We love the fact that Windows 11 is feature-rich and visually modern, although there are some UI inconsistencies that Rectify11 has fixed to a large extent. Apart from that, Microsoft has been adding several new features to its desktop OS since Windows 10 days. Fast forward, and both Windows 10 and 11 are bloated with new features, unnecessary apps, and redundant background services. To be frank, Windows 10/11 feels quite heavy compared to Windows 7. And now, to trim down Windows 10 to its bare essentials, a developer has released Tiny10, which is a lightweight version of Windows 10. It takes much less space, works even on low RAM computers, and comes with no bloatware. To find out what is Tiny10 and how to install it, keep on reading.
Everything You Need to Know About Tiny10 (2022)
We have discussed everything about Tiny10 and how lightweight it is in comparison to the vanilla Windows 10 installation. We have also included a tutorial on how to install Tiny10 on any PC (both 32-bit and 64-bit). You can also read our first impression of Tiny10, the super powerful and lightweight Windows 10 build, towards the end.
Table of Contents
Stripped Down Windows 10: What is Tiny10?
Tiny10 is a stripped-down version of Windows 10, and it has been developed by a developer named NTDEV. We know how bloated Windows has become at this point, so this project aims to remove all the unnecessary components. That means you can run Windows 10 smoothly, even on low-end hardware. Note that Tiny10 has not just removed bloatware, but it has been optimized from the ground up to reduce Windows 10’s footprint.
For example, if you install Tiny10 on a 32-bit system, it only takes 5.2GB of disk space, which is a breakthrough. A vanilla Windows 10 system takes up to 22GB of space. To reduce the installation size by 17GB is just great. On 64-bit systems, Tiny10 takes up to 10GB of disk space. And in terms of RAM, you can run Tiny10 on a 32-bit system with just 1GB of RAM, and on a 64-bit system, you can make do with 2GB of RAM, which is nothing short of amazing. We already know Windows 10 comes to a grinding halt, even on a system with 4GB of RAM.
Now, you might be wondering since Windows 10 has been reduced to such a lightweight profile, is it missing features? Well, I extensively tested Tiny10 and everything worked fine without any bugs. All the core Windows system tools are available, including PowerShell, CMD, Disk Management, etc. I even ran a number of applications, including Geekbench, Crystaldisk, ShareX, and games like CS: GO, and everything ran without any issues. It’s a surprise to me as well because we are testing the first beta of Tiny10 for x64 systems. But I can say for sure that you are not going to miss anything on Tiny10 in terms of functionality.
As for the apps, Tiny10 has removed all the default apps like the image viewer, internet explorer, media player, etc. Only Notepad and Wordpad are available on this stripped-down build of Windows 10. Moreover, it’s important to know that Tiny10 does not come with Microsoft Store or Windows Security. You will need to sideload the apps you want.
Also, there is no support for Windows Subsystem for Linux, but you can enable Hyper-V. As for the Windows version, Tiny10 x64 Beta 1 runs Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC (Build 19044.1586, March 2022). That means you can activate Tiny 10 with a Windows license, but it does not support Windows updates.
Having said all of that, Tiny10 is a great solution for users who want to run lightweight Windows 10 on a low-end PC with little disk space and RAM. Chrome OS Flex is another great solution, but it does not support full-fledged Windows apps. In such a scenario, Tiny10 fills the shoes and can breathe a new life into aging PCs.
Differences Between Tiny10 and Windows 10
To begin with, Tiny10 is fast and fluid in comparison to vanilla Windows 10. There is no bloatware to be found on Tiny10. All the bloatware, unnecessary apps, services, and system components have been removed by the developer. For example, you can check out the difference in the Start menu below.
Tiny10 also takes up very little disk space in comparison to Windows 10. On my 64-bit laptop, the Tiny10 installation took only 10.5GB of space, whereas Windows 10 ballooned to 22.2GB after a fresh installation.
