我们的一些读者要求我们解释可以在Windows 安装(Windows installation)中添加或删除的所有功能。尽管它们都有一些描述，但Windows提供的信息对于大多数人来说要么太简短，要么太复杂而无法理解。这就是为什么我们决定发布这篇文章并带(article and walk)您了解每个Windows 功能(Windows feature)的原因。我们还描述了每个Windows 功能(Windows feature)是什么或做什么，以便您自己决定是保留它还是删除它。让我们开始吧：
在哪里可以找到可以添加或删除的Windows功能(Windows)
我们描述了Windows 功能(Windows Features)窗口中的所有功能。阅读本指南以了解如何访问它：如何添加或删除（不需要的）Windows功能、程序或应用程序。
在本教程中，我们使用了带有2019 年 5 月(May 2019)更新的(Update)Windows 10 Pro。其他版本的Windows提供不同数量的可选功能。
逐一解释所有Windows 功能(Windows Features)
打开Windows 功能(Windows Features)窗口后，您会看到一长串可以添加或删除的Windows功能。(Windows)让我们逐个浏览它们，看看它的作用：
.NET Framework 3.5（包括 .NET 2.0 和 3.0）(.NET Framework 3.5 (includes.NET 2.0 and 3.0)) ——由Microsoft创建的(Microsoft)软件开发框架(software development framework)。许多桌面程序和游戏通常使用它。默认情况下，Windows 10 包含更新的.NET Framework 4.5。如果您有需要运行此版本的旧程序或游戏，您可能需要安装它。
.NET Framework 4.5 高级服务(.NET Framework 4.5 Advanced Services)——这些高级服务包括ASP.NET 4.5（服务器端 Web 应用程序框架(server-side web application framework)）和WCF 服务(WCF Services)——它们用于实现和部署面向服务的架构和分布式计算服务。这一切对你来说听起来像是胡言乱语吗？(Does)这是因为这些服务只与具有复杂基础架构和服务的软件开发人员和业务环境相关。普通用户不需要安装这些服务，应该只保留Windows附带的默认设置（WCF 服务(Services)、TCP 端口(TCP Port)共享）。
Active Directory 轻型目录服务- (Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services)Active Directory 域服务(Active Directory Domain Services)的基本版本。此功能的目的是仅提供目录服务(directory service)。可以使用它的一种情况是，当您的应用程序需要访问目录服务(directory service)，但它们不需要访问Active Directory数据库时。即使在不存在Active Directory(Active Directory)域的环境中也可以使用此功能。可以想象，普通Windows用户不需要它。它仅对使用需要此功能的应用程序的开发人员和企业有用。
容器(Containers)- 包括在 Windows 10 机器上创建容器所需的一切。它们是允许应用程序在其孤立的盒子中运行的工具，不需要知道盒子之外的任何东西。普通用户不需要这些服务和工具，但是每个好奇的人都可以在这里阅读它们：Windows 上的容器(Containers on Windows)。
数据中心桥接-(Data Center Bridging)由 IEEE(standards developed by IEEE)（电气(Institute)和电子工程师协会(Electrical and Electronics Engineers)）为数据中心制定的一系列标准。它们包括共享相同以太网基础设施(Ethernet infrastructure)的存储、数据网络、进程间通信和管理流量(management traffic)标准。
设备锁定(Device Lockdown)- 允许您安装和运行提供专用用户界面(user interface)的服务和工具。通俗地说，它可以让您在自助服务终端机器上运行您的(kiosk machine)Windows 10设备，例如(for example)。
受保护的主机(Guarded Host)- 允许管理员在Hyper-V上运行受保护的虚拟机，以便他们可以保护它们并阻止对来自恶意软件或其他恶意威胁的攻击的访问。
Hyper-V - 一种Windows 功能(Windows feature)，可让您创建和运行虚拟机。它类似于其他流行的软件，如VirtualBox或VMware。然而，微软(Microsoft)在性能方面更上一层楼：Hyper-V比其他类似技术更快，因为它的进程在操作系统(operating system)中运行在较低级别。这意味着虚拟机更接近物理层（实际硬件），因此运行速度更快。如果您对使用虚拟机感兴趣，您可能需要考虑安装此功能。否则，您不需要它。
Internet Explorer 11 - Microsoft 的旧Internet 浏览器(internet browser)。仅当您仍然必须使用它时才应保留它。在删除它之前，请确保您安装了另一个Web 浏览器(web browser)。当您关闭此功能时，其快捷方式将从系统中删除，并且无法再使用。
Internet 信息服务(Internet Information Services)- 此功能也称为IIS。它允许您的Windows 计算机(Windows computer)充当Web 服务器(web server)。这仅对软件开发人员和 IT 专业人员有用。安装这些服务后，您可以从“开始”菜单访问(Start Menu,)IIS 管理器(IIS Manager)，并且可以使用任何浏览器访问您托管的站点。在您喜欢的浏览器中访问http://localhost以查看示例。
