Developer shrinks Windows 11 install size from 20GB to 3.3GB
A software developer who goes by the name NTDEV has made a compact version of Windows 11 that occupies about 16.5% of the regular installation size, Tom’s Hardware reports.
Using LZX compression, NTDEV downsized Windows 11 into a compact version they dubbed Tiny11 Core.
That is named after a previous fit-for-purpose Windows 11 distribution dubbed Tiny11.
The algorithm is part of the Windows 10+ CompactOS feature, which compresses system files and then decompresses them when they are needed.
Using this method, the image file was reduced by 61.5% from 5.2GB to 2GB.
But the reduction in installation size was even more impressive, going from 20GB to 3.3GB — 83.5% smaller.
There are some significant caveats to the small size, most notably in the security department.
Critical components like Windows Defender, Recovery Agent, Microsoft Edge, and Windows Update are all affected by the downsizing.
Due to this limitation, NTDEV has stressed that Tiny11 Core was not a replacement for Tiny11 or Windows 11, as it offered “limited security and no serviceability”.
Instead, it is intended as a “quick-and-dirty test bed or development platform”.
Tom’s Hardware surmised it may also be attractive for virtual machine-based environments.
Nonetheless, it still boasts all the components necessary to run most applications designed for Windows.
The video embedded below shows proof of the reduced Windows 11 ISO and installation size of Tiny11 Core.
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