In the modern technological world, your data is a precious resource. Many companies use it to provide an accurate picture of how you use their products and services, but only after you’ve given your consent.
That’s no different on Windows 11, where Microsoft uses data to improve the operating system and provide better recommendations.
Not everything is necessary, though. There are plenty of data collection settings on Windows 11 that you can disable without any adverse effect on your experience.
If you’d rather keep the data Microsoft can access to a minimum, this is the article for you.
How to see (some of) the tracking data on Windows 11
Before deleting anything, it’s worth getting an idea of the sort of data that’s being collected. You can’t access most of this yourself, but diagnostic data is an exception.
Essentially, this is the data Microsoft uses to make the Windows 11 experience better. To view it:
- Head to Settings > Privacy & security
- Under the ‘Windows permissions’ sub-heading, click ‘Diagnostics & feedback’
- Click ‘View diagnostic data’, then turn on the toggle next to ‘Turn on the Diagnostic Data Viewer’
- Below it, click ‘Open Diagnostic Data Viewer’
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- A link to the app in the Microsoft Store will open. Click ‘Get’ to install it, then open once complete
Within the app, you’ll find a list of all the data Microsoft is collecting in order to improve the Windows 11 experience. The ‘Diagnostic data’ tab is selected by default, but you can switch to ‘Problem reports’ to see what issues have been found.
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It doesn’t tell the full story, but it can be useful to see the sort of data that’s being sent to Microsoft.
How to turn off diagnostic data collection on Windows 11
Not all diagnostic data can be turned off, but you can disable the optional ones. These include browsing history, app usage and more detailed reports of errors:
- Head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Diagnostics + feedback
- Next to ‘Send optional diagnostic data’, make sure the toggle is in the off position. It’s worth noting that this prevents you from being a member of the Windows Insider Program
- Click ‘Improve inking and typing’, then make sure the toggle here is also off.
- Click ‘Tailored experiences’ and make sure the toggle is off here too
- To remove everything optional that’s been collected so far, click ‘Delete diagnostic data’, then ‘Delete’
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How to turn off advertising tracking on Windows 11
Windows 11 wants to use your data to show personalised adverts and other information, but you don’t have to agree to it. To disable them:
- Head to Settings > Privacy & security > General
- Turn off the toggle next to ‘Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID’
- Turn off the toggle next to ‘Let websites show me locally relevant content by accessing my language list’
- Turn off the toggle next to ‘Let Windows improve Start and search results by tracking app launches’
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It’s worth being aware that having these settings turned off won’t remove advertising. You’ll still see the same amount of ads, but they’ll be general ones and not based on your behaviour.
How to turn off activity history on Windows 11
Windows 11’s activity history feature includes data on how you use apps and services, plus the websites you’ve been browsing. This makes it easy to quickly resume what you were doing last, but it can be disabled:
- Head to Settings > Privacy & security
- Under ‘Windows permissions’, choose ‘Activity history’
- Turn off the toggle next to ‘Store my activity history on this device’
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How to turn off ‘Find my device’ on Windows 11
The ‘Find my device’ feature is great for finding a lost computer, but it relies on regularly collecting location data. If you’d rather turn this off:
- Head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Find my device
- Turn off the toggle next to ‘Find my device’
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If you usually have your location services turned off, this step isn’t necessary. Microsoft can’t track the location of a device if you haven’t given it access.
How to clear Microsoft account activity tracking
Data associated with your Microsoft account may have been collected on several devices. Here’s how to delete all of it:
- Head to account.microsoft.com and sign in with your email and password
- Click ‘Privacy’ from the top of the window. You may have to verify your details again
- Under ‘Manage your activity data’, click each section and choose ‘Clear all…’
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- Click ‘Clear’ to confirm
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- Repeat for any other section where data has been collected
How to turn off Microsoft Edge data collection
The pre-installed Edge browser allows you to prevent websites from using trackers, and there are three settings to choose from. Here’s how to set it up:
- In Edge, click the three dots in the top-right corner, scroll down and choose ‘Settings’
- Click ‘Privacy, search, and services’ in the left pane
- Next to ‘Tracking prevention’, make sure the toggle is turned on.
- Select one of the three options: Basic, Balanced and Strict
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Balanced is the best choice for most people, as it’ll stop tracking from unknown sites but not affect any core functionality.