I also kept a keen eye on the CPU and RAM usage on Tiny10, and surprisingly, it was merely taking 1% of CPU and 1.6GB of RAM when sitting idle. In comparison, Windows 10 kept its CPU usage in check, but RAM usage was constantly above 2.5GB. Here’s the Task Manager overview of Tiny10 and Windows 10.
Coming to some benchmark testing between Tiny10 and vanilla Windows 10, here are some Geekbench and CrystalDiskMark results. In the Geekbench test, both OSes performed along the same lines, but in the CrystalDiskMark test, we can see that Tiny10 was able to write data at double speeds, which is great.
Finally, I also installed Steam and played CS: GO at high settings on Tiny10, and it performed decently on my 6th-gen i5- powered laptop. I got around 20-30FPS, similar to vanilla Windows 10. However, turning down the graphics settings to low, I was easily able to get around 45-50FPS, which is pretty decent for a low-end Windows PC.
How to Install Tiny10 (Stripped Down Windows 10)
1. Go ahead and download the ISO image of Tiny10 based on your system architecture: 32-bit (1.7GB) | 64-bit (2.4GB). We did a preliminary check of the files on VirusTotal and didn’t notice any red flags, so that’s a good sign.
2. After that, head tothis linkanddownload Rufusto create a bootable USB drive.
3. Now, open Rufus, plug the USB drive, select the ISO image, and click on “Start“. Make sure the File system is NTFS.
4. After the flashing process begins, we suggest you make some downloads in the meantime to have a hassle-free experience. There is no browser included in Tiny10, so we suggest downloading the standalone setup of Google Chrome from here. After that, transfer it to the root directory of the flashed USB drive. Also, you can download and transfer a tool like Driver Booster to update your drivers.
5. Next, plug the USB drive into the target PC and restart it. When the PC restarts,press the boot key (should be one of the function keys – F9, F8, F7, etc.). If you don’t know the boot key for your PC or laptop, look it up on the internet. Once you are on the boot selection screen, select your USB drive and hit Enter.
6. Your PC will now loadTiny10’s installation window, which is similar to Windows 10’s setup window. Follow the on-screen instructions and choose your preferred drive. Finally, click on “Next” to install the OS.
7. Once the installation is complete, you will boot directly to Tiny10. Enjoy the minimal Windows 10!
Tiny10: My First Impressions
I have extensively used Windows 10 in the past and am currently using Windows 11, and I can say that Tiny10 has surprised me. I used Tiny10 for a legion of tasks from playing games like CS: GO to enabling Hyper-V during my testing this week, and it worked every single time without throwing any tantrums. It constantly kept the CPU and RAM usage in check. I was able to do much more on Tiny10 because I feel there is still room for performing a task. It does not feel laggy at all.
The Start menu opens in a jiffy. There is no Bing search integrated into the search bar so search results are wicked fast, no telemetry in the background, and no weird services raking disk usage to 100%, among other things. It’s overall a smooth and pleasant experience. To sum up, don’t think twice and try Tiny10 if you are using a low-end PC or just someone having a bad experience with vanilla Windows 10. You will have to take care on the security front by installing an antivirus on Windows 10, but apart from that, you will absolutely love the clean and lightness of Tiny10 without compromising on features.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is Tiny10 developed by Microsoft?
No, Tiny10 is an independent project, and it’s been developed by a developer named NTDEV.
Q. What is the size of the Tiny10 ISO image?
The 64-bit ISO image of Tiny10 takes up to 2.4GB of space, and the 32-bit image is around 1.7GB in size.
Q. Can we install Tiny10 on 32-bit PCs?
Yes, Tiny10 is supported on 32-bit computers.
Q. Is Tiny10 an open-source project?
No, Tiny10 is not an open-source project.
Q. Is it safe to install Tiny10?
While we can’t vouch for the safety of Tiny10, we did a preliminary check of the files on VirusTotal, and none of the security vendors flagged any malicious behavior. That said, it’s within your discretion if you want to install Tiny10 on your PC.
