From the second Microsoft launched Home windows 10 in 2015, the brand new OS got here beneath hearth for the quantity of personal data it gathered from customers by default. Through the years, the seller step by step launched modifications to Home windows 10 that alleviated a few of these privateness issues, however some stay — and most of these apply to Home windows 11 as effectively.

Whether or not you assume Home windows 11 crosses the privateness line or simply need to safeguard as a lot of your private life as attainable, we’re right here to assist. Here is tips on how to defend your privateness in just some minutes.

Observe: This story covers Home windows 11 model 22H2. When you have an earlier launch of Home windows 11, some issues could also be completely different. When you have Home windows 10, see “The right way to defend your privateness in Home windows 10.”

Flip off advert monitoring

On the high of many individuals’s privateness issues is what knowledge is being gathered about them as they browse the online. That data creates a profile of an individual’s pursuits that’s utilized by quite a lot of corporations to focus on adverts.

Home windows 11 does this with the usage of an promoting ID. The ID would not simply collect details about you if you browse the online, but in addition if you use Home windows 11 apps. Your promoting ID is not synced to different computer systems, and it operates independently of your Microsoft account, should you’re utilizing one.

You possibly can flip that promoting ID off in order for you. Launch the Home windows 11 Settings app (by looking for settings after which clicking the Settings icon, which appears to be like like a gear) and go to Privateness & safety. Within the left pane that seems, click on Normal and transfer the slider to Off within the high setting, “Let Apps present me personalised adverts through the use of my promoting ID.” You may nonetheless get adverts delivered to you, however they will be generic ones relatively than focused ones, and your pursuits will not be tracked.

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To make completely certain you are not tracked on-line if you use Home windows 11, and to show off some other methods Microsoft will use details about you to focus on adverts, head to the Advert Settings part of Microsoft’s Privateness Dashboard. Signal into your Microsoft account on the high proper of the web page.

Then go to the “See adverts that curiosity you” part on the high of the web page and transfer the slider from On to Off.

Flip off location monitoring

Wherever you go, Home windows 11 is aware of you are there. Some folks do not thoughts this, as a result of it helps the working system provide you with related data, reminiscent of your native climate, what eating places are close by, and so forth. But when you do not need Home windows 11 to trace your location, you’ll be able to inform it to cease.

Launch the Settings app and go to Privateness & safety > Location. In the proper pane subsequent to Location companies, transfer the slider from On to Off. Doing that turns off all location monitoring for each consumer on the PC.

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This does not should be all-or-nothing affair — you’ll be able to flip off location monitoring on an app-by-app foundation. If you’d like your location for use just for some apps and never others, be sure location monitoring is turned on, then scroll all the way down to the “Let apps entry your location” part. You may see an inventory of each Home windows 11 app that may use your location. Transfer the slider to On for the apps you need to enable to make use of your location — for instance, Climate or Maps — and to Off for the apps you do not.

That does not cowl desktop apps, although. So after you activate location monitoring, go to “Let desktop apps entry your location” and switch the slider to On. Whenever you do this, an inventory of desktop apps that use location monitoring seems. Transfer the slider to On for every of the apps you need to use your location and Off for every app you do not.

Whenever you flip off location monitoring, Home windows 11 will nonetheless hold a document of your previous location historical past. To clear your location historical past, go to the Privateness Dashboard, click on Overview location knowledge, and delete all or a few of your location historical past.

There’s much more you are able to do to guard your privateness if you’re there. For particulars, see “Use Microsoft’s Privateness Dashboard” beneath.

Disable your exercise historical past

In Home windows 11, Microsoft eradicated the Home windows 10 Timeline characteristic that allow you to evaluation your exercise in your PC. However oddly sufficient, Microsoft nonetheless tracks and shops that exercise data, together with the web sites you go to and the way you utilize apps and Microsoft companies. If you wish to put a halt to that, go to Settings > Privateness & safety > Exercise historical past and switch the slider subsequent to “Retailer my exercise historical past on this gadget” from On to Off.

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Ditch a Microsoft account for an area account

Whenever you use your Microsoft account to log into Home windows 11, you are capable of sync your settings with all Home windows gadgets. So, for instance, if you make modifications to your settings on a desktop PC, these modifications may also be made in your laptop computer the subsequent time you log in.

However possibly you do not need Microsoft to retailer that details about you. And possibly you need to minimize your ties as a lot as attainable to something Microsoft shops about you. If that is the case, your finest guess is to cease utilizing your Microsoft account and as a substitute use an area account.

Microsoft would not need you to do that, in order that they’ve made it harder to do it in Home windows 11 than it was in Home windows 10. However you’ll be able to nonetheless do it, on this method:

1. Press the Home windows key + R to open the Run dialog field.
2. Sort netplwiz and press enter.
3. Click on the Add
4. On the display that seems, sort in your e-mail tackle and click on Register and not using a Microsoft account (not beneficial) method down on the backside of the display. Click on Subsequent.
5. On the subsequent display, you will see your e-mail tackle. Click on End.

