How to Turn Windows features on or off

Some programs and features included with Windows, such as Internet Information Services, must be turned on before you can use them. Certain other features are turned on by default, but you can turn them off if you don’t use them.

To turn a feature off in earlier versions of Windows, you had to uninstall it completely from your computer. In this version of Windows, the features remain stored on your hard disk so you can turn them back on if you want to. Turning off a feature does not uninstall the feature, and it does not reduce the amount of hard disk space used by Windows features.

To turn Windows features on or off, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button , click Control Panel, click Programs, and then click Turn Windows features on or off.  If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
2. To turn a Windows feature on, select the check box next to the feature. To turn a Windows feature off, clear the check box. Click OK.

Folders can contain both checked and unchecked features

Some Windows features are grouped together in folders, and some folders contain subfolders with additional features. If a check box is partially checked or is dimmed, then some of the items inside the folder are turned on and some are turned off. To view the contents of a folder, double-click it.

Note

• In Windows Server 2008 R2, use Server Manager to turn Windows features on or off.