the absolute essentials. It’s a ridiculous, fascinating, and slightly unhinged project that I can’t help but love.

What Got Axed? A Whole Lot.

So, how do you shrink Windows 11 down to a size smaller than many modern games? You get ruthless. NTDev’s approach was to identify and remove everything they considered “fluff.” And their definition of fluff is, shall we say, aggressive. If you’re a fan of the little conveniences and built-in apps, you might want to look away.

Here’s a partial list of what didn’t make the cut in nano11:

Windows Defender: That’s right, the built-in antivirus is gone. You’re on your own, kid.
Windows Update: Say goodbye to Patch Tuesday. This OS is frozen in time, for better or worse.
Microsoft Edge: The browser that Microsoft really, really wants you to use has been evicted.
Xbox Services: All the integrated gaming features? Gone.
Most Drivers: The OS comes with a very minimal set of drivers, so you’ll need to supply your own.
Bitlocker & Biometrics: Advanced security features are out.
Office & Solitaire: No productivity, no procrastination. Just… Windows.
And much, much more: This includes the Weather app, system search, and even most accessibility features.

The most critical part is that these features can’t be added back later. The underlying component store (WinSxS) that allows you to install and uninstall Windows features has been completely removed. What’s gone is gone for good.

Why on Earth Would Anyone Use This?

Image of Detailed view of computer motherboard featuring RAM, chipset, Courtesy of Valentine Tanasovich via pexels

After reading that list, you might be wondering, “What’s the point?” It sounds like a car without seats, a radio, or air conditioning. While you wouldn’t want to use nano11 for your daily driver gaming rig, it has some specific, nerdy use cases where it absolutely shines.

The project’s GitHub page describes it as an “extreme experimental script designed for creating a quick and dirty development testbed.” In simple terms, it’s perfect for virtual machines (VMs). If you’re a developer or a security researcher who needs to spin up a fresh, isolated Windows environment for a quick test, nano11 is a dream. It’s lightweight, deploys in a flash, and doesn’t have background processes interfering with your work.

It’s also a fascinating tool for legacy systems. Got an old laptop or a low-spec machine that chokes on the full version of Windows 11? A stripped-down OS like this could potentially breathe new life into it, assuming you can hunt down the right drivers. Plus, it still bypasses the annoying Microsoft Account requirement during setup, which is a win in my book.

The Art of the Impossible: A Fun Experiment

This isn’t NTDev’s first time putting Windows on a diet. Their previous project, tiny11, offered a similar, though less extreme, experience. They even managed to get a version of Windows 11 running on a laughable 184 MB of RAM, making Microsoft’s official 4 GB requirement seem a bit silly.

These projects aren’t necessarily meant to be practical for the average user. They are experiments. They are a testament to a tinkerer’s spirit, pushing the boundaries to see what’s possible. Nano11 shows just how much is packed into a modern OS that most of us never touch. It’s a fun “what if” scenario brought to life.

While you probably shouldn’t rush to install it on your primary PC, you have to admire the dedication. It’s a project born from pure curiosity, a fun and slightly sarcastic statement against software bloat. And in a world where every program seems to get bigger and slower, there’s something incredibly refreshing about an OS that’s been obsessively, beautifully, and ruthlessly stripped down to its very core.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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