Easily Run Windows 10 on Low-End PCs with Tiny10
So that was everything you need to know about Tiny10 and how you can install it on any PC. I like the fact that Tiny10 offers support for 32-bit systems, which means older hardware can also benefit from this project. I hope Microsoft in the future releases a light build of Windows 11 similar to Tiny10. It will tremendously help general users who want their PC to work without slowing down. Anyway, that is all from us. If you want to debloat Windows 11 and speed up your Windows 11 PC, follow our linked tutorials. Finally, if you have any questions, let us know in the comments section below.
FAQs
What is Tiny10? ›
Tiny10 is a stripped-down version of Windows 10, and it has been developed by a developer named NTDEV. We know how bloated Windows has become at this point, so this project aims to remove all the unnecessary components. That means you can run Windows 10 smoothly, even on low-end hardware.
How do you make a lightweight Windows 10? ›- Reset Windows (Advanced)
- Remove Unnecessary Apps/Crapware/Bloatware.
- Clean System from Viruses/Malware/Adware, etc.
- Remove Some Apps from Autorun.
- Leave Enough Free Space on Your Drives for Windows 10.
- Tweak Visual Effects.
- Turn Off System Protection on Disks.
XP might be a good choice. Even 3.1. It really depends on what the intended use of the machine is. I'd vote 7 as the best version and Windows 2000 as the “lightest” version.
How do I install slim down Windows? ›- Remove Unnecessary Apps & Features: Settings > Apps > Apps & Features. ...
- Remove Optional Apps & Features: Settings > Apps > Apps & Features > Manage optional features.
- Remove Unnecessary Built-in Windows System Apps (detailed instructions)
If you have problems with slowness with Windows 10 and want to change, you can try before the 32 bit version of Windows, instead of 64bit. My personal opinion would really be windows 10 home 32 bit before Windows 8.1 which is almost the same in terms of configuration required but less user friendly than the W10.
Is Windows 10 home lighter than pro? ›Both Windows 10 Home and Pro are faster and performative. They generally differ based on core features and not performance output. However, keep in mind, Windows 10 Home is slightly lighter than Pro because of lack of many system tools.
Is there any light version of Windows 10? ›The lighter Windows 10 version is "Windows 10 Home". It does not have a lot of the more advanced features of more expensive versions and therefore requires fewer resources.
How do I make my Windows 10 run faster? ›- 1. Make sure you have the latest updates for Windows and device drivers. ...
- Restart your PC and open only the apps you need. ...
- Use ReadyBoost to help improve performance. ...
- 4. Make sure the system is managing the page file size. ...
- Check for low disk space and free up space.
- Update your computer. Updating your computer will usually help it run faster. ...
- Shut down and/or restart your computer regularly. ...
- Upgrade your RAM. ...
- Uninstall unnecessary programs. ...
- Delete temporary files. ...
- Delete big files you don't need. ...
- Close out your tabs. ...
- Disable auto-launching programs.
Windows 7 and Windows 10 have approximately equal resource requirements. The main difference between them is that Windows 10 does more caching and is more optimized for having large amounts of RAM, so it will run faster on a more modern machine. Windows 10 Use Cpu 90% more Than Windows 7.
What's the fastest Windows operating system? ›
Windows 10 S Is The Fastest Operating System Microsoft Has Ever Built, Aimed At Students. Microsoft has revealed its newest Windows 10 S operating system, intended to be the universal choice for for many new PCs in the near future, But how exactly is it different from the Windows 10 we know?
Is Windows 10 lighter than Windows 11? ›Shortly, Windows 11 is somehow heavier than Windows 10. Performance speed varies for each machine you run it on, but based on OS only, Windows 11 is a little bit faster. When it comes to UI, subjectively, I think it somehow has a better UI. I don't see Windows 11 lighter than Windows 10, in fact, Win 11 .
