Windows Server 2025 is gradually phasing out elements considered unnecessary for its operation including nearby share

Windows Server 2025 is gradually phasing out elements considered unnecessary for its operation. The latest Canary channel build, 26244, plans to eliminate the Get Started app and the Nearby Share settings page.

Phantomocean3 first noted this change after updating to the latest build. Interestingly, these modifications are not enabled by default in the new build. To see these changes, users must activate specific vivetool feature IDs. This indicates that future Windows Server 2025 releases will likely omit these apps and settings.

When Windows Latest enabled the relevant feature IDs and applied the changes, the Get Started app disappeared from the Recommended section of the Start menu. A search in the All apps section also confirmed the app's absence. Similarly, searching for Nearby Sharing in both the Start menu and Settings app yielded no results. The System section in the Start menu no longer included the Nearby Sharing option.

The removal of these features aligns with the notion that they are not necessary in a server environment. The Get Started app, intended to guide users through the OS, is redundant for server administrators who are already familiar with the system. On Windows 11, the Get Started app often recommends installing the Tips app, which is marked for deprecation, contributing to unnecessary bloatware. For Windows Server, which prioritizes streamlined functionality, such apps are superfluous.

Nearby Sharing, a feature for sharing files between Windows PCs, does not align with the typical use cases of Windows Server. Its absence in the server environment is logical, as server management rarely requires this kind of file-sharing functionality.

Windows Server 2025 has seen other features that raised questions about their relevance. One such example is the sign-in alerts in the Profile section of the Start menu, suggesting a Microsoft Account, which is unnecessary for setting up or using Windows Server 2025. In build 26244, these sign-in alerts did not appear, although they did show up later when signing in with a Microsoft account to join the Windows Insider program.

sign-in alerts in the Profile section of the Start menu

Windows Server 2025 Datacenter

Additionally, Microsoft’s inclusion and subsequent removal of the Sudo command in Windows Server 2025 created some confusion. While Sudo could have been useful for managing administrative tasks in Windows Server environments, its removal underscores Microsoft’s focus on refining the feature set to suit the specific needs of server users.

'Less Clutter' for server suitability

These changes indicate Microsoft’s commitment to optimizing Windows Server 2025 by eliminating components that do not contribute to its core functionality, aiming for a cleaner and more efficient operating system tailored for server environments.