Internet Information Services Hostable Web Core - 另一个Web 服务器功能(web server feature)，它是IIS的轻量级版本。它仅包含核心IIS Web 引擎(web engine)组件，并且运行所需的资源更少。您可以使用它来托管一个网站，它对于为自定义应用程序或调试应用程序启用基本的Web 服务器功能很有用。(web server)只有软件开发人员和 IT 专业人员才需要此功能。普通用户无需安装。
Legacy Components - DirectPlay是DirectX应用程序编程接口的一部分。它曾经是一个为网络通信(network communication)而设计的库。除非您正在玩 2008 年之前开发的旧游戏并需要此库，否则您应该可以删除它。
媒体功能 (Windows Media Player) - 与(Media Features (Windows Media Player))Windows捆绑的默认媒体播放器。如果您不使用它来播放音乐或视频(music or videos)，您可以将其移除。第三方媒体播放器通常是更好的选择。Windows Media Player还用于通过本地网络流式传输多媒体内容。(multimedia content)
Microsoft 消息队列 (MSMQ) 服务器(Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) Server)- MSMQ是一项旧服务，只有一个目的：在使用不可靠的网络时改善通信。该服务将消息存储在缓冲区中，因此每当连接断开时，它可以在再次可用时重新发送它们。此功能仅对具有需要此服务的应用程序的企业有用。
Microsoft Print to PDF - Windows 10 包含一个可供所有用户使用的默认虚拟打印机，称为“Microsoft Print to PDF”。它允许您将文档保存为PDF文件。如果您不想要此功能，可以禁用它。
Microsoft XPS Document Writer - 提供对Microsoft的“.XPS” 文件格式的支持，它是(file format)Adob(Adobe) e的“ PDF ”格式的替代品。如果您希望能够打印和保存XPS文件，则需要此服务。
MultiPoint 连接器(MultiPoint Connector)- 允许MultiPoint 管理器和仪表板(MultiPoint Manager and Dashboard)应用程序监视和管理您的Windows 10设备。仅在使用此类应用程序的某些公司网络中才需要这样做。
打印和文档服务(Print and Document Services)- 使使用和管理打印、传真和扫描设备成为可能的服务。默认情况下，Windows 中启用了Internet 打印客户端(Internet Printing Client)和Windows 传真和扫描(Windows Fax and Scan)服务。Windows 传真和扫描(Windows Fax and Scan)允许您使用传真和扫描仪。如果您不使用此类设备，您可以禁用此服务。Internet 打印客户端(Internet Printing Client)使您能够连接并打印到连接到本地网络或 Internet 的打印机。LPD 打印服务(LPD Print Service)和LPR 端口监视器(LPR Port Monitor)等其他服务是替代打印技术，已被弃用且不再大规模使用。扫描管理(Scan Management)用于监控和管理联网扫描仪。
远程差分压缩 API 支持(Remote Differential Compression API Support)- 是一种同步算法(synchronization algorithm)，允许在同步文件之间进行快速比较，从而检测从其内容中删除或添加的数据。您可以在此处(here)找到有关RDC 算法(RDC algorithm) 的更多信息。少数Windows程序和应用程序使用此功能，因此最好保持启用。
NFS 服务(Services for NFS)- 允许您访问使用NFS 协议(NFS protocol)（网络文件系统(Network File system)）的文件。如果您拥有并使用NAS（网络附加存储(Network Attached Storage)），您可能希望启用此功能。
简单网络管理协议 (SNMP)(Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)) -为管理连接到网络的设备而创建的旧协议。(legacy protocol)使用这个相当古老的协议，您可以管理路由器、打印机、计算机等设备。有关它的更多信息，请点击此处(here)。此功能不是必需的，除非您是业务网络中的(business network)IT 专业人员(IT professional)，且设置较旧。
Simple TCP/IP services (i.e., echo, daytime, etc.) ——“oldies but goldies”的集合——命令行(command line)工具，包括字符生成器、daytime、discard、echo 和 quote of the day。您不需要使用它们。
SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing SupportWindows的计算机共享文件和打印机，从Windows NT 4.0到Windows XP 和 Windows Server(Windows XP and Windows Server) 2003 R2。服务器消息块(Server Message Block)( SMB )协议可能被Linux 或 macOS(Linux or macOS)等其他操作系统用于与Windows设备进行通信。如果您的网络中存在这种情况，则不要禁用它会更安全。
SMB Direct - 让网络适配器在使用SMB 3.x文件共享协议时使用RDMA（远程直接内存访问(Remote Direct Memory Access)）来改进文件共享过程。
Telnet 客户端(Telnet Client)- 一个传统的命令行客户端(legacy command line client)，它使用Telnet 网络协议提供与(Telnet network)Telnet 服务器(Telnet server)的双向文本通信。大多数用户永远不需要使用它。
