Installing Windows 11 without third-party bloatware like Candy Crush can be done with just two clicks. All you need to do is set your region to English (World) during the installation process. Microsoft is aware of this issue and is currently investigating it. According to a spokesperson from Microsoft, they are looking into the reports.

When you install Windows 11 using an installation media such as an .ISO file or Media Creation Tool, you will be prompted with various questions, including preferred partition, language, keyboard or input method, and time and currency format (region).

By setting the region to English (World) or English (Europe), your Windows 11 installation will not include any bloatware like Candy Crush. This is because the Windows 11 installer and Microsoft’s internet-based Out of Box Experience (OOBE) cannot handle the language codes for World English (“en-001”) and European English (“en-150”).

The language codes are used by websites, apps, and operating systems like Windows to manage date and number formatting information. The language codes for World English and European English are en-001 and en-150 respectively, which slightly differ from other language codes. Generally, language codes consist of a primary language subtag such as “en” for English or “eu” for Europe. However, World English and European English use en-001 and en-150 due to UN protocols.

During the installation process, Windows 11 offers World and European English as options. However, Microsoft does not know how to handle these options. When you select World or European English as your region, Windows 11’s online and offline services cannot communicate with the servers. As a result, the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) service fails to recognize the region and displays an error message “OOBEREGION”. However, you can simply click the “Skip” button to proceed.

After clicking “Skip”, the installation will continue normally without installing any third-party bloatware. It is important to note that if you follow this method, you should change your region back to the correct value afterwards to ensure that apps like Microsoft Store work properly.

Please keep in mind that this trick only removes some third-party apps installed by Microsoft. Your device may still have apps from OEMs and other partners.

This information has been verified by a Microsoft spokesperson and is accurate at the time of writing.