A developer shrank Windows 11 down to just 667MB. It fits on a CD

One developer has shrunk Windows 11—which, when fully installed, typically takes up to 35GB of storage space—down to an astonishing 667MB prior to installation and only 883MB after installation. That’s a 97.5% shrinkdown, and the end result is small enough to fit on a single CD.

The project, called Pico11, is the brainchild of engineering student and developer NTDEV. He presented the proof of concept in a YouTube video, explaining that it’s not a finished product yet but still demonstrates the possibility of reducing the size of Windows 11 significantly.

It’s quite astonishing that the entire Windows 11 ISO, including the installer, can take up less than 1GB when reduced to its bare essentials. Apparently, only seven apps are installed alongside the operating system, including Paint, Notepad, Task Manager, Windows Settings, Calculator, File Explorer, and Windows Command Prompt (also known as Terminal).

Some features and apps that would have otherwise bloated Windows 11 have been removed. These include the Microsoft Edge browser (and indeed any browser at all), the Microsoft Store, and AI features such as Copilot. Windows Update also appears to be missing.

According to the video description, NTDEV plans to develop Pico11 and release it using Tiny11 Builder. It’s unclear when this will exactly happen and whether the app will still run below the magic 1GB mark.