How to Install and Set Up AtlasOS on Windows

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Author: Matt Holden

# What is AtlasOS ?

Alright so, AtlasOS isn't really an "OS" (Operating System). It's actually a modified version of Windows. A lot of people, even some of my friends, think it's a completely different system just because it has "OS" in the name, which is funny, but nah, it's basically a custom Windows that removes bloat and makes your PC run smoother and faster.

# Why should YOU switch to AtlasOS ?

Now you might be wondering, why should you even switch to AtlasOS? Simple, it removes all the useless junk that slows down your system. The devs working on it actually know what they're doing, and honestly, if AtlasOS didn't exist, I'd probably have ditched Windows for Linux by now. But AtlasOS makes Windows feel 10x better, no joke.

One thing I love about AtlasOS is that it completely removes Windows Defender (the default Microsoft antivirus). Don't get me wrong, Defender is honestly one of the best antivirus options out there if you actually want one. It's built into Windows, it's reliable, and you should only use that as your antivirus, no need for any of those sketchy third party ones. But man, it eats up so much system resources, and you can't even turn it off completely, that's what pisses me off the most. Back when I was on Windows 10 with a trash PC, that thing made my setup run like a snail. If you know what you're doing and can handle your PC safely, removing Defender is honestly a blessing.

However, if you don't really know what you're doing and can't handle your PC safely (like downloading random stuff or clicking unknown links), then DO NOT remove it. Keep it ON, because it'll save you from a lot of headaches later.

And that's not all, AtlasOS also gives you a bunch of new settings and tweaks that make Windows faster and lighter, and more private. which you can configure through a folder for now, but soon this folder will be replaced by a more user-friendly GUI app.

Also, here's an official benchmark made by them on the game VALORANT.

If you want to see more details about it, click here

Alright, now that you know what to expect, let's start with choosing the right version of AtlasOS for your system.

# Choosing the Right Version

First, check what Windows version you're on. Just open About Settings (search "about your pc" in the Windows search bar and you'll find it). Once you're there, you should see your Windows version listed.

Here is how your "Atlas Installation" folder should look in the end:

Perfect, now after you've put everything into a folder, double click on Disable.Automatic.Driver.Installation.reg and press Run, then click Yes when it asks for confirmation.

This registry file basically stops Windows from automatically installing drivers during the setup process. It prevents Windows Update from messing with your drivers while AtlasOS is being installed and just keeps things clean and smooth.

After that, open the AME Beta.exe app. It should launch a GUI-based program (a window with buttons and stuff), and at the top left you'll see something that says "Drag and drop .apbx or .iso files".

Now, just drag and drop your AtlasPlaybook_your_version.apbx file into that box, and you should see AtlasOS appear inside the app.

# Installing AtlasOS in the Ameliorated App

Welp, really happy to see you here. You've just finished the basic setup part where we installed all the needed files. Now it's time to actually install AtlasOS on your system.

So first, go into the AME Beta App. Like I mentioned before, you should see AtlasOS appear inside it, along with a button that says Run Action to Disable the Security (Windows Defender). That's the one you need to click to turn off Windows Defender.

Now, you might be thinking why do we need to do this?
Well, Windows Defender blocks some of the changes AtlasOS needs to make in your system, so turning it off is important for the setup to work properly.

Click on that button, disable everything it shows, then press Next, just like I did in the video below:

Good, after you've done this and pressed Next, the GUI might say Requirements not met, and there are a few things that could cause that. If you don't see this message, you can skip this part since you don't have this issue.

Alright, so if you didn't run into any of these issues, or you already fixed them using what I said above, then you're good to move on.

Now you might see a license agreement for AME Core and AME GUI. Accept both of them by clicking Next, then press Accept to confirm the license agreement.

# Configuring the Playbook

Alright, now we're getting to the fun part where you set up your playbook. I'll show you the settings I recommend, and for anything I don't cover, you can look it up later if you're curious.

I'm mostly going to focus on the important options, the ones that actually make a difference. Some smaller tweaks that Atlas disables by default aren't that important, so I won't go over every single one here. Whenever you're choosing your options, there's also a Learn more button that takes you straight to the official docs explaining what each setting does.

