diff --git a/vsix/ItemTemplates/ViewModel/ViewModel.cpp b/vsix/ItemTemplates/ViewModel/ViewModel.cpp
index 2b135550c..af07f03db 100644
--- a/vsix/ItemTemplates/ViewModel/ViewModel.cpp
+++ b/vsix/ItemTemplates/ViewModel/ViewModel.cpp
@@ -4,9 +4,6 @@
 #include "$safeitemname$.g.cpp"
 #endif
 
-using namespace winrt;
-using namespace Windows::UI::Xaml;
-
 namespace winrt::$rootnamespace$::implementation
 {
     int32_t $safeitemname$::MyProperty()
diff --git a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Desktop/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleApplication.vcxproj b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Desktop/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleApplication.vcxproj
index 116e5d2a1..6d45da3c0 100644
--- a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Desktop/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleApplication.vcxproj	
+++ b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Desktop/ConsoleApplication/ConsoleApplication.vcxproj	
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
       <PrecompiledHeader>Use</PrecompiledHeader>
       <PrecompiledHeaderFile>pch.h</PrecompiledHeaderFile>
       <PrecompiledHeaderOutputFile>$(IntDir)pch.pch</PrecompiledHeaderOutputFile>
-      <PreprocessorDefinitions>_CONSOLE;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
+      <PreprocessorDefinitions>_CONSOLE;WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN;WINRT_LEAN_AND_MEAN;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <WarningLevel>Level4</WarningLevel>
       <AdditionalOptions>%(AdditionalOptions) /permissive- /bigobj</AdditionalOptions>
     </ClCompile>
diff --git a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Desktop/WindowsApplication/WindowsApplication.vcxproj b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Desktop/WindowsApplication/WindowsApplication.vcxproj
index f7600143d..822bb8bb1 100644
--- a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Desktop/WindowsApplication/WindowsApplication.vcxproj	
+++ b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Desktop/WindowsApplication/WindowsApplication.vcxproj	
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
       <PrecompiledHeader>Use</PrecompiledHeader>
       <PrecompiledHeaderFile>pch.h</PrecompiledHeaderFile>
       <PrecompiledHeaderOutputFile>$(IntDir)pch.pch</PrecompiledHeaderOutputFile>
-      <PreprocessorDefinitions>_CONSOLE;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
+      <PreprocessorDefinitions>_CONSOLE;WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN;WINRT_LEAN_AND_MEAN;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <WarningLevel>Level4</WarningLevel>
       <AdditionalOptions>%(AdditionalOptions) /permissive- /bigobj</AdditionalOptions>
     </ClCompile>
diff --git a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/BlankApp/BlankApp.vcxproj b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/BlankApp/BlankApp.vcxproj
index 9e027f58d..6acd6cd60 100644
--- a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/BlankApp/BlankApp.vcxproj	
+++ b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/BlankApp/BlankApp.vcxproj	
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@
       <!--Temporarily disable cppwinrt heap enforcement to work around xaml compiler generated std::shared_ptr use -->
       <AdditionalOptions Condition="'$(CppWinRTHeapEnforcement)'==''">/DWINRT_NO_MAKE_DETECTION %(AdditionalOptions)</AdditionalOptions>
       <DisableSpecificWarnings></DisableSpecificWarnings>
+      <PreprocessorDefinitions>WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN;WINRT_LEAN_AND_MEAN;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
     </ClCompile>
   </ItemDefinitionGroup>
   <ItemDefinitionGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)'=='Debug'">
diff --git a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/CoreApp/CoreApp.vcxproj b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/CoreApp/CoreApp.vcxproj
index d8e11ed3d..c84ab6848 100644
--- a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/CoreApp/CoreApp.vcxproj	
+++ b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/CoreApp/CoreApp.vcxproj	
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@
       <WarningLevel>Level4</WarningLevel>
       <AdditionalOptions>%(AdditionalOptions) /bigobj</AdditionalOptions>
       <DisableSpecificWarnings></DisableSpecificWarnings>
+      <PreprocessorDefinitions>WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN;WINRT_LEAN_AND_MEAN;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
     </ClCompile>
     <Link>
       <GenerateWindowsMetadata>false</GenerateWindowsMetadata>
diff --git a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/WindowsRuntimeComponent/WindowsRuntimeComponent.vcxproj b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/WindowsRuntimeComponent/WindowsRuntimeComponent.vcxproj
index d031d3540..162719dc3 100644
--- a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/WindowsRuntimeComponent/WindowsRuntimeComponent.vcxproj	
+++ b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/WindowsRuntimeComponent/WindowsRuntimeComponent.vcxproj	
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@
       <!--Temporarily disable cppwinrt heap enforcement to work around xaml compiler generated std::shared_ptr use -->
       <AdditionalOptions Condition="'$(CppWinRTHeapEnforcement)'==''">/DWINRT_NO_MAKE_DETECTION %(AdditionalOptions)</AdditionalOptions>
       <DisableSpecificWarnings></DisableSpecificWarnings>
-      <PreprocessorDefinitions>_WINRT_DLL;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
+      <PreprocessorDefinitions>_WINRT_DLL;WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN;WINRT_LEAN_AND_MEAN;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <AdditionalUsingDirectories>$(WindowsSDK_WindowsMetadata);$(AdditionalUsingDirectories)</AdditionalUsingDirectories>
     </ClCompile>
     <Link>
diff --git a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/WindowsRuntimeComponent/pch.h b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/WindowsRuntimeComponent/pch.h
index e3b8b981e..21199686d 100644
--- a/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/WindowsRuntimeComponent/pch.h	
+++ b/vsix/ProjectTemplates/VC/Windows Universal/WindowsRuntimeComponent/pch.h	
@@ -2,10 +2,3 @@
 #include <unknwn.h>
 #include <winrt/Windows.Foundation.h>
 #include <winrt/Windows.Foundation.Collections.h>
-#include <winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.h>
-#include <winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.h>
-#include <winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls.Primitives.h>
-#include <winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.Data.h>
-#include <winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.Interop.h>
-#include <winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.Markup.h>
-#include <winrt/Windows.UI.Xaml.Navigation.h>