- Built-in optional components of Windows that can be enabled or disabled.
- Used to add system capabilities without installing third-party software.
- Managed through Optional Features control panel.
- Press Win + R
- Type
optionalfeatures.exe
- Press Enter
- Displays a list of Windows components with checkboxes.
- Checked = feature enabled, unchecked = disabled.
- Some features contain sub-features (expandable tree).
- Open Windows Features
- Check the required feature
- Click OK
- Windows installs required files
- Restart if prompted
- Open Windows Features
- Uncheck the feature
- Click OK
- Confirm warning (if shown)
- Restart if required
- .NET Framework (3.5 / 4.x) – Legacy and modern app support
- Hyper-V – Virtualization platform
- Internet Information Services (IIS) – Web server
- Telnet Client – Legacy network testing
- SMB 1.0/CIFS – Legacy file sharing (not recommended)
- Windows Sandbox – Isolated test environment
- Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) – Run Linux on Windows
- Some features require Administrator privileges.
- Group Policy may restrict access in domain environments.
- Installing legacy or enterprise applications
- Enabling virtualization or web hosting
- Testing, development, and troubleshooting tasks
- Enable only required features to reduce attack surface.
- Avoid legacy features unless absolutely needed.
- Restart system after changes to ensure stability.