Microsoft Windows 11
What the default settings do
Windows 11 ships with several data collection features enabled by default. Microsoft collects diagnostic data about your device and how you use it, an advertising ID is assigned to your device for ad personalization across apps, and activity history may be synced to your Microsoft account. Tailored experiences use your diagnostic data to show personalized tips and recommendations, and online speech recognition sends voice data to Microsoft’s servers.
Many of these defaults are configured during the initial Windows setup. If you clicked through setup quickly, most data sharing options were left on. These settings can be changed at any time.
A reasonable privacy baseline
These settings are found in Settings (press Windows + I).
Diagnostic data
Settings → Privacy & security → Diagnostics & feedback → Diagnostic data → Send optional diagnostic data → Off
Windows always sends required diagnostic data (basic information about your device and its configuration). This toggle controls optional data, which includes details about websites you visit, how you use apps, and enhanced error reporting. Turning it off limits collection to the required minimum.
Settings → Privacy & security → Diagnostics & feedback → Improve inking and typing → Off
When enabled, Windows sends samples of what you type and write with a pen to Microsoft to improve language recognition. Turning it off stops this data from being sent.
Settings → Privacy & security → Diagnostics & feedback → Tailored experiences → Off
Microsoft uses your diagnostic data to personalize tips, ads, and suggestions within Windows. Turning this off means you still receive general suggestions, but they are not based on your activity data.
Settings → Privacy & security → Diagnostics & feedback → Delete diagnostic data → Delete
This removes diagnostic data Microsoft has collected from your device. It is a one-time action. New required diagnostic data will continue to be collected going forward.
Activity history
Settings → Privacy & security → Activity history → Store my activity history on this device → Off (if the page is present on your device)
This page originally powered the Timeline feature, which Microsoft removed from Windows in early 2024, and cloud sync of activity history was deprecated at the same time. Microsoft's own documentation still lists this toggle, but Microsoft has been quietly dropping the Activity history page from Settings on some builds, so it may already be gone on your PC. If it is present, turning it off stops any local activity log from being kept, though there is no longer a Timeline or cloud destination for that data either way.
Advertising ID
Settings → Privacy & security → General → Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID → Off
Windows assigns an advertising ID to your device that apps can use to show targeted ads. Turning this off resets the ID and prevents apps from using it for personalization.
Settings → Privacy & security → General → Let websites show me locally relevant content by accessing my language list → Off
Prevents websites from reading your Windows language settings to serve localized content. This is a minor tracking vector but easy to disable.
Settings → Privacy & security → General → Let Windows improve Start and search results by tracking app launches → Off
Stops Windows from tracking which apps you open to personalize the Start menu and search results.
Speech recognition
Settings → Privacy & security → Speech → Online speech recognition → Off
When enabled, your voice data is sent to Microsoft's servers for processing. Turning it off means voice features like dictation use on-device recognition only. On-device recognition may be less accurate for some languages.
Inking and typing personalization
Settings → Privacy & security → Inking & typing personalization → Custom inking and typing dictionary → Off
When enabled, Windows builds a personal dictionary based on your writing patterns. Turning it off means the system will not learn your writing style, and any custom dictionary data is cleared.
Location
Settings → Privacy & security → Location → Location services → On (but review per-app access below)
Keeping location services on is practical if you use maps or weather. The important step is reviewing which apps have access.
Settings → Privacy & security → Location → per-app location access → Review and disable for apps that do not need it
Scroll through the list and turn off location access for apps that have no reason to know where you are.
account.microsoft.com/privacy → Location activity → Clear
Microsoft removed the local "Location history" clear button from the Settings app in early 2025. Location history is now only kept in the cloud, when you are signed in with a Microsoft account and have location and cloud sync turned on, and it must be cleared from the online privacy dashboard rather than from the device itself.
Find my device
Settings → Privacy & security → Find my device → On (recommended to keep enabled)
This helps you locate your device if it is lost or stolen. It requires location services to be on. The security benefit of being able to find or remotely lock your device generally outweighs the privacy cost of Microsoft knowing its location.
Recall (Copilot+ PCs)
Settings → Privacy & security → Recall & snapshots → Off (off by default; only present on Copilot+ PC hardware)
Recall periodically saves screenshots of your activity so you can search back through what you were doing. It only appears on Copilot+ PCs (hardware with an NPU rated at 40+ TOPS, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD), and Microsoft's own documentation confirms that if you do not explicitly opt in, it stays off and no snapshots are saved. If you have a qualifying PC and never intend to use it, you can remove it entirely through Settings → Apps → Optional features → More Windows features → Turn Windows features on or off, unchecking the Recall feature and restarting. It can be reinstalled the same way if you change your mind later.
Microsoft account privacy dashboard
Visit account.microsoft.com/privacy → Review and clear stored data
Microsoft stores activity data associated with your account, including browsing history (from Edge), search history (from Bing), location history, and voice activity. The privacy dashboard lets you view and delete this data category by category. Review it periodically.
Trade-offs
- Turning off optional diagnostic data means Microsoft has less information to identify and fix issues that may be specific to your hardware or software configuration.
- Disabling the advertising ID means ads in Windows apps will be less relevant, but you will still see them.
- Turning off online speech recognition means dictation and voice commands use on-device processing, which may be less accurate.
- Disabling inking and typing personalization means autocorrect and text suggestions will not adapt to your writing style.
- Disabling tailored experiences means Windows tips and suggestions will be generic rather than based on how you use your device.
- Turning off activity history removes a local record of recently used apps and files, though this no longer feeds a Timeline view since Microsoft removed that feature.
- Removing Recall (or leaving it uninstalled) means you lose the ability to search back through a visual history of your own activity on a Copilot+ PC, a feature some people find useful for retracing steps.
Who should not change these settings
- If you use Windows voice features extensively and need the highest accuracy, keeping online speech recognition on provides better results through server-side processing.
- If you use a pen or stylus frequently and find the personalized dictionary valuable, keeping inking and typing personalization on improves recognition of your handwriting and vocabulary.
- If you have a Copilot+ PC and want to search back through your own past activity, opting into Recall is a reasonable choice as long as you understand it stores visual snapshots of what you do on the device.
- If you are comfortable with Microsoft’s data practices and want to help improve Windows, leaving optional diagnostic data on is a valid choice.
- If you use a managed work or school device, some of these settings may be controlled by your organization’s IT department.