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Needless to say if you do that, you will not be capable to use Microsoft’s OneDrive storage or obtain and set up for-pay apps from the Microsoft Retailer. You possibly can, nonetheless, obtain and set up free apps from the Microsoft Retailer.

Change your app permissions

Home windows apps have the potential to invade your privateness — they’ll have entry to your digicam, microphone, location, photos, and movies.

However you’ll be able to resolve, in a really granular method, what sort of entry every app can have.

To do that, go to Settings > Apps > Put in apps.  You may see an inventory of your put in apps. Click on the three-dot icon to the proper of the app whose permissions you need to management, then choose Superior choices and set the app’s permissions by toggling them both on or off.

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Observe, although, that not all apps have an “Superior choices” menu alternative. And of people who do, not all allow you to customise your app permissions.

Nonetheless, there’s one other strategy to change app permissions. To do it, go to Settings > Privateness & Safety and scroll all the way down to the “App permissions” part. You may see an inventory of all of Home windows’ {hardware}, capabilities, and options that apps can entry in the event that they’re given permission — location, digicam, microphone, notifications, account data, contacts, and so forth.

Click on any of the listed objects — for instance, Microphone. On the high of the web page that seems, you’ll be able to flip off entry to the microphone for all apps. Beneath that you’re going to see an inventory of all of the apps with entry to the microphone, the place you’ll be able to management entry on an app-by-app foundation. Any app with entry has a slider that’s set to On. To cease any app from having entry, transfer the slider to Off.

Management and delete diagnostic knowledge

As you utilize Home windows 11, knowledge is gathered about your {hardware} and what you do if you use Home windows. Microsoft says that it collects this knowledge as a strategy to frequently enhance Home windows and to give you custom-made recommendation on tips on how to finest use Home windows.

That makes loads of folks uncomfortable. For those who’re one in all them, you’ll be able to to a sure extent management what sort of diagnostic knowledge is gathered about you. To do it, head to Settings > Privateness & safety > Diagnostics & Suggestions. Within the “Diagnostic knowledge” part, you’ll be able to  customise to some extent the diagnostic knowledge to be gathered. Observe that there isn’t any strategy to cease Microsoft from gathering diagnostic knowledge fully.

Whenever you use Home windows 11, data is distributed to Microsoft about your gadget, its settings and capabilities, and whether or not it’s performing correctly. That is the knowledge referred to on the high of the display within the part “You are sending required diagnostic knowledge.” There’s nothing you are able to do about that.

Just under that’s one other setting, “Ship non-compulsory diagnostic knowledge.” If that is turned on, you are sending the entire 9 yards to Microsoft: data in regards to the web sites you browse and the way you utilize apps and options, plus more information about gadget well being, gadget utilization, and enhanced error reporting. For those who’re anxious about your privateness, flip this slider to Off.

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(Observe that should you’re a Home windows Insider and get preview builds, you’re required to ship this knowledge. For those who flip it off, you will not be capable to take part within the Insider program.)

Subsequent, scroll all the way down to the “Tailor-made experiences” part, click on the down arrow and transfer the slider to Off. This may not have an effect on the information Microsoft gathers, however it should flip off focused adverts and ideas which might be primarily based on that data. So whereas it will not improve your privateness, you will at the very least minimize down on the annoyance issue.

Now scroll a bit additional down and within the “Delete diagnostic knowledge” part, click on Delete. That may delete all of the diagnostic knowledge Microsoft has gathered about you. Nonetheless, after you delete it, Microsoft will begin gathering the information once more.

Lastly on this display, think about scrolling as much as the “Enhance inking and typing” part and transferring the slider to Off. That may cease Home windows 11 from sending to Microsoft the phrases you enter utilizing the keyboard and inking.

One remaining word about diagnostic knowledge: You might have heard a few device Microsoft has been hyping, known as the Diagnostic Information Viewer, which you’ll obtain from the Microsoft Retailer. Microsoft claims it allows you to see precisely what sort of diagnostic knowledge Microsoft gathers about you. Do not imagine it. It is one thing solely a programmer may love — or perceive. You will not be capable to use it to obviously see the diagnostic knowledge Microsoft collects. As a substitute, you will scroll or search by means of incomprehensible headings reminiscent of “TelClientSynthetic.PdcNetworkActivation_4” and “Microsoft.Home windows.App.Browser.IEFrameProcessAttached” with no rationalization of what it means. Click on any heading, and you will find much more incomprehensible knowledge.

Use Microsoft’s Privateness Dashboard

Microsoft has constructed a superb, little-known net device known as the Privateness Dashboard that permits you to monitor and delete a variety of data Microsoft gathers about you. As coated earlier on this story, right here you’ll be able to flip off advert focusing on. You can too view and delete your searching historical past, search historical past, location exercise, voice exercise, media exercise, and extra.