Let's start. After you've accepted the license agreement, you'll see a Configure Options window to set up the playbook functionality with a Select Options button. Click that and let's begin.

The first option is about Windows Defender. Like I mentioned earlier when we talked about the antivirus, I personally recommend turning it OFF only if you know what you're doing and have some experience with Windows. If you're not that familiar with the system, just keep it ENABLED.

Next up are the Mitigations. Disabling these can improve performance on older CPUs, but it doesn't make a big difference on modern ones. I recommend keeping the default Windows mitigations ON if you have a good CPU, and if you have a really old one, I suggest searching online to see if you should disable them or not. It's safer to leave them enabled.

Now for Updates, I definitely recommend disabling automatic updates. Windows updates are known for being messy and sometimes breaking stuff, so turning them OFF is a solid choice in my opinion.

After that, you'll see options like Disable Hibernation, Maximum Performance (Disable Power Saving), and Disable Core Isolation. They come checked by default, and I just leave them like that since that's how I prefer it. If you're not sure what something does, you can always click the Learn More button next to it to read about it.

Then we get to the last part of the setup. You'll see options like Remove Snipping Tool App, and I always remove it because the Snipping Tool just isn't great. I recommend using Flameshot instead since it's open source, lightweight, and just works better. I also remove Microsoft Edge since it's not a browser I like at all, and choose Install a Browser since I want to install something else instead of Edge. After that, just press Next.

There's also a new option called Install Atlas Toolbox, which is an app made by the Atlas team to replace the folder system and make it more user-friendly. I always select that too since it's made by them, so why not.

After that, it'll ask you to choose your browser. The options are Brave, Librewolf, Firefox, and Chrome. I usually go with Firefox, and I honestly recommend it. It's the best browser I've ever used. If you want something more privacy-focused, go with Librewolf, it's basically Firefox but built for privacy and already comes with uBlock Origin installed.

So yeah, I recommend either Firefox or Librewolf.

After that, press Next, and you're done. Just sit back and wait for AtlasOS to finish the setup. Your computer will restart automatically, so don't close or touch anything, just let it do its job.

# What's Next?

Nice! Now you might be wondering what's next? 🤔 Well, there are a few quick but important things to do to finish setting up your system. We'll start by activating Windows, changing its edition if needed, and then installing your graphic drivers.

# Activating and Changing Your Windows Edition

First, open PowerShell and paste the command from below.

But hold up..! You might be wondering what this command does, right?
It's from MAS (Massgrave), an open source project that lets you safely activate Windows, change editions, and more.

irm https://get.activated.win | iex

After you run the command, a new CMD window will open with multiple options.

Before activating, check which edition of Windows you're on:

1. Search About your PC in the Windows search bar.
2. If it says Home, you'll need to switch to Pro.

If you're already on Pro, you can skip this part and move straight to activating Windows. Just read a bit further down and you'll see how to do that.

To change your edition, go back to the MAS window and you'll see something like this:

Press [7] Change Windows Edition to start changing your edition. Then you'll see several options, choose Professional from the list by pressing that specific number on your keyboard.

After that, it should say [SUCCESSFUL] and might mention that a reboot is required to apply the changes, but before restarting, lets activate Windows too.

Press any key to return to the main MAS menu, then press [1] HWID to activate your system.

Wait for it to finish and once it says [SUCCESSFUL], you're good to go. Now you can restart your PC to apply everything.

# Installing Graphic Drivers for Your System

Alright, now that Windows is activated and everything's set, it's time to install your graphic drivers.
This step is really important if you want your games or apps to run smoothly.

Now that you've found your GPU name, it's time to install your drivers.
The cool part is that the AtlasOS team actually made guides that show you how to install your GPU drivers without any of the useless bloat that usually comes with them.

You're Done!

And that's it, you've fully set up your system with AtlasOS!
Your Windows should now be faster, lighter, and way cleaner than before.

Go ahead and install your favorite apps, tweak a few settings, and enjoy the speed boost. If you ran into any problems or want me to add something to this guide, contact me on Discord or Email Me. I'd love to hear your feedback!