What is the smallest install of Windows 10? ›Windows 10 Lean is the minimum viable version of Windows 10 and it obviously runs on low specs devices. Compared to the Windows 10 Pro, the Windows 10 Lean download is 2GB smaller and it occupies half of what Windows 10 would normally do after installation.
What is the smallest size Windows 10? ›So the minimum space requirement for Windows 10 32-bit is 16GB, and Windows 64-bit is 32GB. But 16GB and 32GB is the space for Windows OS, you will need more space for cache, registry, and temporary files.
What partition should I install Windows 10 on? ›We recommend performing Windows® 10 installations enabling UEFI with a GUID Partition Table (GPT). Some features may not be available if you use the Master Boot Record (MBR) style partition table. System acceleration with Intel® Optane™ memory is not available when using MBR.
Which OS is best for 2GB RAM? ›- Windows 10.
- Lubuntu.
- Linux Mint.
- Kubuntu.
- Puppy Linux.
- Xubuntu.
- Android-x86.
- OpenThos.
If you have 4GB RAM, I highly suggest for you to install 64 bit version of Windows , It can process more bits of data, allowing for faster utilization even if its not for gaming.
Which is faster Win 7 or Win 10? ›Although Windows 7 still outperforms Windows 10 across a selection of apps, expect this to be short-lived as Windows 10 continues to receive updates. In the meantime, Windows 10 boots, sleeps, and wakes faster than its predecessors, even when loaded on an older machine.
What are the disadvantages of Windows 10 Home? ›- Updates. Most of the PCs are preinstalled with Windows 10. ...
- Privacy. Privacy is another concern when using the Windows 10 operating system. ...
- System Requirements. Similar to other operating systems, Windows 10 has also set its minimum system requirements. ...
- Reverting OS. ...
- Touch Interface.
The latest version of Windows 10 Pro will always be the most stable version and the most secure version, since updates are cumulative, that version will contain all the fixes for previous versions of Windows 10 Pro.
What is difference between Windows 10 and Windows 10 Home? ›
The main difference between Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro is the security of the operating system. Windows 10 Pro is a safer choice when it comes to protecting your PC and securing your information. In addition, you can choose to connect the Windows 10 Pro to a domain.
Is Windows 10 Lite faster? ›Windows Lite is alleged to be a lightweight version of Windows that will be both faster and leaner than previous versions. A little like Chrome OS, it will reportedly rely heavily on Progressive Web Apps, which operate as offline apps but run through an online service.
What happens if you turn off S mode? ›If you switch out of S mode, you can install 32-bit (x86) Windows apps that aren't available in Microsoft Store in Windows. If you make this switch, it's permanent, and 64-bit (x64) apps still won't run.
Is 1gb RAM enough for Windows 7? ›If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor* 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit) 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
How do I clear my RAM cache? ›Press Win + R keys to open the Run box, and then type regedit in it and hit Enter. Then click on Yes to open Registry Editor. Step 3. With the Memory Management folder selected in the left panel, double click the ClearPageFileAtShutdown DWORD and set it Value data to 1, and click on OK.
Why is my computer so slow all of a sudden Windows 10? ›A slow computer is often caused by too many programs running simultaneously, taking up processing power, and reducing the PC's performance. Virus infection, malware, hardware issue, high memory usage, etc., all could cause your computer to run slow.
How do you find out what is slowing down my PC? ›To do this, press the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete. Select Task Manager. On the Processes tab, you can see what is open and how much of the CPU and memory it's using. You can then close programs that you are not using.
How do I make my old computer run like new? ›- Prevent programs from automatically running when you start up your computer. ...
- Delete/uninstall programs you don't use. ...
- Clean up hard disk space. ...
- Save old pictures or videos to the cloud or external drive. ...
- Run a disk cleanup or repair.
- 2 / 10. Delete unnecessary files. ...
- 3 / 10. Limit your multitasking. ...
- 4 / 10. Restore your machine to factory settings. ...
- 5 / 10. Clean out the fans. ...