(Observe that in your searching and search historical past, it solely tracks your exercise if you use Microsoft Edge or Web Explorer. It would not monitor knowledge if you use different browsers, like Chrome or Firefox. And it solely tracks your location historical past if you’re utilizing Microsoft gadgets, not people who use iOS or Android.)

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To make use of it, head to the knowledge you need to view and clear, then click on the suitable hyperlink — for instance, Shopping historical past. Observe that in some situations, you will not have full management over deleting and managing knowledge.

Within the dashboard you can too customise privateness settings for different Microsoft merchandise, together with Xbox, Workplace/Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Groups. Scroll to the “Privateness settings in our merchandise” part and click on the product you are taken with.

Flip off Shared Experiences

Home windows 11’s Shared Experiences characteristic syncs your app exercise on all of the PCs you are signed into. In that method, if you transfer from one gadget to a different, you’ll be able to instantly begin working the place you left on one other gadget.

For those who don’t love the concept of letting Microsoft collect that knowledge, you’ll be able to flip it off. Go to Settings > Apps > Superior Settings > Share throughout gadgets and choose the Off button. 

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Curb Cortana

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Cortana, Microsoft’s digital assistant, was enabled by default in Home windows 10, which is a privateness concern as a result of to do its job effectively, it must know issues about you reminiscent of your own home location, workplace, and the instances and route you’re taking to commute there. In Home windows 11, Cortana isn’t enabled by default, so the very best privateness recommendation is to easily not flip it on.

Nonetheless, if Cortana is turned on in your PC, you’ll be able to simply flip it off. Simply click on the three-dot icon on the higher left of Cortana’s display and choose Signal out.

Get granular within the Settings app

All this should not take that lengthy and can do an important deal to guard your privateness. If you wish to dig even deeper into privateness protections, launch the Settings app and click on Privateness & safety > Normal. You may see the identical Normal pane that we coated within the first tip on this story.

Beneath the swap to show off your promoting ID are three extra privateness settings you’ll be able to disable:

Let web sites present me domestically related content material by accessing my language record. The record of languages you’ve enabled in your machine is your personal enterprise.

Let Home windows enhance Begin and search by monitoring app launches. That is used to construct the “Most used” record on the Begin menu and influences search consequence order — seemingly not essential for the privateness minded.

Present me recommended content material within the Settings app. That is used, in Microsoft’s phrases, to “counsel new content material and apps you may discover attention-grabbing.” Belief me, it is unlikely you will discover them attention-grabbing.

And there is much more past the Normal pane. On the primary “Privateness & safety” display you will see extra areas the place you will get much more granular about privateness — for instance, within the “Exercise historical past” part. And this is the place you will get entry to all app permissions, as outlined earlier on this article.

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Ideas for the really paranoid

If you wish to take privateness even additional, there are a number of extra issues you are able to do.

Cease utilizing OneDrive

For those who don’t love the concept of syncing your knowledge to Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage service, you’ll be able to cease utilizing it. (There isn’t any strategy to uninstall it.) Proper-click the OneDrive icon on the notification tray on the backside proper of the Home windows desktop and choose Settings from the menu that pops open. Within the OneDrive Settings window, go to the Account tab, then click on the Unlink this PC hyperlink. Subsequent, click on the Settings tab and uncheck Begin OneDrive robotically once I sign up to Home windows.

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Do not sync Home windows settings throughout gadgets

As well as, you’ll be able to say no to syncing your Home windows settings amongst completely different gadgets. Whenever you sync your settings, the way in which you’ve got custom-made and arrange Home windows 11 can be synced to Microsoft’s servers. If you wish to flip it off, go to Settings > Accounts > Home windows backup and switch the slider from On to Off subsequent to Bear in mind my preferences.

Flip off app diagnostics

Altering this setting is not a very huge privacy-enhancer, however should you’re an actual privateness fiend, each bit helps. It would not have an effect on desktop apps like Phrase or Excel, and as a substitute targets built-in Home windows apps and the apps you obtain from the Microsoft Retailer. Turning off app diagnostics stops any of these apps from getting particulars about different apps — issues reminiscent of their inside names, bundle names, the consumer identify of the individual working the app, and techie particulars reminiscent of reminiscence utilization. Builders use this data on a regular basis, however your garden-variety apps should not want any of it.

To show it off, choose Settings > Privateness & safety > App diagnostics, and within the App diagnostic entry part, transfer the slider from On to Off.

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Do not share Home windows updates

Lastly, you’ll be able to change the way in which Home windows updates. In Settings > Home windows Updates > Superior choices > Supply optimization, transfer the slider from On to Off subsequent to Enable downloads from different PCs. When turned on, this perform lets your Home windows 11 system share its replace recordsdata with different Home windows 11 computer systems on the web and your personal community by means of peer-to-peer distribution.

These steps can take you a good distance in the direction of ensuring that Home windows 11 would not cross the road into gathering knowledge you’d favor stay non-public.