TFTP 客户端(TFTP Client)- 一个简单的命令行工具(command line tool)，可用于通过普通文件传输协议(Trivial File Transfer Protocol)传输文件。大多数用户不需要使用它。
虚拟机平台(Virtual Machine Platform)- 是Microsoft提供的本机虚拟化系统(virtualization system)的一部分。
Windows Defender 应用程序防护(Windows Defender Application Guard)-允许您隔离不受信任的站点(lets you isolate untrusted sites)：作为管理员，您可以定义公司中受信任的网站、云资源和内部网络中的内容，并且不在您列表中的所有内容都被视为不受信任。
Windows Hypervisor 平台(Windows Hypervisor Platform)-由其他第三方虚拟化软件(virtualization software)（例如VirtualBox 或 Android 模拟器）使用的(VirtualBox or Android emulators)API（应用程序编程接口(Application Programming Interface)） 。
Windows Identity Foundation 3.5 -用于构建身份感知应用程序的软件框架。(software framework)Windows 10中包含的.NET Framework 4.5包含此框架的更新版本。仅当您使用没有它就无法工作的旧应用程序时，您才应该安装 3.5 版本。大多数用户不需要安装它。
Windows Powershell 2.0 - 一个专注于任务自动化和配置管理(task automation and configuration management)的命令行工具。如果您想更好地了解，我们建议您阅读什么是PowerShell以及您可以用它做什么？。
Windows Process Activation Service - 一种针对与(Windows Process Activation Service)Internet 信息服务 (IIS)(Internet Information Services (IIS))相关的基于消息的应用程序和组件的服务。它允许软件开发人员根据他们的需要选择最合适的协议。此功能仅对软件开发人员有用。
Windows 投影文件系统(Windows Projected File System)- 也称为 ProjFS，允许应用程序创建虚拟文件系统(lets apps create virtual file systems)。除非您正在使用代码和开发东西，否则您不需要这个。
Windows Sandbox - 允许您在 Windows 10 中运行免费的Windows (Windows 10)10(Windows 10)虚拟机，您可以在其中安全地执行您希望执行的任何操作：您收到的潜在恶意电子邮件附件、正在开发或测试(development or testing)的应用程序等等。对于任何需要安全、隔离环境并影响其运行的 PC 的人来说，Windows 沙盒都是一项出色的功能。(Windows Sandbox)
适用于 Linux 的 Windows 子系统(Windows Subsystem for Linux)- 允许您在Windows 10中安装和使用Linux发行版，例如Ubuntu、openSUSE、Debian 或 Kali Linux(Debian or Kali Linux)。您可以在此处阅读有关如何使用它的更多信息：如何在Windows 10中获取(Windows 10)Linux Bash，分 3 个步骤。
Windows TIFF IFilter - 打开此功能后，Windows可以识别.TIFF图像文件中的文本。默认情况下禁用它，因为光学字符识别(optical character recognition)对性能有很大影响。
工作文件夹客户端(Work Folders Client)- 允许用户将文件夹及其内容从公司网络同步到他们的个人设备。本地创建的文件将同步回公司环境中的文件服务器(file server)。
我们是否(Did)设法帮助您了解可用于Windows的功能？
呼……(Phew…)这是一个冗长的指南！我们花了很多时间和精力(time and work)来完成它。我们希望它对您有用，并回答了您与可用的不同Windows功能相关的问题。如果您正在寻找其他有趣的教程，请不要犹豫，看看我们下面的建议。
What are those Windows features that you can add or remove?
Sоme of our readers asked us to explain what аre all those fеatures that cаn be added to or removed from your Wіndows installation. Even though all of them have some deѕcription, the information offered by Windows is either too brief or too complex to understand for most peоple. That's why we decided tо publish this artiсle and walk you through every Windows feature. We also describe what each Windows feature iѕ or does, so thаt you can decide for yourself whether to keep it or remove it. Let'ѕ get startеd:
Where to find the Windows features that can be added or removed
We describe all the features that are found in the Windows Features window. Read this guide to learn how to access it: How to add or remove (un)wanted Windows features, programs or apps.
