Windows 11 Insider Build Adds AI Model Management Page With Limited Uninstall Support
A Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview build adds a more detailed AI Components page to the Settings app that displays information about local AI models and allows users to uninstall some of them.
The feature was uncovered in build 26300.8553 by researchers at Pureinfotech. It is relevant primarily for Copilot+ PCs, which run local AI models.
The page is not officially available yet. Pureinfotech had to manually enable it on a test PC to access the uninstall option, indicating it is still in development.
What the AI Components Page Shows And Limited Uninstall Support
(Source: Pureinfotech)
Windows 11's Settings app now includes a dedicated AI Components page where users can view details about local AI models.
The latest version of this feature provides more comprehensive information for each installed model, including the publisher, version, installation date, size, and total usage. This detailed view aims to increase transparency around the AI models integrated into Windows 11.
The new interface reportedly allows users to uninstall certain AI models. Currently, the only AI component that can be removed is Phi Silica, an on-device language model designed to handle local AI workloads on Copilot+ PCs.
It is unclear whether Microsoft plans to expand uninstall options to other AI components or if some models will remain non-removable due to system dependencies.
Other Changes in Build 26300.8553 And Why This Matters
The build released last week includes several new features and fixes, such as expanded customization options for the Start menu, improved search with substring matching, and support for touch swipe gestures to reveal the Taskbar when it is docked in an alternative position.
Microsoft has faced criticism for rolling out AI features through automatic Windows updates without giving users clear options, including the silent installation of local AI models on Copilot+ PCs.
A management page that displays details such as purpose, size, data usage, and installation date for these models helps address some of those concerns by improving transparency.
The option to uninstall AI components, currently limited to Phi Silica, responds to a common user complaint that some bundled AI models are unnecessary and that users want to free up storage and system resources.
The AI model management page that includes uninstall support is not yet officially enabled in the current Insider build and requires manual activation to access.
Its presence indicates that Microsoft may plan to roll it out more widely in a future update, but the company has not officially announced the feature nor provided a timeline for when it might become generally available.
MS is a junk. I said MS will miss use ai when built in win and cripple end user experience, ai newer under end user control. Now that is what exactly what happen ! Why u think AI and data centers build all over the world now ? They want control every user on the planet 24/7 and for that use their AI ! US end users already under control on all digital devices, now they want to sell that agenda to the whole world ! A wet dreams of every dictatorship !
I appreciate the mention, but the image on your post isn’t from Techspot. It’s mine (Pureinfotech). Also, the correct credit for the information is Pureinfotech, the content path windows-11-uninstall-ai-models-settings.
Thanks,
Thanks for noticing
With an enterprise license (easy to find, totally legal) all this stuff, along with edge can be removed if that’s what you want.
Seems MS is toying bit by bit with AI as it fades into oblivion.
As a retired person who has used computers for decades. I think the best option for AI is to allow each user to decide what amount of AI they want. From what I have read I see already a decrease in enthusiasm for AI because it’s mostly being pushed on everyone in an all in format. I don’t see this rigid push good for AI or users of AI. I don’t want to become anti AI but I also want a choice about using it or not.
There are people who don’t even know or care about it. I remember in earlier versions of Windows, there were tools that I didn’t know about or cared about. I’ve seen the icons of some, but I never used them, eventually most of them were phased out from the OS and only exist as a memory. I think AI will be like this after all the hype dies out.
I don’t use Windows anymore and one of the reasons is because they bloat it with too much such features, except compared to the past is now they advertise those features actively to you through pop ups and notifications, which I consider an annoyance than anything close to “helpful tips”.
A good OS design should be out of your way and let you do what you want. I remember the last few times I had a fresh install of Windows 10 or 11 (maybe even 8) where as soon as I boot to the desktop for the first time, I get bombarded with all kinds of information. The latest that I remember was Edge opening itself automatically and having several additional windows and notifications to let you know that it’s there… in case you haven’t seen it yet.
Now I’ve been using Linux for over 2 years and I have no intention to ever go back to Windows, at this point I only see it as a cautionary tale on what not to do with an OS and since I’m no longer burdened by it, I can watch it crash and burn from the sidelines.