Windows XP era unofficial anti-spyware comes to Windows 11 as a fork

A Windows 11 logo

Back in the days of Windows XP, a third-party utility called xp-AntiSpy allowed users to disable certain features on the OS. Neowin used to cover the software in its software stories section. If you are wondering, the application enabled tweaking with privacy settings like telemetry, services, startup programs, and more and acted as a sort of anti-spyware.

The last version of the software was released in December 2015 as a beta when it added support for Windows 10.

A new utility based on xp-AntiSpy is now available, dubbed xd-Antispy, and it has been developed by GitHub user Belim, who is also behind another decently popular third-party Windows app called Winpilot. The dev says that the "xp" in the utility's name has been replaced with "xd," which is meant to signify "eXtreme Defense."

Much like the original application, xd-AntiSpy also allows users to disable 'spyware' and bloatware like ads, certain Microsoft Edge features, telemetry, and more. You can find the release notes for the two latest beta and stable releases below:

xd-Antispy 4.0-3-prev

The last stable version of XP-Antispy was 3.98-2. I am now continuing with version 4.0 (even though this is the very first public release of the app)

In this release, I have enabled additional functions for importing and exporting profiles, and expanded plugin functionality to interpret PowerShell code alongside batch.

The Admin Edition includes enhanced import/export capabilities, plugin support without AI plugin generation, etc

xd-AntiSpy 4.0-4b Stable Latest

The last stable version of XP-Antispy was 3.98-2. I am now continuing with version 4.0 (even though this is the very first public release of the app)

The little tool has now entered its stable phase. I've rewritten all the features from my old C++ version into C#. If you're missing anything from the classic XP-AntiSpy, feel free to submit a feature request. Just a heads-up: I've got localization covered and will be rolling out translations in upcoming versions. The nostalgic look of XD-AntiSpy – don't let it fool you, it's intentional – is paired with smart features. And don't worry, Clippy from Winpilot won't be bothering you here anymore.

You can download the utility from its official GitHub repo here, though, as always, keep in mind that this is an unofficial third-party application.