For this tutorial, we used Windows 10 Pro with the May 2019 Update. Other versions and editions of Windows offer a different number of optional features.
Explaining all Windows Features, one by one
After you open the Windows Features window, you see a long list of Windows features that can be added or removed. Let's walk through each of them and see what it does:
.NET Framework 3.5 (includes.NET 2.0 and 3.0) – a software development framework created by Microsoft. Many desktop programs and games commonly use it. Windows 10 includes by default .NET Framework 4.5, which is newer. If you have older programs or games that need this version to run, you might want to install it.
.NET Framework 4.5 Advanced Services – these advanced services include ASP.NET 4.5 (a server-side web application framework) and WCF Services - they are used to implement and deploy service-oriented architectures and distributed computing services. Does all of this sound like gibberish to you? That's because these services are relevant only to software developers and business environments with complicated infrastructures and services. Casual users won't need to install these services and should keep only the defaults that come with Windows (WCF Services, TCP Port sharing).
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services - a basic version of Active Directory Domain Services. The purpose of this feature is to provide only the directory services. A situation in which it can be used is when you have applications that need to have access to a directory service, but they do not need to access an Active Directory database. This feature can be used even in environments where no Active Directory domains exist. As you can imagine, it is not needed for casual Windows users. It is useful only to developers and businesses that use applications which require this feature.
Containers - includes everything you need to create containers on your Windows 10 machine. They are tools that allow apps to run in their isolated boxes, with no knowledge of anything outside that box. Regular users do not need these services and tools, but everyone curious can read about them here: Containers on Windows.
Data Center Bridging - a series of standards developed by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) for data centers. They include standards for storage, data networking, inter-process communication, and management traffic that all share the same Ethernet infrastructure.
Device Lockdown - lets you install and run services and tools that provide a specialized user interface. In common words, it lets you run your Windows 10 device in a kiosk machine, for example.
Guarded Host - allows administrators to run shielded virtual machines on Hyper-V so that they can secure them and block access to the attacks coming from malware or other malicious threats.
Hyper-V - a Windows feature that lets you create and run virtual machines. It is similar to other popular software like VirtualBox or VMware. However, Microsoft went to the next level in terms of performance: Hyper-V is faster than other similar technologies, as its processes are run at a lower level in the operating system. This means the virtual machines are closer to the physical layer (the actual hardware) and thus operate faster. If you are interested in working with virtual machines, you might want to consider installing this feature. Otherwise, you do not need it.
Internet Explorer 11 - Microsoft's old internet browser. You should keep it only if you still have to use it. Before removing it, make sure that you have another web browser installed. When you turn off this feature, its shortcuts are removed from the system, and it can no longer be used.
Internet Information Services - this feature is also known as IIS. It allows your Windows computer to act as a web server. This is useful only to software developers and to IT professionals. Once you install these services, you can access the IIS Manager from the Start Menu, and you can use any browser to access the sites that you're hosting. Go to http://localhost in your favorite browser to see an example.
Internet Information Services Hostable Web Core - another web server feature that is a lighter version of IIS. It includes only the core IIS web engine components, and it requires fewer resources to run. You can use it to host only one website, and it is useful for enabling basic web server capabilities for custom applications or for debugging applications. This feature is required only by software developers and IT professionals. Casual users do not need to install it.
Legacy Components - DirectPlay was a part of the DirectX application programming interface. It used to be a library designed for network communication. Unless you are playing old games which were developed before 2008 and require this library, you should be OK with removing it.
Media Features (Windows Media Player) - the default media player that's bundled with Windows. If you do not use it to play music or videos, you can remove it. Third-party media players are generally a better option. Windows Media Player is also used for streaming multimedia content over the local network.
Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) Server - MSMQ is an old service that has only one purpose: to improve communications when working with unreliable networks. This service stores messages in a buffer so whenever a connection drops it can resend them when it becomes available again. This feature is useful only for businesses which have applications requiring this service.
Microsoft Print to PDF - Windows 10 includes a default virtual printer that is available to all its users, called "Microsoft Print to PDF." It allows you to save documents as PDF files. If you do not want this feature, you can disable it.
Microsoft XPS Document Writer - provides support for Microsoft's ".XPS" file format, which is an alternative to Adobe's."PDF" format. You need this service if you want to be able to print and save XPS files.