- 6 / 10. Replace your battery (laptops only) ...
- 7 / 10. Replace the hard drive with an SSD. ...
- 8 / 10. Upgrade your RAM. ...
- 9 / 10.
Generally, the faster the RAM, the faster the processing speed. With faster RAM, you increase the speed at which memory transfers information to other components. Meaning, your fast processor now has an equally fast way of talking to the other components, making your computer much more efficient.
Is 1gb RAM enough for Windows 7? ›
If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor* 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit) 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
How do you activate tiny 10? ›How to Install Tiny10 on any PC. First off, you will need to have an 8GB USB drive that will be used to create a bootable drive. Next, you will have to install Rufus – a software utility that lets you create bootable USB drives using ISO files. You will have to download the ISO filed for Tiny10.
Is Windows 8.1 lighter than Windows 10? ›Is windows 10 lighter or faster than windows 8.1? It depends on how fast the CPU in the computer is. For example, I find that Windows 8.1 runs surprisingly fast on computers with slow Core 2 Duo CPUs considering the low power of the CPU, whereas Windows 10 is a bit sluggish and will not provide a good user experience.
Is Windows 10 or 11 heavier? ›Shortly, Windows 11 is somehow heavier than Windows 10. Performance speed varies for each machine you run it on, but based on OS only, Windows 11 is a little bit faster.
How much RAM does Windows 10 need to run smoothly? ›4GB RAM. Microsoft recommends a minimum of 1GB RAM for Windows 10. However, it requires 4 GB RAM to run smoothly.
Can Windows 10 work on 2GB RAM? ›2GB of RAM is the minimum system requirement for the 64-bit version of Windows 10.
How much RAM can 64-bit Windows 10 use? ›| Version | Limit on X86 | Limit on X64 |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 Education | 4 GB | 2 TB |
| Windows 10 Pro for Workstations | 4 GB | 6 TB |
| Windows 10 Pro | 4 GB | 2 TB |
| Windows 10 Home | 4 GB | 128 GB |
Windows IoT Core
Windows 10 IoT Core is the smallest version of the Windows 10 editions that leverages the Windows 10 common core architecture.
But Windows 10 isn't the only version of the OS out there: There's also Windows 10 S, a stripped-down version aimed at students and small businesses. Although they are both based on the same foundation, there are several key differences between Windows 10 and Windows 10 S.
Can Windows 8.1 run on 512MB RAM? ›Yes, you can install Windows 8 on something with 512MB RAM. But do you really want to?
Which is faster Win 7 or 10? ›
Windows 10 Is Faster
Although Windows 7 still outperforms Windows 10 across a selection of apps, expect this to be short-lived as Windows 10 continues to receive updates.
Is Windows 10 faster than Windows 7 on older computers? No, Windows 10 is not faster than Windows 7 on older computers (before the mid 2010s).
Is Windows 10 faster than Windows 8.1 on older computers? ›In most cases, the tests show that there is no obvious difference in performance between Windows 8.1 and 10. Sometimes Windows 10 is a bit faster and sometimes it is a bit slower. That is, you don't worry about a drop in performance if you want to upgrade to Windows 10. Up to now, Windows 10 always works pretty well.
Is Win 11 slower than win 10? ›Windows 11 is faster than Windows 10. However, some users is experiencing slow performance issue due to low disk storage or outdated drivers. Don't worry. It can be fixed easily.
Is Windows 7 faster than 11? ›Performance. One of the main differences in Windows 7 and Windows 11, is in how the OS prioritizes application windows. While both systems are optimized for performance, Windows 11 makes use of the foreground process to load applications more quickly.
Is Win 11 good for low end PC? ›None. Windows 11 minimum system requirements is 8th gen i3 (or equivalent), 4GB of RAM and 64GB total storage space, a 64-bit CPU, UEFI boot and TPM 2.0 (except for OEMs for the TPM). For a system barely meeting the minimum requirements any variant of Windows 11 should work fine.