MultiPoint Connector - allows for MultiPoint Manager and Dashboard apps to monitor and manage your Windows 10 device. This is needed only in some corporate networks, where such apps are used.
Print and Document Services - services that make it possible to use and manage printing, faxing and scanning devices. By default, the Internet Printing Client and Windows Fax and Scan services are enabled in Windows. Windows Fax and Scan allows you to use faxes and scanners. If you do not use such devices, you can disable this service. The Internet Printing Client enables you to connect and print to a printer that is connected to the local network or the internet. Other services like LPD Print Service and LPR Port Monitor are alternate printing technologies that became deprecated and are no longer used on a large scale. Scan Management is used for monitoring and managing network-connected scanners.
Remote Differential Compression API Support - is a synchronization algorithm that allows fast comparisons between synchronized files, which detects the data removed or added from their contents. You can find more information about the RDC algorithm here. This feature is used by a small number of Windows programs and apps, so it is best to keep it enabled.
Services for NFS - Lets you access files that use the NFS protocol (Network File system). If you have and use a NAS (Network Attached Storage), you probably want this feature to be enabled.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) - a legacy protocol created for administering devices that are connected to a network. Using this rather old protocol you can manage devices like routers, printers, computers, etc. More information about it is available here. This feature is not required unless you are an IT professional in a business network with a rather old setup.
Simple TCP/IP services (i.e., echo, daytime, etc.) - a collection of "oldies but goldies" - command line tools that include character generator, daytime, discard, echo, and quote of the day. You should not need to use them.
SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support - this feature enables the sharing of files and printers with computers running older versions of Windows, ranging from Windows NT 4.0 up to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 R2. The Server Message Block (SMB) protocol may be used by other operating systems like Linux or macOS to communicate with Windows devices. If that is the case in your network, it is safer not to disable it.
SMB Direct - Lets network adapters to use RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) to improve the file sharing process when using SMB 3.x file sharing protocol.
Telnet Client - a legacy command line client that uses the Telnet network protocol to provide bidirectional text-oriented communication with a Telnet server. Most users will never need to use it.
TFTP Client - a simple command line tool that can be used to transfer files via the Trivial File Transfer Protocol. Most users do not need to use it.
Virtual Machine Platform - Is part of the native virtualization system offered by Microsoft.
Windows Defender Application Guard - lets you isolate untrusted sites: as an administrator, you define what is among trusted web sites, cloud resources, and internal networks in your company, and everything not on your list is considered untrusted.
Windows Hypervisor Platform - an API (Application Programming Interface) that is used by other third-party virtualization software, such as VirtualBox or Android emulators.
Windows Identity Foundation 3.5 - a software framework for building identity-aware applications. The .NET Framework 4.5 that's included in Windows 10 includes a newer version of this framework. You should install the 3.5 version only if you are using older applications that do not work without it. Most users do not need to install it.
Windows Powershell 2.0 - a command-line tool that focuses on task automation and configuration management. If you want to gain a better understanding, we recommend that you read What is PowerShell and what can you do with it?.
Windows Process Activation Service - a service for message-based applications and components that are related to Internet Information Services (IIS). It allows software developers to choose the most appropriate protocol for their needs. This feature is useful only to software developers.
Windows Projected File System - also known as ProjFS, lets apps create virtual file systems. Unless you are working with code and developing stuff, you do not need this.
Windows Sandbox - allows you to run a free Windows 10 virtual machine within Windows 10, in which you can safely execute anything you wish: potentially malicious email attachments that you have received, apps that are in development or testing, and so on. Windows Sandbox is an excellent feature for anyone who needs a safe, isolated environment that does affect the PC on which it is running.
Windows Subsystem for Linux - lets you install and use the Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, openSUSE, Debian or Kali Linux, in Windows 10. You can read more about how to get to it working, here: How to get the Linux Bash in Windows 10, in 3 steps.
Windows TIFF IFilter - with this feature turned on, Windows can recognize text inside .TIFF image files. It is disabled by default, as optical character recognition has a big impact on performance.
Work Folders Client - allows users to sync a folder and its content, from the corporate network to their personal devices. Files created locally will sync back to the file server in the corporate environment.
Did we manage to help you understand the features available for Windows?
Phew… this was a lengthy guide! It took us a lot of time and work to make it. We hope that it is going to prove useful to you and that it has answered your questions related to the different Windows features that are available. If you are looking for other interesting tutorials, do not hesitate to take a look at our recommendations below.
